Sony PlayStation and Microsoft on how brands can better use content

Microsoft and Sony PlayStation share their insights on why an ‘always on’ approach and content designed for mobile-first are key to creating a successful content marketing strategy.

‘If content doesn’t work flawlessly on mobile it’s off-brand’

With 70% of Microsoft’s website traffic now coming from mobile devices, the company says brands must design for ‘mobile first’ in order to stay ahead.

Speaking at Marketing Week’s Content Strategy 2.0 Masterclass yesterday (30 June), Microsoft’s director of digital marketing Thomas Messett said that the amount of hours people spend consuming media is up by 23% over the past five years.

However, he added that 40% of people will abandon a website if it takes more than three seconds to load, highlighting the importance of designing content to work properly on mobile.

“If it doesn’t work flawlessly on a device, you’re off brand,” Messett said.

Have a distribution plan

Messett also believes that too many brands spend their time creating content without developing a distribution plan.

“Organic reach is dead,” he said.

John Bolton, head of content strategy at State Street, echoed Messett’s thoughts.

“Never publish content for the sake of it,” he said. “Innovation for the sake of innovation is not going to cut it.”

Instead, he said brands need to embrace new technologies and be “consistent on and offline”, adding that apps such as Periscope are the “ultimate equaliser” in getting closer to consumers.

Content as customer engagement

Emmanuel Orssaud, senior manager of digital marketing channels and content for Sony PlayStation, told delegates that new technologies also allow brands to adopt an “always on” approach, which the brand has recently done by launching a channel on Snapchat.

“Content is a currency of customer engagement across our channels,” Orssaud said, adding that it’s important to react to events within two or three hours.

“We’re trying to build a new phase to embed in the rest of the business,” he added.

Despite the focus by brands such as PlayStation on adopting a more reactive approach to marketing, Messett concluded that when measuring ROI brands need to look at the bigger picture.

“You have to look at overall spend and return,” he said. “Don’t just look at one moment.”

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