Being Here, Now State of Content 2017 - Accenture

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Being Here, Now State of Content 2017 - Accenture
Being Here,
Now
State of Content 2017
Being Here, Now State of Content 2017 - Accenture
“We shape our tools and thereafter
                               our tools shape us”
                                   - attributed to Marshall McLuhan
4
Accenture Interactive
Being Here, Now State of Content 2017 - Accenture
The Digital
Revolution
Remade Us

The digital revolution remade us. Tonight's             Content is the chorus of human voices that
dinner table conversation is held accountable           animate the touchpoints spreading all around us,
by the fact-checkers in our pockets. We don’t           expanding from our phones to our cars, our home
pick a restaurant, or make a purchase, without          appliances, our digital assistants and beyond.
consulting the reviews and recommendations              It’s hard to overstate its impact. With the flow of
of peers and experts. The most arcane subjects          content, markets rise and fall, elections are won
are within the easy reach of a swipe and a tap.         and lost, relationships are built and reputations
Individually, these digitally-enabled experiences       are destroyed.
are useful, often delightful. In total, however, the
sudden emergence of unlimited information is            After enduring marketing’s half-truths for

                                                                                                               7
profound, often overwhelming.                           generations, the field has leveled. As old
                                                        hierarchies are disrupted, there is chaos, furious
With little time to reflect, we’ve adapted to a state   competition and opportunities we’ve only begun
of boundless connectivity. Our thoughts and             to imagine. In the new paradigm trust and
feelings are more intertwined with one another          empathy are the ultimate commodities.

                                                                                                               Content Survey
than ever before. Content provides the bridge
between our personal experience and the wide            To be present for others today, is to be certain our
world around us. The content that we create is          content embodies our best self.
our voice. By giving more of ourselves, we make
ripples that can become waves.
Being Here, Now State of Content 2017 - Accenture
Our Second                                                                                                                                    1,082 Executives
                        Global Survey                                                                                                                                 14 Countries
                                                                                                                                                                      18 Industries

                        Accenture Interactive surveyed more than
                        1000 executives, seeking their insights about
                        the evolving content environment. We asked
                        these business leaders, the majority of whom         In an era of liquid expectations,
                        are the key decision-makers within global            the content delivered as part of       Countries Represented                             Industries Surveyed
                        enterprises, to take stock of their strategies, to   those experiences competes for
                        assess the strengths and weaknesses of their         customer attention like never          Argentina         Italy                           Automotive
                        organizations, and to elucidate the trends that                                             Australia         Japan                           Banking
                                                                             before, and the distinction
                        are defining the future.                                                                    Brazil            Singapore                       Capital Markets
                                                                             between content for external or
                                                                                                                    Canada            South Korea                     Chemicals
                        The individuals we invited to participate have       customer consumption versus            China             Spain                           Consumer Packaged Goods
                        diverse backgrounds and resumes. They are            content for internal or employee       France            United Kingdom                  Electronic and High Tech
                        based in fourteen countries and represent            and stakeholder consumption has        Germany           United States                   Health Payers
                        eighteen industries, from retail to banking          begun to disappear. The net effect                                                       Health Providers
                        and pharmaceuticals to entertainment. What                                                                                                    Life Insurance
                                                                             of these trends—combined with
                        they hold in common is the experience of                                                                                                      Life Sciences/Medical Products
                                                                             an increase in the number and
                        leading at a moment when their businesses,
                        industries, and global markets are undergoing        importance of social channels, and     Survey Population                                 Media and Entertainment
                                                                                                                                                                      Pharmaceutical/Biotech
                        a pivotal transformation. Nearly half of the         the impact of personalization—means    and Methodology                                   Property & Casualty Insurance
                        participants oversee organizations whose             that companies need to create                                                            Retail
                        marketing budgets exceed $250 million dollars                                               The online survey was conducted by Accenture      Technology
                                                                             extraordinary amounts of content at

                                                                                                                                                                                                       9
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                        annually. More than fifty are responsible for one                                           among a total of 1,082 business executives in     Telecommunication
                        billion dollars or more in marketing resources.
                                                                             higher and higher levels of quality.   July 2016. The overall margin of error is +/- 3   Transportation and Travel
                        Almost all have made significant investments in                                             percentage points at the midpoint of the 95       Utilities
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                        content.                                             Donna Tuths                            percent confidence level.

