THE CONTENT

MARKETING PLAYBOOK
USING CONTENT TO FORGE MORE
MEANINGFUL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

12/15

By integrating data and marketing

techniques to better serve customer
needs and wants, can content
marketing provide brands with the
opportunity to become even closer to
their customers?

AUTHORS
Meredith Carson
Igor Skokan
Eric Mirabel
Hania Mattoo
Neeraj Khanna
COVER IMAGE
iStock by Getty Images
Others sources used:
Forrester Research, Econsultancy and
Smart Insights

THE CONTENT MARKETING PLAYBOOK

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In todays world, consumers are increasingly empowered,
thanks to the rise of personal technology and information
sharing infrastructure. Though this has created new spaces for
advertisers to serve their brand messages, it has also produced
opportunities for consumers to filter them out. As a result,
advertising strategies have had to undergo a drastic change in
order to adapt to this new consumer-brand dynamic.
Gone are the days of disseminating broad messages to wide
audiences with the expectation that they will be delivered and
accepted. In this new era, finding the right moment and context
to engage a specific audience is ever more important. Today,
the collection and analysis of data is no longer a value-added
option for a communications strategy. It is a vital component,
allowing businesses to harness invaluable insights on what
particular content engages consumers and drives them towards
a predetermined goal at a specific moment in time.
While there are many different components of content
marketing, this white paper provides a comprehensive
overview on the best-practice approach. It also explores the
importance of fusing data with content in order to construct
more personalized relationships with consumers, as well as the
metrics that gauge the ROI of this particular form of marketing.
Lastly, it explores future developments in the field and how
the integration of specialized skills and departments within
businesses will ultimately bring brands and consumers even
closer together.

02 /03

THE CONTENT MARKETING PLAYBOOK

1.

WHAT IS CONTENT MARKETING?

2.

The term content marketing is one that is used constantly

today, but what is it exactly? It is the creation and distribution
of content that is relevant and valuable to a brand, in order to
attract, acquire and engage a clearly defined and understood
target audience, with the objective of driving profitable
customer action. Its practice relies on data and some tactics
include social media marketing, brand storytelling, SEO, PR and
advertising among others.
Content and advertising have long been separated along
the lines of church and state. In the past, advertisers had their
place to make demands of audiences and presume their needs,
while editors fiercely stood their ground in the interest of their
readers. Now, the landscape has altered beyond the point of
recognition. From the media fragmentation of the 90s to the
blurring of editorial lines today, everything has changed for
brands, audiences and publishers alike (see timeline below).
Today, a brand's marketing and communications efforts must
get closer to their audiences needs in order to elicit a desired
response.
In many ways, the rise of social media has created a situation
where brands and publishers now have to earn their place
in the public discussion forum, wherever it may be. The key
to getting this right is content relevance; the key to content
relevance is audience understanding; and the key to audience
understanding is information. What we are seeing is the rise
of disintermediation as brands now have direct links to their
audience without an editor or publisher in the way. In fact, the
lines between editorial and advertising are increasingly blurred
as content marketing becomes more widespread.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

In the age of the empowered consumer, marketers need to

work harder to engage their audiences and content marketing
is a proven and effective way to do so. A Smart Insights report
that polled Chief Marketing Officers, digital marketing experts,
brand publishers, clients and agencies, recognized content
marketing as the most important trend of 2015. However, the
practice must not be siloed from big data - another key trend.
Gone are the days of creating content on a whim. In the digital
space particularly, the explosion of data has put brands in a
very unique place. They now have access to information that
gives them more insights on their customers than ever before. It
is this marriage of content and science that is changing the way
brands market themselves today.
So why have marketers recognized content marketing to
be so important? If they dont, brands run the risk of losing
touch with their target audiences. For decades, brands have
applied superficial approaches to identify their audience, which
are not very intuitive, specifically in this region. Take the Saudi
housewife, for instance. This apparently ubiquitous woman
is the most targeted demographic in Saudi Arabia and panArab media, with countless briefs and specifically 46% of all
advertising directed at her (source: Omnicom Media Group
study Dare to Dream). Think about the components of a
typical FMCG brand communication to this demographic;
there are common portrayals of the Saudi housewife, one who
is domesticated and has no apparent career or other lifestyle
aspirations. Essentially, the advertiser view of the typical Saudi
housewife is one in which she places her familys happiness
first, an act that is self-fulfilling. Unfortunately for advertisers
though, this stereotype is archaic. By examining qualitative and
quantitative data, we see the emergence of an entirely different
picture. Nearly half of the women surveyed in our 'Dare to
Dream' study stated that they believe advertising should
portray women in a work or outdoor setting, such as playing
sports, while 20% also dream of running a business one day.

