Join this webinar to explore ten of the biggest trends in the digital marketing space right now!
Published October 17th 2017
Hello and welcome to day one of the Now You Know Conference, Europe 2017! The coffee is great, Hall and Oates is playing in the main ballroom, and a colleague just plucked an errant piece of pastry off my face. It’s GO TIME.
If you’ve followed along before for the Europe, Denver and Chicago conferences you’ll know the drill – I smash a load of coffees, watch all the awesome presentations, and keep you in the know at Now You Know. Now you know! See what I did there?
Follow along on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #NYKConf. We’re going to delve into the murky waters of fake news, AI, the truth, and more.
If you’re here, don’t forget to get your all-inclusive guide to #NYKConf by downloading the app – the password is brandwatch17.
Latest updates will appear at the top. Off we go!
Well, my friends, it’s been the most well-attended NYK thus far (I am fact-checking with the team but I’m pretty sure we’ve hit a record) and it’s been jam-packed with insights, engaging stories, excellent em-ceeing and questions galore.
“We’re going to keep you here for a minute and then usher you out to the bar as soon as possible,” says Will. That sounds good to me!
We can nearly hear the sound of bottles opening and glasses clinking. But first the day's closing talk from @willmcinnes. #NYKConf
— Brandwatch (@Brandwatch) October 17, 2017
Meanwhile, in our Berlin office…
Everyone is out in London at #NYKCONF and I just enjoy having all the comfy spots in our Berlin office to choose from ☺️ #insidebrandwatch pic.twitter.com/A9oXpydGDG
— Tom (@tominberlin) October 17, 2017
That’s all from me today – I’ll be back tomorrow, refreshed, refuelled and ready to share the best from the event and the best from those tweeting it.
BYE!
Maria from Capita, the “international business process outsourcing and professional services company” (took that from Wiki, no shame in my liveblogging game), is giving an awesome insight into how social analytics works across the business.
They use social listening for a variety of use cases, from marketing campaign reporting, to general day to day reporting.
Maria Harris from @CapitaPlc talking through her use of #SocialListening in a typical working week #NYKConf pic.twitter.com/oRw6HlmkI0
— Kelly Roche (@kkellyro) October 17, 2017
Brandwatch provided a single source of truth for Wargaming during a recent launch.
The team was able to categorize what the common topics were, which platforms its players were concentrating their attention to, and what the overall sentiment was around the announcement.
When the update launched in other regions, the Wargaming team were able to share the feedback so they knew what to expect from the launch, and more importantly, how to respond faster to player comments and questions.
Player feedback didn’t stop there.
Insights and feedback from the announcement were shared with product owners and development teams, so that they fully understood how the changes were perceived by the players, and decide on next steps.
Thanks to Brandwatch we avoided questions like ‘What is this?’ and ‘How do we deal with it?’ because we already had the answers.
This is kind of making me want to get into games. I used to love Theme Hospital. Remember ‘slack tongue disease’ and the bloaty head thing? I am literally going to download a hokey version of it later and play it in bed.
YAY GAMING!
Over in the ballroom we’ve got a packed room listening to Elena from Wargaming discuss her role as ‘voice of the player’, and how the brand uses Brandwatch to listen to millions of players every day.
Elena’s role encompasses everything to do with player experience. Her aim and ultimate goal is player happiness, and to make sure Wargaming’s players are happy with changes and updates to products and offerings.
Gamers communicate frequently, across multiple platforms, day and night – so there’s plenty of social data available to take insights from.
Through continuous monitoring, Wargaming is better able to understand the impact of new game releases on their user base, and allows them to react and adjust to best serve their player community.
We’re going to hear how Wargaming finds success, and we’ll take away some ideas for our own customer-centric monitoring.
IT’S CAFFEINE TIME!
What’s up next? It’s our VP of Demand Generation, Paul G, who’s going to run a social maturity workshop, and Elena Loucaidou, Voice of the Player Senior Manager, Wargaming.net, over in the case study track, where I’ll be reporting from.
So, Paul’s workshop. Here’s the skinny on it…
What do we mean when we say “social media intelligence”?
In this session, we’ll introduce the social media maturity model and define what characteristics make a business’s social media intelligence program more successful at uncovering, delivering, understanding and acting upon insights derived from online data. You’ll learn how to evaluate your maturity and develop a basic growth plan to further empower your social programs.
For those following @pgiardina's workshop, you can find our social maturity intelligence test here: https://t.co/jWehRgxWiI #NYKConf
— Brandwatch (@Brandwatch) October 17, 2017
Meanwhile, see that nice ‘Brandwatch for Marketers’ pod in the background below?
If you’re here today or tomorrow and want more info on how Brandwatch products can help your marketing teams, there are friendly people over there who will talk to you while you cram cake in your mouth.