                                                                                                                                                                                                       Content Survey
Being Here, Now State of Content 2017 - Accenture
1

Being
Everywhere
The virtual world is always awake

Content has become as ubiquitous as the air we
breathe and the water we drink. The four million
search inquiries we send to Google every minute
reflect our insatiable hunger for answers and
                                                     This is a change in mindset. It’s
ideas.1 Instantaneous access to a virtual universe   not marketing; we just have to be
of information, entertainment and more has           there for consumers. That’s the
accelerated the way we live. Today, the average      type of thinking we’re trying to
American compresses thirty-one hours of activity     drive into our organization, and it

                                                                                           11
into a single day.2 We are all doing more in order
                                                     is definitely taking time.
to be present everywhere.

                                                     Head of Strategy
By 2020, some thirty-four billion devices will
                                                     Global Pharmaceuticals
be online,3 a number equivalent to almost four

                                                                                           Content Survey
connections for every man, woman, and child on
the planet. Enterprises prepared to engage 24/7
are poised to seize a historic opportunity.
Being Here, Now State of Content 2017 - Accenture
The average
                        Content is the next big chasm that
                                                                              American                                                34 BILLION                                                       250M                 2X
                        marketers have to face and overcome.                                                                          In 2014 the number of mobile                                     Enterprises spend    The percentage
                        The pain point that all marketers are
                        struggling with now is, where do I
                                                                              compresses                                              users surpassed those                                            between 150M and     of companies

                                                                              thirty-one hours
                                                                                                                                      accessing the internet on their                                  250M on content      producing large
                        get the content engine? In a much                                                                             desktops                                                         related activities   amounts of content

                                                                              of activity into
                        more dynamic and hyper-targeted                                                                                                                                                per year             has doubled since
                        world—where personalization is key—                                                                           By 2020, some 34 billion                                                              our previous survey
                        how do I create hundreds of different
                        installations of content and maintain                 a single day                                            devices will be online

                        relevancy?

                        Head of Digital Content
                        Home Repair

                        To be present everywhere, all the time, starts        The operational hurdles confounding executives          At a pivotal moment when the competition
                        with unprecedented investments in content.            prevent many from seeing the proverbial                 to engage consumers through content has
                        Our 2017 survey shows that the percentage of          forest through the trees. Only 40 percent of            intensified, key decision-makers should be
                        organizations producing enormous volumes of           these leaders strongly agree that they clearly          focused on articulating a larger sense of
                        content has doubled since our previous study.         understand the goals of their content; thus,            purpose and connecting with people on a
                        On average, major companies are creating              fewer than half believe that their investments          personal basis. Instead, these leaders are
                        over one million digital assets per year. The         truly match those goals. To achieve efficient           preoccupied with the minutiae required
                        executives we spoke with collectively control         production at the necessary scale, it is critical for   simply to keep up with the necessary levels
                        marketing budgets totaling more than 500              organizations to align their investments with a         of production.
                        million dollars, and they are allocating up to half   clear understanding of desired outcomes.
                        of those resources to build relationships with
                        consumers through content.                            In the absence of such a strong sense of purpose,
                                                                              content becomes an operational grind. In
                                                                              2016, more than half of the survey participants
                                                                              said they spend the majority of their time on
                                                                              operational details associated with content.
                                                                              The number of respondents who reported that
                                                                              such administrative functions were demanding

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                                                                              most of their time increased this year, with more
                                                                              than two-thirds now feeling burdened. Overall,
                                                                              executives in the field feel even less prepared to
Accenture Interactive

                                                                                                                                      1
                                                                                                                                       Business Insider, http://www.businessinsider.com/google-
                                                                              manage enormous amounts of content than in
                                                                                                                                      search-engine-facts-2016-3/#first-a-trip-down-memory-lane-
                                                                              the previous year.                                      heres-what-googles-search-page-looked-like-back-in-1997-1b

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Content Survey
                                                                                                                                      2
                                                                                                                                        Activate Inc, https://www.slideshare.net/ActivateInc/
                                                                                                                                      activate-tech-and-media-outlook-2016

