Engaging the consumer with authenticity
By Hugh Jordan. Dave Roberts is a happy man. Head of entertainment at M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment, he believes the hierarchy in place in London to be the most creatively conducive structure he has worked in.
“A lot of large agencies boast about being integrated, and collaborative, but here it is really happening,” he explains. “All the planners sit together. There is an osmosis of intelligence and insight between the different departments.”
But, as in any corporate structure, each department is expected to deliver results. So while some partied it up at Glastonbury, the entertainment team was working hard, the UK’s premier festival being a perfect opportunity to promote clients.
“We deal with people’s passions and how to align brands with those passions,” says Roberts. “At Glastonbury it’s about taking the brand out, activating and exploiting it.”
Easier said than done at a fest notoriously strict about branding.
Much has been written about the synergy between social media and live events. Roberts agrees that social media is an effective way of keeping the buzz built up at an event alive, but says it is far from the only method.
“For a brand like Tuborg, that generates sales on the back of pouring rights, people have no choice but to drink their beer while they are at the festival, so it is about keeping people involved afterwards,” he says. “For Orange, it is the exact opposite. There is so much content generated at Glastonbury, trying to cut through can be really difficult. However, there is massive interest in the run-up to festival and minimal content. We take advantage of that.”
Each year, the Saatchi Entertainment team demos pieces of Glasto-related technology for Orange, designed to accrue maximum media coverage… this year, it was the Orange Power Wellies, of course.
There is some debate over the distinction between PR and content creation. Roberts says the boundary is blurred, but that S&E definitely comes down on the side of content creation.
“We are not a PR agency,” he explains. “There is an element of PR in what we do but really our remit is about creating great content and the amplification of sponsorship. Everything we do starts with the consumer.”
One of the secrets to success thus far, according to Roberts, has been recruiting people with a genuine understanding of the fields the agency operates in. Ex-festival organisers, filmmakers, and those with a background in events and music PR, are all on the payroll. Any interaction by the agency on sports, film or music blogs, therefore, comes across as authentic.
So what’s next in branded entertainment?
“We are reviewing the gaming industry at the moment,” says Roberts. “The marketplace for music and film is so cluttered at the moment. Gaming is a huge blank canvas. Plus, you are engaging consumers who are already engaged with the game. That has real potential.”
