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marketers should be prepared for digital fatigue on the near horizon, according to Wodtke. This is going to put a whole new burden on digital marketers as they soon need to make sure the campaigns are not being invasive, but rather are additive in nature. “The line between pushy and useful is a very fine line. Currently, consumers are in the receptive phase where they are willing to soak in new apps or feed or content, but the honeymoon phase is about to expire. I think consumers are going to say – I had my share.” Hence, marketers need to start moderating more of their content or otherwise face negative brand association. “Content is an alchemy with no defined rules," he says. If a marketer is looking to create content, authenticity is ultimately key. A brand should not stretch beyond its measures when it comes to creating content. Marketers at our recently concluded Content 360 and Customer Experience Conference 2015 also reiterated this thought. Vivek Kumar, director and head of NTUC membership, says that when a brand chooses to pick up content marketing, what is essential is for the brand to be “true to its DNA”. It is important to be sincere about the content and stay true to the brand to ensure success. Only by staying true to its DNA can a brand be transparent in its objectives and build trust with the customer. Geoffrey Pickens, segment director of men’s and shave prep for APAC at Energizer Personal Care, also adds that while for content marketing to succeed only one stroke of brilliance is needed, this idea still needs to stay true to the brand’s personality. “This idea has to reflect the overall essence of the master brand personality and link back to the brand DNA. The master brand personality, or tone of voice, is how we say what we say. It is our attitude and is built from the words and images we use to convey who we are. This helps to create a distinct look and feel for our brand and helps consumers to recognise us.” Other veterans in the industry also added that another common mistake marketers make in the arena of content marketing is not crafting out their brand philosophies clearly before starting on the journey. If a brand doesn’t do this it runs the risk of trying to jump onto every oncoming opportunity. Ultimately, it’s the brand that suffers as its presence gets diluted. And, as with any other discipline, content needs the right talent to make it work for the business. WHERE TO LOOK FOR THE RIGHT TALENT Wodtke, whose professional training cuts across a range of silos ranging from finance, operations and even as a CEO in the media industry, says in his numerous roles, one constant and big struggle is finding talented content creators in the market. Organisations serious in their pursuit of content creation need to nurture and cultivate the few truly content-centric and inspired folks on their teams. “Inspired creative content creators are hard to find – a lot of times they not only need recognition, but companies should also fight to preserve those handful of people,” Wodtke says. He adds there are more people today in the business side of marketing with a clear understanding of logistics, media buy and agency relations, but those skills are not at the heart of what content marketing truly is about. “The true content person needs to be nurtured and coddled and given the flexibility to take risks in the organisation,” Wodtke says. At the end of a busy day, Wodtke says he still has to make room to understand the concerns and address the concerns of these rare creative individuals.
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When asked where the content function should sit in an organisation, he explains his own bias is to have the product owners given more authority over what the content will be. In his ideal setting, his product teams would not only innovate and ideate the products, but also create the content around it, because after all they know the products best. Content is what drives loyalty in a world where customers are spoilt for choices. For 2015, Samsung’s Galaxy Life app, one of its most wellknown loyalty apps, has set its sights to triple its user base. This would be achieved through a targeted content offering. “Content is an important part of the Samsung ecosystem and it creates demand for Samsung products.” He adds that currently 55% of mobile users claim that apps and services impact their purchase, while 85% of tablet users say content is a reason for them to purchase a device. Content is thus vital in helping Samsung move volumes when it comes to selling its products. Ramping up on content and creating more personalised experiences on the platform is one strategy Wodtke and his team will be heavily investing in going forward. Samsung as a company will also be zooming in on digital marketing and looking at connectivity as a key element in its marketing mix. With Samsung’s diverse range of products, the company will now also invest
"MORE THAN EVER, PRIVACY TODAY COMES AT A PRICE AND MARKETERS ARE FAST LEARNING THE COST OF PRIVACY – AND USING IT TO THEIR BENEFIT." heavily in the “Internet of Things” and connect different devices together for a seamless pre, during and post-retail experience. While still in the early phases of transition, this is a definitive direction the brand is heading towards and accumulating brand evangelists along the way. Wodtke adds that Samsung’s combined strong commitment to brand with speed-to-market is rare and what sets it apart from many of its competitors. When the company sees an opportunity it is extremely agile and can rally its resources very quickly. “I think managing that trade-off between keeping it brand-centric while at the same time not losing speed is the alchemy brands need to figure out.” He adds his career experience in Walt Disney has helped in his lessons of brand management in his current role. In his view, not many companies are as well regarded as The Walt Disney in terms of how the organisation manages its brand and the details of its characters, theme park experience and movies. “All of its moves are well calculated and thoughtful and a lot of tender loving care goes into creating that experience. From that, I take away the importance of brand and detail.” Working in a world filled with innovation and cool widgets, I ask Wodtke how he stays on track and away from getting dibs on all these new toys. Speaking candidly, Wodtke says that steering clear from distraction and setting up the right team with the right targets is how he manages to get the best out of his team and his time. It is ultimately all about focus, focus and more focus. “There is always a new task to take on, a colleague to coddle or a meeting to head to. The best thing I can do is cut through all that distraction and keep my team focused on the prize. Ultimately the customer is our boss so we need to do what we can to keep them happy.”
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