                                                                                                                                      3
                                                                                                                                        Business Insider, http://www.businessinsider.com/34-billion-
                                                                                                                                      devices-will-be-connected-to-the-internet-by-2020-2016-1
Being Here, Now State of Content 2017 - Accenture
2

                        Identity
                        and Culture
                        Content revolutionized marketing,
                        now it's reinventing everything else

                        As we continue to probe content issues with
                        business leaders, the notion of identity arises
                        again and again. Perhaps the phenomenon is            It’s no longer about promotion,
                        best illustrated at the level of the individual:      it’s about expressing your
                        entering your name into a search engine might
                                                                              identity, and building
                        reveal a rich portrait, a record of past and
                        present, preferences and associations, even
                                                                              relationships. In a world that is
                        intimate thoughts and feelings. In a flash, digital   not push anymore—it’s all about
                        content can create the richest representation of      the pull of attraction and being
                        self imaginable–and so, as individuals, we have       your best self. Companies have
                        learned to be thoughtful about what we post and       to get real about what that means
                        share digitally. Simply put: to know my content is
                                                                              to them.
                        to know me.
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                                                                              Donna Tuths
                        Some organizations embody themselves so
                        vividly in the content they produce that their
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                        audience develops a true affinity with them.
                        These are the companies we call Content-First,

                                                                                                                  Content Survey
                        and they are redefining the consumer relationship
                        and driving disruption with content-led business
                        models. Such a content-led approach comes
                        from the very top, and requires commitment to
                        key capabilities.
Being Here, Now State of Content 2017 - Accenture
nearly 80%                                              more than 3/4
                        of those we surveyed                                    of respondents recognize
                        believe that the content                                that the success of their
                        they produce must                                       content depends on the
                        convey everything they                                  quality of the initial creative
                        want people to know                                     brief, yet fewer than one
                        about their businesses                                  quarter feel accountable for
                                                                                ensuring that quality