SOURCES OF DOMINANCE
AGE OF MANUFACTURING
MASS MANUFACTURING MAKES
INDUSTRIAL POWERHOUSES
SUCCESSFUL

1900

AGE OF DISTRIBUTION

1960

FORD, RCA, GE,

BOEING, P&G, SONY

AGE OF INFORMATION

1990

WALMART,
TOYOTA, UPS, CSX

EMPOWERED CUSTOMERS
DEMAND A NEW LEVEL OF
BRAND ATTENTION

2010

AMAZON.COM,
GOOGLE, INTUIT, MBNA

SUCCESSFUL COMPANIES
SOURCE: FORRESTER RESEARCH (2011)

AGE OF CUSTOMER

GLOBAL CONNECTIONS AND

CONNECTED PCS AND SUPPLY
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS CHAINS MEAN THOSE WHO CONTROL
MAKE DISTRIBUTION KEY
INFORMATION FLOW DOMINATE

FACEBOOK, IBM, BEST

BUY AND APPLE

USING CONTENT TO FORGE DEEPER AND MORE MEANINGFUL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

THE MOST COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT DIGITAL

MARKETING TRENDS FOR 2015

When taking into consideration that a staggering 92%

of women choose products and brands that match their
personality, the scale of disconnect between advertiser and
customer becomes self-evident. Simpy put, the most valuable
segment of the regions most important market simply do
not recognize themselves in current advertising. And if they
cant relate, how can they be influenced? This is where the
combination of content marketing and data comes into play.
Understanding customers with the help of data and in turn,
building strategies around this, is the way forward.
This is exactly what Resolution MENA did for one of their
clients during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. As a global football
spectacle with an exceptionally strong following in the
MENA region, this event was particularly important for this
recently rebranded company and they needed to leverage
it to connect with their consumers and build a presence for
themselves. Therefore, Resolutions data analysts worked
with content specialists to detect and collect relevant data.
They utilized various social media monitoring and tracking
tools to uncover insights in real time during the event, which
pinpointed the most relevant conversations out there, and
identified influencers to engage with in order to amplify the
brands messages. By analyzing online conversations and
creating content in real time, the brand saw a 1200% lift in
online engagement over previous months and accounted for an
80% drop in negative sentiment across their social channels. In
this case, data and content worked hand-in-hand to positively
impact the brand.

SOURCE: SMART INSIGHTS (2015)

Understanding customers with the help of

data and in turn, building strategies around
this, is the way forward

04/05

THE CONTENT MARKETING PLAYBOOK

3.

HOW IS IT DIFFERENT?

The way brands market themselves has fundamentally

changed. They no longer just buy into a third-party
environment to sell their products, but rather create one of
their own now. In the past, brands developed content based
on past performance, coupled with marketing intelligence and
the gut feeling of marketers, while data was used to analyze the
performance of this content. Now, data informs the creation,
activation and performance of the contents resonance with its
intended audience.
The content marketing approach is very similar to traditional
marketing. However, there are some nuances. The entire
content approach is fueled by technology, specifically the use
of data and its analysis. By fusing data and content, brands
can construct unique relationships with their consumers. The
process takes into consideration demographic, psychographic
and technographic data, which is weighted, sorted and
analyzed across brand, competitor and category. This allows
one to evaluate market gaps, opportunities and audience
behavior. As a result, clearly defined audience personas are
identifiable, which can be used as a basis to assist content and
media planning strategies. A typical content marketing cycle is
visualized in the chart below.
Its long been established that the ability to deeply
understand audiences has created a profound shift in how
marketers think about content and planning. Why waste money
targeting everyone with one broad-brush message when
relevant audiences can be segmented and communicated with
in ways that are contextual, delivering on their needs at specific
points in the purchase cycle? Targeted communications will be
the preferred way of interacting, from online advertising and
social media to traditional email shots and, in time, targeted
television advertising and programming. When executed well,
its a win-win situation for both the brand and the customer.
A brand that understands its customers' needs and desires,
and can deliver on them by providing relevant and interesting
content, will be more desirable than the one relying on the
traditional, one-size-fits-all ATL advertising approach.
So what do you need to make this possible? You need
content, data and the marketing know-how/skills to embrace

this. Transforming an organizations marketing approach is

challenging and achieving a single customer view involves a
great deal of coordination, collaboration and reallocation of
resources over a period of time. Looking at the below graphs,
it's evident that its not only technology that is presenting an
obstacle to evolution but also internal change management, in
terms of organizational buy-in and culture. Also, investment in
tools is required for real-time conversation insights, social media
monitoring, online publishing, as well as access to surveys and
panels, industry vertical and competitor benchmarking, and
lastly, technologies that track user behavior. There are a host of
tools and technologies that are available to fulfill these needs;
its just a question of finding the ones that are the right fit.

