16 INSIDER March 2020 http://www.insider.co.uk
INSIDER: CREATIVE
Insider’s regular focus on Scotland’s creative sector by Ken Symon
IN BRIEF Sorry can be the hardest — but most rewarding — word
Fiona Campbell, the controller
of BBC Three will talk about her
strategy for reaching different
parts of the UK in a keynote
address at the Creative Cities
Convention in Glasgow in April.
She will outline her drive
to attract more homegrown
programmes and casting
contributors from different parts
of the country.
She will also talk about her
collaboration with digital teams
to deliver content that cuts
through for young audiences.
The Convention which
takes place in the city which is
hosting the COP26 UN climate
change summit will ask how
producers can influence global
opinions on climate change and
sustainability.
The Creative Cities Convention
takes place on 23 and 24 April
at the Royal Concert Hall in
Glasgow.Campbell explains
UK-wide vision for
BBC Three showsPremier will bring
Harryhausen to
fore for galleriesO
NE OF the biggest
changes in the way
businesses relate to the
outside world is how
they deal with apologies and work
in progress.
It used to be that many
businesses adopted a ‘never
apologise never explain’ attitude
or at least ‘don’t apologise unless
you absolutely have to’ approach.
Newspapers’ version of that
would be putting in an apology
on the bottom of page 16 – if you
have absolutely have to.
By the same token a company’s
product or service would never
get near to being released to
market until it had been tested
and re-tested, amended and
refined many times. It had to be
perfect before it saw the light
of day.
Now the approach is very
different. As Kat McGettigan,
head of consumer at Grayling, the
communications agency, puts it:
“Brands become more human as
they lift the veil on what goes on
behind the scenes.”
This she says is part of ‘the
new transparency’, as she put it
in presentations in Glasgow and
Edinburgh in February.
She said in her presentation:
“Younger consumers value
authenticity and integrity over
polished perfection. Principled
brands respond by openly sharing
meaningful information and
content that matters to people.
From visible supply chains and
behind the scenes Instagram
stories to candid admissions and
apologies that ring true.” She
added: “People trust companies
that replace polished and perfect
with honest and flawed.”
Nine out of 10 say that business
can regain their trust if it admits
to mistakes and it’s transparent
about the steps it will take to
resolve the issue.
There is, McGettigan says,
a generational split on this.
Graylings’ research shows that 58
per cent of millennials and Gen
Z would trust a brand more if it
shared challenges and ‘work in
progress’ in different issues.
Anyone doubting this shouldlook at the figures, McGettigan
said, with 80 per cent of Instagram
accounts following a business.
More than 500 million people use
Instagram stories daily and one
third of the most viewed stories
are from business.
What this does is let consumers
‘see the wiring’ and increase their
identification and engagement
with the business.
Another communication trend
is that many brands are putting
the ‘Ooh’ into Mobile to get their
message across. OOH or Out of
Home advertising is an increasing
way for brands to communicate
and engage with the public.
McGettigan quoted figures
charting the growth of digital out
of home advertising, suggesting
that it will be a $26.2bn industry
worldwide by 2023.
One intriguing example she
highlighted was that of a petsupplies brand that has a digitised
analysing ‘lamp post.’ So when
a dog urinated on it, it would
be analysed and if there was a
presence of one of five common
canine ailments then advice
would flash up on a screen for
the dog owner. It is a high-profile
and presumably expensive way of
engaging directly with customers,
a sure way of getting to dog
owners.
Another trend was what
McGettigan described as ‘Nudge
For Good’. As her presentation
put it: “Companies turn values
into action, using ethical leverage
to help customers change their
behaviour for the better and
positively impact society.
“From habit-building
incentivised and devices to
attractive defaults and social
norming, brands step up to make
the right choice easier and more
attractive.”
She said that brands are viewed
as ‘meaningful’ or ‘making
the world a better place’ are
outperforming the stock market
by 134 per cent and “seeing their
share of wallet multiply by nine”.
Figures from the US also
suggest that three-quarters of
shoppers between the ages of 21
and 34 are looking to reduced
their environmental impact by
changing their buying habits. ■People trust
companies that
replace polished
and perfect with
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Kat McGettigan, Grayling (above)The National Galleries of
Scotland has appointed
Premier, the London-based arts
and culture communications
agency to deliver a creative
PR campaign for its summer
2020 season. It will focus on
the interactive exhibition Ray
Harryhausen, Titan of Cinema
that runs from 23 May to 25
October 2020 at the Scottish
National Gallery of Modern Art
(Modern Two) in Edinburgh.