                        Content-First
                        Companies                                                                                                   Own Your Voice
                        Evolution in the use of content is enabling entirely    and purpose of content, nearly 80 percent of        Content-led organizations have discovered           You have to create the capability in
                        new business models. Content-first companies            those we surveyed believe that the content          they must own the most essential aspects of         yourself to be able to produce your
                        are disrupting industries from travel to eyewear        they produce must convey everything they            their content; they cannot entrust them to
                                                                                                                                                                                        own voice. It has to be your own, a
                        and athletics to entertainment. Virtualized             want people to know about their businesses.         transient agency partners. The rise of the
                        experiences of a product or a service provide           Another factor keeping content at the center of     in-house studio model points to the need to
                                                                                                                                                                                        reflection of the organization’s true
                        a novel means of differentiation, and a flexible        organizational concern is the continued decline     build and control a company’s voice internally.     self. So, this is creating challenges
                        testing ground for new offerings. Organizations         of brick-and-mortar activity, and a corresponding   It can’t be provided by an agency; it has to        for many companies that relied on
                        first identified the power of a content-led             increase in digital commerce. Accenture             come from within. When asked to explain the         agencies in the past to provide that
                        approach to enable marketers. Once a fringe             research states nearly half of eTailers (46%) are   reason they are able to create high quality         content. Today you are in danger of
                        movement, now over 76 percent of companies we           seeing their online sales growing more than 11%,    content, respondents consistently cited talent:
                                                                                                                                                                                        sounding promotional, inauthentic,
                        surveyed are exploring Content Marketing. A rule-       and 86% will be expanding their eCommerce           having both the right level of creative talent
                        of-thumb: what separates content marketing from         activities over the next 12 months.4 Content is     aligned to content creation, and having that        and uninviting.
                        traditional advertising is a shift from transactional   the new brick-and-mortar, the setting where so      talent reside in-house. What did respondents
                        topics of product and service to topics of              much customer experience takes place.               cite as the #1 barrier to creating high quality     Donna Tuths
                        interest and audience delight. The goal is not                                                              content? Lack of in-house talent. In past
                        driving sales, but growing deeper relationships.                                                            years’ business leaders could be expected
                        Reflecting a growing awareness of the power                                                                 to cite barriers of budget or technology.
                                                                                                                                    Today, creating effective content requires
                                                                                                                                    investing in an internal team. 76 percent of
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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                17
                                                                                                                                    respondents said they will be increasingly
                                                                                                                                    leveraging in-house talent in the next two years.
                                                                                                                                    Successful content is most often rooted in a
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                                                                                                                                    common culture that can only be lived by an
                                                                                                                                    organization’s members.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Content Survey
Being Here, Now State of Content 2017 - Accenture
2X                                      Nearly all of the CEOs                                                           Where do new
                        CEOs were twice as
                                                                that we surveyed believe
                                                                that their companies are
                                                                                                                                                 ideas originate?
                        likely as members                       already representing
                        of their senior                         themselves well through                                                          Traditionally, the weight has fallen heavily on marketing
                        management teams                        their content                                                                    to generate new creative ideas. In order for a
                        to find that content                                                                                                     company's content to fully represent its voice, mission,
                        meets their goals                                                                                                        and vision, that dependence on marketing should
                                                                                                                                                 lessen, and employees elsewhere in the organization,
                                                                                                                                                 who live those core values every day, should be called
                                                                                                                                                 upon to offer input. Genuine content can be difficult to
                                                                                                                                                 attain. Companies should utilize every resource at their
                                                                                                                                                 disposal, engaging the entire organization to tell the
                                                                                                                                                 right stories with messages that matter.
                        CEO Imperative
                        Last year we reported that a major shift was          Why are CEOs so focused on content? Content
                        underway in marketing culture, with 90 percent        is bigger than marketing; it’s the voice of the
                        of respondents stating that a chief executive         company’s mission; it can alter the fate of an
                        should be responsible for content strategy.           enterprise. According to Accenture Research,
                        More than a third of those surveyed said that         “CEOs are on the hot seat to show shareholders
                        the CEO should have direct oversight. This year,      new sources of revenue. And as traditional
                        we specifically surveyed CEOs to understand
                        their attitudes. Nearly all who participated in our
                                                                              sources of revenue become ever more elusive,
                                                                              CEOs are increasingly seeking disruptive growth.
                                                                                                                                                 Where do                    62%            Marketing
                        study reaffirmed their commitment to content,         In fact, 44 percent of CEOs surveyed feel that                     you look for
                        seeing it as the primary way to articulate their
                        organization’s missions.
                                                                              disruptive growth is very important to the overall
                                                                              growth agenda.”5 The ongoing innovation in                         the next big                51%            Product Development
                                                                              content is disruptive, and disruption itself has
                                                                                                                                                 idea for your
                        While this revolution in content leadership is
                        progressing, some players lag behind. Many
                        organizations still rely too heavily on traditional
                                                                              emerged as critical profit source.
                                                                                                                                                 content?                    50%            Users/Consumers/Customers
                        marketing departments to generate creative ideas
                        and outside agencies to develop content strategy.
                        Our study also revealed differing perceptions
                                                                                                                                                                             33%            Agency or Partner
                        at different levels within organizations. CEO
                                                                                                                                                                             29%

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        19
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                        respondents offered far more optimistic                                                                                                                             Sales
                        assessments of content than those elsewhere in a
                        company. For example, CEOs were twice as likely
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                                                                              4
                        as members of their senior management teams             Accenture, “Differentiating Delivery: How to win the eCommerce
                                                                              battle,” https://www.accenture.com/us-en/_acnmedia/Accenture/
                        to find that content meets their goals. Meanwhile,

                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Content Survey
                                                                              next-gen-2/insight-post-parcel-etailer-research/pdf/Accenture-
                        fewer than a third of employees strongly agree        Differentiating-Delivery-How-Win-eCommmerce-Battle.pdf
                        that the content their organizations produce          5
                                                                                Accenture, “CMO Insights” https://www.accenture.com/
                        accurately reflects the culture and character of      t20170124T041545__w__/us-en/_acnmedia/PDF-33/Accenture-
                        their organizations.                                  CMO-INSIGHTS-POV-FINAL.pdf
Being Here, Now State of Content 2017 - Accenture
3