DATA SET-UP OF DIGITAL MARKETERS/E-COMMERCE

PROFESSIONALS WORLDWIDE

SOURCE: ECONSULTANCY (2013 AND 2015)

LEADING OBSTACLES TO CONSISTENTLY INTEGRATING

MARKETING ACTIVITIES FOR DIGITAL MARKETERS/ECOMMERCE PROFESSIONALS WORLDWIDE

THE CONTENT MARKETING CYCLE

SOURCE: ECONSULTANCY (JULY 2015)

USING CONTENT TO FORGE DEEPER AND MORE MEANINGFUL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

06/07

THE FIVE KEY STEPS TO GETTING CONTENT MARKETING RIGHT

Its all too easy for marketers to become overwhelmed by the weight of challenges and investment decisions required of them. In
terms of getting started, the below five initiatives should be considered:

HARNESS THE
KNOWN DATA

Conduct an internal audit of first-party data sources available. Look at data from online and
offline sales, digital media, social media, SEO and web analytics. Before investing in technology
systems to collect data, seek the assistance of data, digital media and CRM specialists to develop
a future-proofed and user-friendly data strategy and implementation plan.

BE A
CONNECTOR

Encourage dialogue and where possible, working groups with key stakeholders from various
departments including sales, R&D, customer service, key agency representatives and digital
specialists.

START WITH
LOW RISK
AND LOW
INVESTMENT

RECRUIT
NATIVES

Set aside a test budget and single out small activations to test and learn, rather than going all-in
on a big campaign. Refine the approach and when successful, increase the scale of the project
with greater resource support.

Employ team members who understand communications, technology and analytics. The best
technology is pointless without intelligent operators using it. When it comes to recruitment, it
will seem like a daunting task, given that individuals with diverse skills are being sought after.
Creatives must be able to understand analytical output and likewise, analysts will need to be
able to interpret data in a way that is useful to the creative and activations teams. Content
marketing requires an understanding of the key nuances of all content and media types and
the ability to apply a transmedia approach is essential even if one or two media types are
used, the consideration of a range of media is necessary.

Having a team culture that is flexible and willing to experiment is now a necessary cultural
requirement for businesses. Adopting agile marketing principles, you will be better equipped to
act. Such principles include:

DEVELOP
A CULTURE
OF AGILITY

A desire to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of marketing that
solves problems
The ability to quickly respond to change is a necessity and a source of competitive advantage
Deliver marketing programs frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a
preference for the shorter timescale
Build marketing programs with motivated individuals. Give them the environment and
support they need, and trust them to get the job done
Learning, through the build-measure-learn feedback loop, is the primary measure of progress
Sustainable marketing requires you to keep a constant pace with a pipeline of initiatives
Dont be afraid to fail; just dont make the same mistakes twice
Continuous attention to marketing fundamentals and good design can enhance agility
Simplicity is essential

