#DigitalJourneys: The power of content

Lisa MacLeod, head of digital, Tiso Blackstar Group.

Paying the price

One of the industries most affected is the publishing industry. “Publications have always been about stories and now the industry is paying the price for this,” says Lisa MacLeod, head of digital, Tiso Blackstar Group.

She points to the confluence of three forces - the iPhone invention, wireless interface and Google and Facebook - that turned publishing on its head, leaving a trail of causalities in its wake.

Today everyone has a smartphone giving them instant access to the news, while Wi-Fi has changed the 24-hour traditional news deadline to every few minutes, while Google and Facebook have vast implications for publishers on a number of fronts.

How data is changing journalism and the role Facebook plays in the news industry

Juanita Pienaar  17 Sep 2019

Warc predicts that Google and Facebook will make $176bn from advertising this year

22 Mar 2019

Where does this leave “traditional” publishers? “While many publications are well-respected brands, they never got to know their readers. Now they must and digital is giving them this opportunity. They have had to make content more attractive to readers and to learn the rules of search and algorithms as they work to compete with Google and Facebook,” she says.

Internet advertising set to account for more than 50% of global adspend by 2021

8 Jul 2019

Leveraging content marketing

While content marketing is nothing new, it is the only marketing we have left, says Timothy Spira, Investec. Talking about how Investec has used content marketing, Spira gave some rules of content marketing.

SA marketers, show us your content smarts!

Louisa Douwes Dekker  2 Jul 2019

“Speak with authority, that is with know-how. Create a focused content hub with curated content to cater for a niche audience, using content as a qualifying factor for customers,” he says.

He recommends using data points about your audience to ensure that the content is right for them. “Approach it in a human-centric way. The genuine enquiry will allow you to produce content that is genuinely valuable to their lives.”

It must reflect your core competency and bring about trust.

Even when talking about your core business do not use the content to talk up your products. That’s how you undermine the credibility of your content.

Lastly, he says always keep in mind the nearing gap between people and technology. “Use data and technology without forgetting that behind every screen there is a live human and having their attention is a privilege and marketers should never lose sight with that.”

The human factor: a top insight from a CX Masterclass

20 May 2019

Podcast power

Podcasts are a great way to get the consumers’ attention says Gareth Cliff, Cliff Central. “Advertising changed to something we are much more comfortable with. If offends or shouts we shut it out anyway. Brands need to make their own content and podcasts are one way to do this.”

CliffCentral explores the power of podcasting and how it adds value to people's lives

26 Jun 2019

However, he says, podcasts about entertaining content. “Podcasts must be inspiring, empowering, entertaining. Podcasts are available for a much bigger audience and valuable to an audience not there on the day.”

This is the eighth year of Jellyfish's Digital Journeys. Each year a relevant and topical theme is chosen. The event is held in Johannesburg, New York and London.