                        Think
                        Distribution
                        In today’s decentralized
                        media space, issues of
                        distribution are more
                        complex, and more
                        important, than ever.                                These are uncharted waters. Our
                                                                             clients’ needs have shifted as digital
                                                                             becomes dominant and social
                                                                             becomes an imperative—they struggle
                                                                             as their traditional agency partners do
                        It’s hard to imagine, less than 20 years ago
                                                                             not have the digital and technical DNA
                        there were a few nationally broadcast television     to keep up in this rush of innovation.
                        stations, enough monthly magazines to fill a         Clients are looking for more partners
                        newsstand, and a dwindling number of radio           who are willing and able to master
                        stations and newspapers, constrained to a largely    these new formats quickly and help
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                        regional focus. Today, the old players have either
                                                                             brands to experiment and learn. There
                        struggled to reinvent themselves, or perished.
                        In their place an incredible living network has      is no 'wait and see' in these markets
Accenture Interactive

                        emerged. Social platforms have democratized          today.
                        content; truly anybody can be a channel.

                                                                                                                       Content Survey
                                                                             Donna Tuths
                        Snapchat launched less than five years ago and
                        Periscope isn’t even two years old. We’re on the
                        cusp of the VR (virtual reality) era. Strange new
                        media formats have sprung to life, and the path to
                        audience engagement is no longer a straight line.
2/3                                                  80%                               24%
                        of high performing businesses are                    believe it                        feel "very"
                        working toward integrated plans                      necessary to                      prepared to
                        that balance investments in content                  master new                        engage new
                        production with smart distribution                   platforms                         platforms
                        approaches that activate a range of
                        channels, both free (social media) and
                        costly (network television).

                        It’s no surprise then, 82% of respondents describe   Some technologies will be a fleeting memory.
                        placement as key to driving business outcomes.       Others will change the world. New platforms,
                        In fact, almost three-quarters of organizations      channels and formats require significant
                        invest the majority of their budgets (100–250M),     investment and new types of mastery—what
                        up to 70%, on paid placement. But in the complex     drives engagement on one, might flop on
                        landscape, only 24% of organizations feel very       another. It’s not practical, nor desirable, to
                        prepared to activate new distribution points as      commit equally to every innovation. Determining
                        they arise. Large sums mean risk, and only a         the right distribution models requires
                        third of the leaders we spoke with feel capable      experimentation, and knowing your audience—
                        of making critical distribution-related decisions    but most importantly, an effective approach
                        without consulting an external partner to help       to distribution must be informed by a content
                        navigate strategic and operational challenges.       program defined by a clear and consistent sense
                                                                             of purpose and identity.
                        More than just posing new challenges, the
                        radical possibilities presented by digital
                        technology means distribution itself has become
                        an important area of creative innovation.
                        Organizations can stay relevant by meeting
                        audiences on emergent platforms, or even

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                        leading them to new ones. Worldwide, 26 percent
                        of marketers report the inclusion of VR in their
                        marketing mix in 2017.6 Today, where you are, is
Accenture Interactive

                        who you are.

                                                                                                                                             Content Survey
                                                                             6
                                                                               eMarketer, https://www.emarketer.com/Chart/Technologies-
                                                                             that-Marketers-Select-Countries-Plan-Include-Their-Marketing-
                                                                             Strategies-2017-of-respondents/203493
In a fiercely competitive
                                       environment where every

                        Our study
                                       efficiency matters, such a
                                       high percentage point could
                                       be alarming.

                        found that
                        20% of all     However, it also reflects a

                        content        commitment to experimentation,
                                       a willingness to go out on a

                        produced
                                       limb in an attempt to reach
                                       consumers in new ways. One
                                       organization’s waste is another’s

                        is never
                                       rough draft for content that may
                                       be ahead of its time.