THE CONTENT MARKETING PLAYBOOK

4.
WHAT ARE COMMON CONTENT MARKETING TACTICS?
There are countless tactics that content marketers can use. The
below are the most common.
DYNAMIC CREATIVE OPTIMIZATION
This is the process whereby the right banner is automatically
generated in real time, with layout, products and messaging
that are based on a user's shopping intent as determined by
a data mining engine. The actual ad is assembled in real time
from elements of Branding, Background, Product, Message and
Call-to-Action. Then, segmentation rules are applied to every
new user or site visitor and creative is automatically assembled.
LOCATION BASED MESSAGING
Access to data has allowed for extremely contextual
messaging. Mobile enables this with location-based trackers
and beacons further defining the context of the target market,
enabling hyper-personalized messaging and conversation. Take
Beam Wallet for example. In the UAE, the mobile transaction
platform uses beacons to send potential customers a message
via their app once they pass by a participating outlet. Moving
forward, when overlaying other data points, such as sales, CRM
and search data, a brand like this could spark some creative
and relevant conversations with retargeting measures.
NATIVE ADVERTISING
Native advertising is just one way for content marketers to
distribute content. It is a directly paid opportunity that is usually
information-based and delivered in-stream.Therefore, the
content is served in a way that is not disruptive to the
particular channel.
CONTENT OPTIMIZATION
At its heart, content optimization seeks to make content visible
where the intended reader is, such as in search or on social for
example. It is the next generation of SEO, fusing with it editorial
principles. There are four basic types of content to optimize:
1. Text optimization, using SEO techniques such as tagging,
meta keywords and description optimization, for instance
2. Image optimization, via alt and image tags,
file name and image size management
3. Video optimization, via titles, descriptions and transcripts
4. News optimization, via Google News submission,
tagging, headline, keyword and URL optimization

MEASURING SUCCESS

In the past, marketers shared common metrics internationally,

such as reach and frequency. For example, Gross Rating
Points (or GRPs) are one form of how media performance
is measured globally. However, the fragmentation of media
and technology today have put marketers in a quandary. In
order to overcome these new challenges, major platforms
and advertising associations are being lobbied to work out a
new set of standards on how data can be universally defined,
combined and unified between platforms and media channels,
while maintaining the unique attributes of each. Until then, the
approach to data management requires stitching by data
scientists, which is a sub-optimal and time-consuming solution.
Oftentimes, marketers find themselves measuring
"everything" and are unable to see a clear picture of how their
efforts relate to their business goals. For example, having
visibility on social media engagement levels doesn't necessarily
shine light on brand health. In fact, an incorrect picture could
even be produced. Therefore, its important to first get a clear
understanding of whats important to the health of a brand
and business, and then measure accordingly.
Identifying both business and marketing goals is the key
to success. In recent years, brands, advertisers and platforms
have attempted to find unified digital metrics. Since content
marketing sets out to drive profitable customer actions, metrics
must surround the business goals. Best practice is to identify
these goals from the outset, well before drawing up plans for
engaging consumers. The measures can vary significantly, from
being as simple as reach and engagement for more awarenessbased campaigns, to detailed attribution modelling, premised
on online and offline user journeys where the goal is sales
related. Although measurement is key, identifying and collecting
the right data is the foundation of successful data mining. It is
critical that brand owners and their agencies work together
towards a pre-determined set of measures and variables. On
the next page is an example of such a measurement framework
for a luxury brand.
Key metrics that can be accurately measured with a certain
level of granularity, in a standardized format at regular intervals
and are proven to impact business health, are the most useful.
For example, there are many ways for us to measure customer
experience, feedback and engagement in a structured fashion.
These include satisfaction surveys, average speed-of-answer
and abandonment rates for call centers; an agent/associates
attrition, knowledge and performance; or the condition of a
retail store, for example. The measurement process is even
easier for mobile, web and social media. We already capture,
analyze and optimize emotional or abstract KPIs, such as love
for a brand or affinity with a message. Furthermore, there has
been a recent increase in the usage of non-traditional methods
to gather data for emotional or latent KPIs in the region, notably
from wearable technology, passive mobile tracking, connected
automobiles and neuroscience. Continued innovation in these
areas will take us to higher levels of precision and refinement
in user measurement, which will keep on improving as younger
consumers are more willing to partake in self-measurement
and data sharing opportunities in exchange for personalized
services or tailored, bespoke products. This trend will make the
inclusion of user measurement in strategies easier and, more
importantly, faster.

USING CONTENT TO FORGE DEEPER AND MORE MEANINGFUL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

Its important to first get a clear

understanding of whats important to the
health of a brand and business, and then
measure accordingly