“Social analysts are the movers and shakers of today – they can make or break your brand. Do I sound dramatic? Yes – because I am dramatic!”
Ben is making an excellent case for hiring a social analyst, in case you don’t have one. If I didn’t have one, I’d be worried. I don’t have one, personally. I wonder if I could? I want one now.
He’s talking us through what a social analyst actually is.
Social analysts are decision influencers, not decision makers, he says. They are the user interface between the data and the decision maker.
Loving Ben Donkor @FR314 session at #NYKCONF. "Don't say what if I don't make it, say – what if I *do* make it!"
— Daniel Ghinn (@creationdaniel) October 17, 2017
Ben’s just given some wise advice for a social analyst who’s failing to be heard.
“Disrupt the hell out of everything. Sit in meetings. Gatecrash everything. Just turn up and get shit done.”
Basically. Ben explains, you have two options. You either get a dedicated social analyst or a hybrid social analyst. You don’t get the option of not having one.
What does not exist, he asks? The perfect tool for social analytics. BUT! What does exist is a set of tools that will fit perfectly within your requirements.
What’s your long-term vision? What’s your budget? You can find tools that will fit your needs, and it’s up to you to find the sweet spot for you.
“Be super critical of the tools you have, and yes, that includes Brandwatch. Don’t hit me.”
Never, Ben. We still love you.
Also, as an aside, I’ve just eaten about 25 cola bottles and I feel sick.
Ben Donkor is freakin awesome ??? @FR314 #justsayin #NYKCONF
— Joakim Nilsson (@JoakimNilsson) October 17, 2017
Packed room for @FR314 at #NYKCONF pic.twitter.com/Y7o78QQj0L
— Ruxandra Mindruta (@RuxandraRux) October 17, 2017
Up next in the workshop track is one of our all-time favourite analysts, Ben Donkor from Microsoft.
In an industry where even some hiring managers don’t fully understand what a social analyst does, these professionals need to carve out their own roles. On the flipside, the brands that need social analysts rarely know how to get started. Let’s talk it out.
1. What the role of social analysts is, and why they’re necessary
2. What tools you need
3. How to create a social analytics framework (and why you should have one right now).
.@FR314 is holding 'an Oprah-style' SOCIAL ANALYTICS INTERVENTION. Get ready. #NYKConf
— Brandwatch (@Brandwatch) October 17, 2017
Josh is giving us a run through on what Reddit actually is, and how to use it properly as a marketer. Basically – don’t try and game Reddit. It will not work. You need to behave like a human rather than a brand – I know, mad, right?
Basically – don’t try and game Reddit. It will not work. You need to behave like a human rather than a brand – I know, mad, right?
#NYKCONF #MariosNipples
He’s shown the breadth of subreddits there are across the site – there’s even a massive one dedicated entirely to power outlets being found in weird places. Joshua subscribes to that one, obviously.
3 reasons why you need to care about Reddit from @joshuaDboyd @Brandwatch #brandwatchnyk pic.twitter.com/kFeRzxYGNn
— Jane Cronin (@jane_cronin) October 17, 2017
I’m back from committing carbicide (gnocchi, potatoes, bread…and some salmon since you asked) and I’m in the workshop track about to watch my team mate and content marketing expert Joshua Boyd tell us all about how to get your content BANG on the front page of Reddit.
Big up our main man @joshuaDboyd!!! Really looking forward to the Reddit talk (what else?) at #NYKCONF
— Kirsty Boden (@kirstybodenn) October 17, 2017
Needed. See you soon.
Jason and Aaron’s presentation on social good is – as expected – as fabulous as Aaron’s red bow tie. Hopefully we’ll get a snap of it, for those not in the room.
There are so many take aways here, and you guys are doing a great job tweeting the points that are resonating for you, over at the hashtag #NYKConf. Thank you for sharing! We love to read them.
If you want to move your company towards social good, don't start with marketing, start with HR.@ASherinian at #NYKCONF
— Daniel Ghinn (@creationdaniel) October 17, 2017
Loyalty of US and UK consumers driven by CSR, purpose and mutual values. #NYKCONF pic.twitter.com/S7eHjGFGB9
— Michelle Goodall (@greenwellys) October 17, 2017
Social truth, social good and purposeful work… #NYKCONF is resonating so hard RN? THANK YOU @Brandwatch pic.twitter.com/RkkbPCmbPH
— Kirsty Boden (@kirstybodenn) October 17, 2017
Consumer values need to be YOUr values. People want brands who understand them #NYKCONF pic.twitter.com/fXLL03USHi
— Hélène Ceysson (@Heleneceysson) October 17, 2017
“It’s all about purpose. People want evidence, solutions and to be part of an experience…70% of millennials want to work for a purposeful company.”
