In its role as a constant source of inspiration on cutting-edge subjects, Contagious magazine recently ran an article on the trend of Newsjacking. In most people’s vocabulary, ‘Jacking’ has certain connotations – in this case around the removal or theft of an item – however what the article outlines is a trend for brands borrowing, stealing or hijacking memes* in order to present their own message. The act of Newsjacking, therefore, is the act of piggybacking on existing events, and if correctly executed can be a shortcut to engendering consumer goodwill.

Branded content is of growing importance in the marcomms budget and if successful it can provide low cost engagement with consumers who will transmit it free of charge across social media if it proves to be engaging enough.

One piece of engaging content that picked up numerous awards and generated over three and half million YouTube hits, as well as millions more for associated brand videos, was K-Swiss CEO Kenny Powers’ video. In the video, a character from television series “Eastbound and Down” was inserted as the CEO of K-Swiss. Please be warned: the viral itself is not for the faint-hearted or easily offended.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XI_9Yxr0blo

The difference between content and Newsjacking is that for branded content, there is not necessarily any current meme to hijack –  so the content can be created differently. Where Newsjacking is concerned, the risk for the brand is heightened, as public interaction with a new story can be potentially disastrous if the interaction comes across as domineering, foolish or cynical. One such example of the risk involved comes from apparel brand Kenneth Cole, whose namesake and founder attempted to Newsjack during the recent uprising in Egypt by tweeting;

‘Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumour is they heard that our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo – KC’

Unfortunately Kenneth’s cultural dials were wrongly tuned to the frequency and backlash from the Twitterati was swift and punishing. Read the full story here.

So for any brands out there looking for their next source for content creation simply open a newspaper and follow these simple rules:

• Make sure you are responding to a meme recognised by the mainstream
• Be the first to react
• Make it tasteful: bad news travels faster than good
• Make it impactful – but without transgressing bullet point 3

Or contact The Value Engineers to talk to us about your Digital Strategy.

We were really pleased that on Tuesday the 27th of January our Chairman Paul Walton was asked by our friends at Langholm Capital to deliver a trends speech, ‘Dreams, Themes and Schemes’, to an audience of fifty CEOs, entrpreneurs and senior executives from a range of highly successful consumer brands.

The event gave Paul the opportunity to exhibit our knowledge of trends, how brands can best implement them and the effects they have on the consumer marketplace. Below is a brief summary of the thinking Paul covered in his address:

Trends can be to marketers what the venus fly trap is to the fly, the instinctive response they provoke in those looking everywhere for change can be both empowering & dangerous. We use examples of mistaken forecasts such as that of John Naisbitt who in 1996 failed to see the threat from the internet & 24 hour news television in a review on national newspapers; to implore brands to ignore trends at their peril – but without putting all your brands eggs in one trend-shaped basket either.

As Martin Raymond suggests in ‘The Tomorrow People’, the tactile brand that understands the implication of a trend on its industry and sizes its investment in response accordingly will put this foresight to good use. What we have also noticed in the past is that the dominant players can often be the least forsightful. The overarching message we try to emphasise is that whilst trends can provide opportunities for brands, mistaken forecasts can be dangerous.

Just because a trend is new & exciting doesn’t mean it necessarily requires your attention – take a look at our list of faux-trends and realise that just because it’s got a catchy name doesn’t necessarily make it true.

Lengthening life spans, gender, globalization, technology & wellness are some of the Macro trends we often talk about as their glacial shifts can cause the seismic reactions that may directly affect your brand(s). If healthy eating is the slow moving tectonic plate then “5-a-day” is the vibration that brands have had to harness.

Here is a small selection of Paul’s top tips for harnessing trends effectively:

• Avoid technical wonder & instead persist with measurable changes in attitudes and behaviour
• Always look at the cost benefit analysis
• Look outside your own industry
• Don’t forget to blend your trends: Ageing population + The Mediterranean diet = Olivio!

For more information on the Trends practice at the Value Engineers please contact Amelia Boothman.