08/09

THE CONTENT MARKETING PLAYBOOK

CASE STUDY
AUDIENCE SEGMENTATION
The home-baking and cooking category has seen a surge
in popularity in recent years and with it, a generation of
aspiring cooks now feel encouraged to promote their
culinary creations online. One of our clients, an FMCG
brand, saw an opportunity in this to build equity in the
category and support amateur cooks by launching a
collection of special products. The product line would
develop the category further and the Middle East was one
of the major launch markets. With the new products aimed
to help home cooks create food like professionals, they had
to create a content strategy that capitalized on product
education as well as creativity. It was aimed at a largely
heterogeneous Middle Eastern audience. While it was one
range of products, it became clear that different customer
segments would use the various products differently. Thus,
it was imperative to understand who these segments were
and what content mattered to them.
Data-based, audience behavioral analysis (known
as ClearTarget) enabled the team to overcome the
challenge of communicating a new product ideology
to a mixed audience, based on the classic marketing
demographics. This was done by recognizing a more
profound segmentation that revolved around two aspects:
willingness of the audience to experiment with new
products and their experience in cooking. The approach
helped the brand pinpoint specific user motivations, in
terms of what inspires them, helps them and ultimately
builds their confidence in the kitchen. The results gave
the client four unique user personas that covered the
plethora of markets within the Middle East, allowing them
to subsequently build a solid content strategy based on
three premises: to inspire, support and praise. This not
only guaranteed a successful campaign launch, but also
a strategy that would sustain their online community
post-launch. The content reached more than 5.1 million
people on Facebook alone, 23% above the original goal.
The community received over 111,000 interactions during
the campaign and more than 74,000 people saw the
food videos on YouTube without any paid media support.
Furthermore, the launch campaign garnered a 93% positive
sentiment across major markets in the Middle East.

5.

THE FUTURE

The marketing, media and communications industry is in a

profound era of change, one that can make or break a brand
and business. Where specialty disciplines have fragmented and
siloed in the past, were now seeing a convergence of specialty
skills and a consolidation of art and science.
The marketing team of tomorrow, or ideally today, requires
an incredibly diverse skillset, comprising analytics, media
planning, coding, SEO, PR, R&D, creative, CRM, UX and data
science capabilities. Given that the customer is increasingly
in charge, marketing has the mandate to lead business
development. This will become evident as more businesses
listen to and partner with their customers to co-create
products that consumers will want and buy. Growth hacking a marketing technique that uses creativity, analytical thinking
and social metrics to listen to the market in order to develop
responsive products and services - is already significant within
tech startups and will branch out to other industries to become
the norm.
We are already seeing SEO become a key component of
a comprehensive marketing program and one that is central
to audience insights. The discipline is evolving and elevating
beyond search, moving into content discovery optimization
across the digital media spectrum.
Predictive content distribution the use of algorithms to
display content to people based on what theyve already
seen and engaged with is another interesting development.
However, using this exclusively can result in tunnel vision,
where users are only exposed to a single view and are denied
exposure to others. In order to mitigate the risk of polarizing
their audiences, publishers will need to evolve, providing wellrounded viewpoints that offer various perspectives.
For customers, this all spells a more respectful and promising
time in terms of how they interact with businesses. Moving
forward, in order to keep up with their customers, brands must
upskill and evolve their approach towards engaging with them.

USING CONTENT TO FORGE DEEPER AND MORE MEANINGFUL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS

CONCLUSION
In this age of empowered consumers, brands have to earn
the right to be included in consumers lives. As such, the
practice of content marketing has emerged as the the conduit
for brands to forge more meaningful and personalized
relationships with consumers. Today, the fusion of data and
marketing allows brands to serve messages that are relevant
and useful to a highly targeted audience segment. This helps
increase engagement and acceptance rates as brands show a
true understanding of what their consumers need and want.
When done correctly, the results can be phenomenal. Data
already paints a comprehensive picture about consumers
lives, but the consumer feedback gained from content
marketing can be leveraged to enhance other areas of the
business, including product development. Through variations
of content marketing, brands and consumers can indirectly
work together to create exactly the products and services that
consumers will buy thereby producing a win-win situation
for both. As the industry progresses, the walls that separated
consumers and brands, as well as different skill sets within an
organization, will continue to diminish, resulting in even closer
and more fruitful relationships between all parties.

The practice of content marketing has emerged

to become the conduit for brands to forge more
meaningful and personalized relationships
with consumers

10/11

About Omnicom Media Group MENA

Omnicom Media Group is the media services
division of Omnicom Group Inc., a leading
global advertising, marketing and corporate
communications company, providing services
to over 5,000 clients in more than
100 countries.
Around the world and in the Middle East,
Omnicom Media Group owns and operates the
marketing performance networks OMD, PHD
and Resolution, as well as a number of
specialty marketing services companies.
We offer unparalleled clout in the marketplace
as well as a depth of capabilities and
experience to drive leadership and innovation
in every media type. As we maximize our
investment in building best-in-breed
capabilities, we can draw upon industry
leading talent and bring the maximum market
leverage to bear for our clients.

2015 Omnicom Media Group MENA