Just going to leave this here.
This might be a sneak peek of what's to come, taken from our roadmap presentation earlier. Don't tell anyone. We didn't show you. #NYKConf pic.twitter.com/nVE4bKuzzg
— Brandwatch (@Brandwatch) October 17, 2017
Next up we have two of our favourite speakers – they joined forces for us on stage back at our inaugural Now You Know event in Chicago 2016 (it feels like much longer ago!) and we asked them back.
Here’s their introduction on what they’ll be covering…
From Starbucks to Amazon to Walmart, there is enormous momentum to align business strategies with the realities of climate change, human rights and global economic development.
Whether an organization is in the corporate, not-for-profit or civil society space, stakeholders want to know how they are working to improve lives and have a positive impact on the world.
So in a world where corporate bottom lines are increasingly entangled with global bottom lines, how do organizations become better global stewards while still minding their financial cupboards?
Changing public attitudes and consumer appetites is a critical part of any public engagement strategy. Global Good is a strategy, and social listening is a powerful new tactic – the only way companies can engage with the world is to first listen to it.
That’s where Brandwatch has become the go-to tool for so many to come together and realize the power of conversation – the act of speaking together.
And so in this session, Aaron and Jason will discuss how the simple act of listening can have a profound impact on a company’s or organization’s brand salience. The art of intersecting your message with their values is realized by uniting one with the other, creating a partnership rooted in research and knowledge.
“People don’t want the shiny veneer anymore.”
Brands that are clever, smart and surprising are those that connect truly to their audiences. And be respectful of their time! Authenticity is so, so important.
2 datasets to drive planning – what matters to brand and to customers. Interrogate to find mutual resonance 'Truth' in the middle #NYKConf pic.twitter.com/2sBthZB1sW
— Michelle Goodall (@greenwellys) October 17, 2017
She’s also reminding us that less than 5% of social conversations actually mention a brand or product name. So how do you find the people you need? Well, this would be a great time for me to plug Brandwatch Analytics and Audiences. But I won’t because that would be cheap. *cough* click the links *cough*
#NYKConf | Know your #audience, don't waste their time, be clever and respect their individuality: keys to engaging #contentmarketing. pic.twitter.com/Y8KC9rkQY3
— Susie Page (@SusiePageRS) October 17, 2017
Captivating talk by @misiatramp using @Brandwatch to *really* understand consumers making them the priority #NYKCONF #in pic.twitter.com/fIk6wVlLBE
— Marc Munier (@marcmunier) October 17, 2017
Misia is closing her talk by summarising the most important things to remember.
“I can’t believe it, I’m finishing bang on time!”
Misia kicked off her talk by introducing the concept of the truth, and a quote she loves by American film producer Robert Evans.
“There are three sides to every story, your side. My side. And the truth. And no-one is lying. Memories shared serve each other differently.”
Essentially, we all have our own views of what the truth is. So how do brands try and tell their truth? And how do we truly satisfy our customers?
“There’s what matters to brands, what matters to audiences, and then there’s the truth.” Misia is commenting on the overlap, the mutual resonance, of the two worlds of customers and brands.
“Look for affinities. That’s when you’ll find the truth.”
Metia's Misia Tramp takes to the stage at @Brandwatch #NYKconf pic.twitter.com/6fdtY9ux8u
— Metia (@Metia) October 17, 2017
We’ve chinned (eaten) some pastries and done some power networking. Now we’re watching some magic, natch.
Genuinely brilliant magic! En masse trickery at @Brandwatch's #NYKConf pic.twitter.com/Vv0XZgDcWW
— Michelle Goodall (@greenwellys) October 17, 2017
Next to take to the stage is the inimitable Misia Tramp, VP, Customer Experience, Insight and Strategy at Metia.
“Fake news happens because the social media stream removes context and amplifies emotional signals.”
This has been an incredibly enlightening session from Matt Locke.
He’s covered the arts, attention spans, context, and has also dropped in a few pretty scary facts.
Is content optimization killing creative storytelling? Do algorithms define content now? Here’s some further reading on the schedule and the stream.
“JFK was the first true president of the schedule era. I think Donald Trump is the first president of the stream era.”
Your first president of The Stream era. @matlocke giving a thoughtful presentation on the schedule and the stream #NYKCONF pic.twitter.com/9OcbtS3zTf
— Michelle Goodall (@greenwellys) October 17, 2017
Last US election saw more engagement with fake news than real stories by election day!?@matlock @Brandwatch source:Reuters #brandwatchnyk pic.twitter.com/vf2NMdw5jZ
— Jane Cronin (@jane_cronin) October 17, 2017
Time to get brains buzzing. Here’s what we can expect from the next half hour or so.