                        distributed.
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4

                        Commanding
                        An Audience
                        In a content-rich world,
                        only true relevance earns
                        attention and drives
                        business outcomes.
                                                                            You can be dismissed by the mere tap
                                                                            of a finger. In a pull world, reaching
                                                                            your audience becomes a battle of
                                                                            attraction. There is a saying that the
                        The average person is exposed to 577 marketing      mind will rationalize what the heart
                        messages every day.7 In Accenture’s recent          desires. Understanding the heart is
                        survey of consumers, we found that more than        at the core of architecting attraction.
                        80 percent either ignore traditional ads or block   That is a very complex thing. It is
                        them out while browsing online.8 Despite the
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                                                                                                                      27
                                                                            about subtle human connections,
                        increasing proliferation of marketing messages,
                        consumers effectively filter out all but the most   accessibility and openness—which
                        compelling content—and then consume the             seem to relate to authenticity—being
Accenture Interactive

                        material they love obsessively. Indeed, more than   real. That is what brands now have
                        70 percent of our consumer survey participants      to achieve if they want to reach their

                                                                                                                      Content Survey
                        reported feeling open to more content, especially
                                                                            audience.
                        if it was tailored to their tastes.

                                                                            Donna Tuths
Quality of content is not defined on my                577                                                                 Authenticity and
                                                                                                                                                   credibility are the
                                                                                                                                                                            3/4                     84%
                        terms . . . Quality of content as tested               The average person                                                  top drivers of quality   of those who            affirmed the importance
                        and interpreted by the consumer . . .                  is exposed to 577                                                                            participated in our     of content in delivering
                        helping enable them to go from where                   marketing messages                                                                           study agree that the    experiences to those that
                        they are to where they want to go. That                                                                                                             single most important   come into contact with
                                                                               every day
                        is quality.                                                                                                                                         driver of brand         their brand
                                                                                                                                                                            engagement is quality
                        Head of Ecommerce, Digital Marketing
                        and Channel Innovation Strategy
                        Retail Company

                        This openness extends to content produced by           Three-quarters of those who participated in
                        brands. 84 percent of the executives we surveyed       our leadership study recognize that the single
                        affirmed the importance of content in shaping          most important driver of brand engagement
                        the brand experience—and consumers don’t               is quality. What is quality? It’s not necessarily
                        discriminate against sponsored experiences,            about production value. It can’t be purchased
                        provided they pertain to their interests and satisfy   and it can’t be faked. Consumers know it
                        expectations of quality. The qualities which earn      when they see it. It’s a trait that exists across
                        credibility in the eyes of consumers include:          platforms and channels, in digital formats
                        demonstrated expertise, ethical transparency           and in analogue space. While “Quality” defies
                        and innovation. Brands have huge opportunities         universal definitions, our research shows
                        to connect with consumers, but the quality bar         that relevance, authenticity, and credibility
                        is high.                                               are the top drivers. Questions of authenticity
                                                                               and credibility, in particular, speak to the
                                                                               importance of trust. A loud noise may attract
                                                                               attention, but only trust sustains an audience,
                                                                               and builds relationships.

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Content Survey
                                                                               7
                                                                                 Johnson, Nicholas, The Future of Marketing. Pearson Education,
                                                                               Inc. (New Jersey 2015).

                                                                               8
                                                                                Accenture, “Lights. Camera. Action.” https://www.slideshare.net/
                                                                               AccentureDigital/lights-camera-action-69376990
Practical and concise content                                      Presentation of idealized
                                                                     presented simply, targets
                                                                       habit-forming behavior.
                                                                                                           Entertainment            experience, targets an
                                                                                                                                    emotional response.
                        Content Engagement                                                 EXAMPLE
                                                                                                             It delights me.        EXAMPLE
                        Framework                                            A lighthearted video with                              A highly produced, national
                                                                       instructions for creating simple                             campaign that inspired
                                                                        indulgent treats is an example                              girls to challenge limited
                        While the varieties of content are             of content that's both delightful                            gender-based expectations.
                        limitless, in our quest to understand                          and informative.
                        what makes content work, we’ve
                        developed a matrix view to help
                                                                                                                                    Accenture research showed
                                                                 In our Video Consumer survey,                                      that entertaining content
                        describe the essential relationship
                        between content and consumer.           participants listed Education as                                    ranked second in the types
                        The best content meets complex          the second most valued type of                                      of content consumers were
                        needs, thus it can be mapped to                content, followed closely                                    most likely to share with
                        quadrant intersections.                               by Entertainment.                                     friends and family.
                        This analytical framework was
                        created based on our consumer

                                                                  Usefulness                                                            Aspirational
                        research and sentiment to provide
                        useful perspective in developing
                        content goals.
                                                                      It helps me.                                                         It elevates me.

