OTTAWA – Competing in a universe of “limitless competitive content,” producers are finding that making Canadian content “discoverable” online is becoming a critical component to success. While Canadian producers are now creating a broad range of digital content and products they must also adopt techniques and tools for reaching, engaging and holding on to audiences.
That’s one finding from a new survey released by The Canadian Media Production Association (CMPA) that examines the critical role of social media and online marketing tools to enhance the ability of audiences to find, or discover video content online. Discoverability: Strategies for Canadian Content Producers in a Global Online Marketplace, received funding support from the Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).
“It is no longer enough to simply produce great content,” says Karen Thorne-Stone, President and CEO of the Ontario Media Development Corporation. “Canadian producers must now become master marketers and employ the new tools of social media to engage and build a direct relationship with their audiences.”
The report, authored by Catherine Tait of Duopoly Inc., presents several case studies drawn from the U.S. and Canadian marketplace which provide practical advice on how to integrate ‘discoverability’ strategies in the deployment of online content. Survey subjects were selected from the transmedia and traditional media field and contacted companies and individuals, primarily in Canada and the U.S., with a track record and demonstrated experience in successful online content launches.
“What this report tells us is that the marketplace for Canadian content is now truly global, thanks to the Internet. As a result, the competition for audience attention is fierce,” says Michael Hennessy, President and CEO of the CMPA. “The Canadian system has been fine-tuned to ensure the development and production of excellent programming, where we need to turn our attention now is how we disseminate our content and build audiences, not only here in Canada but worldwide.”
Highlights of the survey include:
- The most effective marketing techniques for discoverability are ranked in order of importance as follows: Social media (blogging, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) first; then search and related optimization techniques; digital ad campaigns tie with grassroots stunts; and traditional marketing (e.g. print ads) trail as the least important strategy.
- The social media platforms are ranked in order of importance for discoverability campaigns as follows: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
- The key elements of an online campaign are: identification and early engagement of ‘influencers’; activation of fans who become advocates or superfans of a property; creation of marketing content tailored to the strengths of each platform employed (for example, photos for Tumblr, calls to action for Twitter); and authentic and frequent communication with fans and community over multiple platforms, which is more valuable than any paid marketing effort.
The report also highlights the potential risk to the Canadian production industry if it fails to address the shift in emphasis from production to marketing and audience engagement for success in the online marketplace. Without greater investment in marketing, it will become more difficult for Canadian content to make a meaningful impact in an online environment already teeming with new video content. But, the opportunities are also enormous for those who successfully build audiences online and the study outlines several strategies to help improve discoverability.
“The NFB, as an innovator in digital media creation and distribution, supports Discoverability – it is precisely this type of innovative research that we all need to help identify emerging trends in the shifting media landscape and to successfully compete in a growing global digital marketplace,” says Deborah Drisdell, NFB General Director of Accessibility and Digital Enterprises.
In parallel with the study, the CMPA is also launching DigitalEventsAdvisor.com, an online database developed as a tool to assist producers in navigating the various events, conferences and markets focused on the exploding arena of games, apps, transmedia products and original web content throughout the world. “We hope that the Canadian production community will quickly populate DigitalEventsAdvisor.com so it can help all of us focus our resources on the events and opportunities best suited to building our digital content businesses,” says Hennessy.
The report’s author, Catherine Tait, will be participating on a panel on Friday, March 8 at the CMPA’s annual conference, Prime Time in Ottawa 2013, where she will discuss the report’s findings along with industry players Brad Pelman, Trish Dolman, J. Joly and Scott Henderson.
