In a tough year, marketers need to pool all resources at their disposal to create a strategy that is both efficient and effective. For achieving the latter, the most crucial component is the right content that is relevant both in creation and distribution. Even though leaders argue that great content can break clutter, in an ever growing content supply, paying attention to distribution channels is also important. The question is, how much attention to both aspect.
Story Is King
A brand’s story should be strong enough and authentic to connect with the consumers, according to Pegah Ghaemi, Creative Head at the Works Network. “People say that content is king, when essentially it is story that is king. At the end of the day, you need to focus more on story, in an authentic way, speaking to the people of the region in their language. That’s important,” she said.
Creation and distribution should be in the ratio of 70:30. “The challenge we face today is that we pay more for inventories than for ideas. The creative process needs to be given as much money and importance as distribution and production,” Ms Ghaemi explained.
Balancing Creation & Distribution
It is a fact that great content that finds its own way is a rare thing, reiterating the importance of proper distribution strategy. Stressing on this point, Film Director, Moneer Barakat says that content distribution should be learnt from Hollywood. “Every brand has an idea but if you spend everything on the story and the making, how do you plan to distribute it? You should learn from the masters. Hollywood spends nearly half of a movie’s budget on distribution.”
The power of content marketing is rendered inert without a well-planned distribution strategy. “It should be in the ratio of 30:70 with 70 percent given for distribution,” said Yara Abdallah, Unit Manager, Branded Content, MBC, adding, “Story is an important part but distribution is also very important. Branded content is only going to rise. Brands should put themselves in the shoes of consumers to deliver great content.”
The equation may change slightly when it comes to digital media owners or marketers with a completely digital outlook. Abdelaziz Almuzaini, Co-Founder of Myrkott Animation Studios said, “I would say it should be 90:10 if you are going digital. If its online, no matter how much you spend on distribution campaign, nothing works more than word of mouth – the campaigning by the people itself, which we can see in the case of series such as ‘Breaking Bad’, which shot up its viewership after the first season and the conversation that was picked up on social media.”