                                                                            Informative content                                     Expression of
                                                                         that empowers, targets                                     similar values,
                                                                               functional value.                                    targets connection.

                                                                                           EXAMPLE                                  EXAMPLE
                                                                       A tenured media company who                                  Lifestyle bloggers and YouTube
                                                                   objectively presents information like                            stars who share their lives and
                                                                       world news and current events.                               experiences in their own voice.
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                                                                  Accenture research showed                                         Our Video Consumer
                                                                 57 percent said that expertise                                     Survey respondents
                                                                                                                 Trust
Accenture Interactive

                                                                 was the most important driver                                      reported being drawn to
                                                                        of a brand's credibility.                                   brands that advocate for
                                                                                                           I can believe in this.   causes they believe in.
New Questions,
                        New Answers                                                                                  Reasons why
                                                                         How are Companies                                                                   #1   say they are increasingly leveraging
                                                                                                                                                                  in-house talent to create content in the
                        The virtualized world is                         Responding?                                 companies are able                           next 2 years
                        presenting opportunities                                                                     to consistently create
                        for alternative models                           High-performing companies are               high-quality content:                   #2   say they have the right level of creative
                                                                                                                                                                  talent aligned to content creation
                                                                         transforming themselves, looking for
                                                                         new sources, inspiration, and partners to
                                                                         address the transforming landscape.

                                                                         Content-led Models                          Taking Back the Message                                 Seeking New Forms
                        The burgeoning demand for content has
                        led it to be identified as having potential to                                                                                                       of Creation
                        be the “great limiter” in the next phase of      77%       agree that the most
                                                                                   innovative companies
                                                                                                                     76%    say they are increasingly
                                                                                                                            leveraging in-house talent                       74%    Leverage Existing Content
                        digital transformation, unless companies                   are investing in                         to create content in the
                        can find a way to solve for their staggering                                                                                                         72%    Content Templates
                                                                                   content-rich activities                  next 2 years
                        need, while reducing complexity along with                                                                                                           62%    User Generated Content
                        associated costs and quality and delivery
                        issues. The demand side is clear. At the         62%       consider themselves
                                                                                   to be a content-driven
                                                                                                                     77%    believe the quality of their
                                                                                                                            content is directly correlated
                                                                                                                                                                             55%    Content Automation
                        same time, digital technology has been                     organization                             to their creative brief                          47%    Crowdsourcing
                        disrupting the supply side. Agencies which
                        were already struggling to address the                                                                                                               19%    Robo-writers
                        technical demands of web development
                        and online media, have been stymied by
                        the technical intricacies of social platforms
                        like Facebook and Twitter, which are adding
                        new features all the time, as well as new
                        channels like Periscope and Snapchat.
                                                                                                                     Driving Adoption                                        Strategy & Governance
                                                                         What Challenges Remain?
                        Donna Tuths
                                                                         With new models come
                                                                                                                     1/4   Only one quarter of respondents
                                                                                                                           are committed to change
                                                                                                                                                                             27%      Only 27% strongly agree that their
                                                                                                                                                                                      organization has a fully functioning
                                                                         challenges that organizations will                management, education, and                                 governance model with forums,
                                                                         have to overcome over time.                       gaining buy-in when rolling out                            policies, and procedures under
                                                                                                                           transformational changes to                                which all content activities and
                                                                                                                           content creation                                           resources are managed

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  33
32

                                                                                                                                                                             1/3      Less than 1/3 strongly agree that their
                                                                                                                     Accountability                                                   content strategy is inclusive of both
                                                                                                                                                                                      marketing and non-marketing content
Accenture Interactive

                                                                                                                     25%   Less than 25% feel
                                                                                                                           accountable for the quality
                                                                                                                                                                                      (i.e., sales, customer service, learning,
                                                                                                                                                                                      communication, collaboration)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Content Survey
                                                                                                                           of the creative brief

                                                                                                                     29%   Only 29% strongly agree that their
                                                                                                                           content is consistent in style and
                                                                                                                           tone across channels
5

                        You Are
                        Your Content

                        Our relationship to content has been              Ubiquity is the new normal. Sites and
                        transformed. So many aspects of our lives,        microsites, apps, social platforms, the
                        big and small, are lived online. We use digital   blogosphere, an unrecognizable media
                        tools for practical tasks, like shopping and      landscape, an internet of things—to be
                        banking, but also for more personal matters,      everywhere is expensive and complicated,
                        like starting relationships or looking for        but getting content right could not be more
34

                                                                                                                          35
                        answers to questions we are too shy to ask our    critical. With the virtualization of nearly
                        doctors. From education to recreation, one is     everything, your audience’s primary exposure
                        hard-pressed to identify aspects of modern        to your organization is now through the
Accenture Interactive

                        life not changed by digital content. This         content you share. This applies to customers,
                        study continues our efforts to understand this    and prospects, and also, critically, to

                                                                                                                          Content Survey
                        shifting paradigm, and to help organizations      employees and recruits.
                        respond.
Audiences are no longer crowded around            Content must be a vital expression of an
                        a handful of channels. The web is radically       organization’s purpose, and true to its
                        decentralized, and new platforms regularly        lifeblood. Content is how the organization
                        displace incumbents. Distributing content is      expresses itself. In this hyper-connected age,
                        not just an operational challenge, but an area    You Are Your Content, it is literally the voice
                        where the most competitive companies are          of your organization. And so, it is no surprise
                        innovating, following their audiences closely,    that organizations are beginning to want to
                        and even leading them to new channels.            own that voice, rather than entrust it to others,
                        Keeping up with all of these changes is           building new capabilities within the enterprise,
                        exhausting at best, and impossible for some.      and establishing stewardship at the most
                                                                          senior levels of the organization.
                        Technology has brought the end of passive
                        viewing habits, allowing audiences to deftly
                        avoid irrelevant content. Yet audiences
                        have an insatiable appetite for content that
                        matters, and are deeply passionate about
                        the content that matters most. While there is
                        no universal path to relevance, it begins by
36

                                                                                                                              37
                        connecting content to an organization’s most
                        essential goals, kneading into the culture, and
                        prizing the trust of an audience as a precious
Accenture Interactive

                        resource.

                                                                                                                              Content Survey
Contact                                            Accenture Interactive
To learn more, please contact:
                                                   Content Studio

Donna Tuths                                        We believe a content studio should reflect the
Content Lead                                       best aspects of an organization, and the most
Accenture Interactive                              human. In our home studio we stay focused on
donna.m.tuths@accenture.com                        innovation, research, creative strategy, product
core_content@accenture.com                         development and emerging best practices in the
                                                   field. We are focused on helping our clients work
Donna Tuths, the author of this study, runs        through their own specific content challenges.
Accenture Interactive’s content business with      Our facility supports full multimedia production,
nearly 10,000 practitioners worldwide. She         and new, collaborative models for delivering
is a recognized thought leader in the field, a     content in an omni-channel world—honoring
frequent public speaker, and the founder of        our commitment to the role of content within
Accenture’s Content Studio based in the Soho       the enterprise. Annually, we publish the State
neighborhood of New York City.                     of Content Survey, bringing insights from over
                                                   1000 senior executives, from 18 countries across
                                                   14 industries. Throughout the year we conduct
About Accenture Interactive                        and share with the pubic research on varied
                                                   topics of interest to us.
Accenture Interactive, part of Accenture
Digital, helps the world’s leading brands drive
superior marketing performance across the full
                                                   About Accenture
omni-channel customer experience. Accenture
Interactive offers integrated, industrialized      Accenture is a leading global professional
and industry-driven digital transformation and     services company, providing a broad range of
marketing solutions.                               services and solutions in strategy, consulting,
                                                   digital, technology and operations. Combining
                                                   unmatched experience and specialized skills
Follow us at @AccentureSocial
                                                   across more than 40 industries and all business
Visit us at www.accenture.com/interactive
                                                   functions—underpinned by the world’s largest
                                                   delivery network—Accenture works at the
                                                   intersection of business and technology to help
                                                   clients improve their performance and create
                                                   sustainable value for their stakeholders. With
                                                   approximately 373,000 people serving clients
                                                   in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives
                                                   innovation to improve the way the world works
                                                   and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

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