A lot of what we recognise as formatting and scheduling of radio and TV today was invented back in 1907 – Matt is explaining how in his opinion, the ‘schedule’ was the most important concept of the 20th century.
In the last decade, a new concept has come about which Matt argues is going to be equally as important as the schedule – the stream.
Before the Facebook newsfeed, you had to check out what your friends were doing by going to their ‘walls’ – but with the newsfeed, and thus the stream, we suddenly had access to more content than ever before.
The stream has four distinct qualities that are different from the schedule:
1 – It’s personalised
2 – It’s mobile
3 – It’s de-contextualised
4 – It’s endless.
Thanks
@Matlock@storythings 4 helping us think smart re: media today. Listening is the part we always skip. Needed the reminder.
Fascinating talk from @matlock on scheduled media and it's power to create a common audience experience @brandwatch #BrandwatchNYK pic.twitter.com/MAPsZXOoXi
— Jane Cronin (@jane_cronin) October 17, 2017
After a rousing presentation on all the awesome stuff we’ve been working on, and will be releasing very soon, Giles (who is apparently scared of rain – a super fact dropped by Will earlier) is introducing Steve Rayson, CEO of our newly acquired friends BuzzSumo.
Bringing in a high performing, high growth product that fulfils an increasingly important need can only be good for Brandwatch.
Our strength is in data analysis and we have found kindred spirits in BuzzSumo.
We will use some of their data around content performance in our flagship Analytics product and the BuzzSumo influencer data will also help us to improve Brandwatch Audiences.
It’s truly an exciting time as both Brandwatch and BuzzSumo embark together to strengthen the two respective brands through the smart cross-pollination of know-how and resources.
We think this image of our CEO @joodoo9 voraciously lunging sums up the morning so far pretty nicely #NYKConf pic.twitter.com/U3bBULcElJ
— Brandwatch (@Brandwatch) October 17, 2017
A Brandwatch product roadmap presentation wouldn’t be complete without a surprise launch, and this is no exception. We’ve just made generating social insights quicker than ever before, in a market first.
Phill Agnew is introducing our brand new Quick Search feature. Read the blog! There’s a video!
Breakdown millions of conversations, in milliseconds.
Introducing Brandwatch Quick Search: https://t.co/CMLcpL5SEi pic.twitter.com/Pd5CicZnkH
— Brandwatch (@Brandwatch) October 17, 2017
And it’s not just us who are pumped about this new feature.
This @Brandwatch quick search talk is one of the most exciting things I’ve heard in a long time?? #NYKCONF
— Kirsty Boden (@kirstybodenn) October 17, 2017
Ok, so we’ve just dropped a whole load of exciting stuff on this crowd.
Here’s just a small selection, and our crowd’s reactions.
Interesting product roadmaps as always at #NYKConf Some exciting stuff making all of our jobs easier! #winning ?????
— Lucy Egan (@lucyanderson01) October 17, 2017
Round of Applauses for @instagram coverage improvements during 2017 at #NYKCONF. @Brandwatch nailed it! pic.twitter.com/PAaZ8IWrNx
— Jorge Martín (@Sr_GeKa) October 17, 2017
Fascinating start to #NYKCONF – @SinaWeibo added to @Brandwatch pic.twitter.com/UcAWYWyI6O
— Adam Flowers (@adzflowers) October 17, 2017
Emoji muse @amymariebarker talks new types of language at @brandwatch #NYKConf ?✨ #insidebrandwatch pic.twitter.com/LH7sPXkpuR
— Sarah Barber (@esjessiebee) October 17, 2017
Coming soon… emoji clouds! pic.twitter.com/vYwaLh6pKM
— Socialyse UK (@SocialyseUK) October 17, 2017
Whooop! We now have #emoji #insights in #brandwatch!! #nykconf #emojis pic.twitter.com/jqUozRRr9i
— Emelie Swerre (@Emelie_SW) October 17, 2017
After being wowed by our resident magician (god, I love magic), our crowd of 500+ of the smartest people in the biz are going to be treated to a behind the scenes update of what our product roadmap looks like from our awesome product team.
Magical start to #NYKConf – 2 days of juicy social analytics goodness with the @brandwatch crew and smart guests pic.twitter.com/MPbq2KWIr7
— Michelle Goodall (@greenwellys) October 17, 2017
If I told you everything on there, I’d be in big trouble. But we can share some really exciting news VERY imminently. Hold tight…
Break down millions of conversations, in milliseconds.
We've got a very exciting announcement to make at #NYKConf tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/lbmdiMJ8WZ
— Brandwatch (@Brandwatch) October 16, 2017
Good news for me @brandwatch doubling down on developing product around 'research for marketers' pillar #NYKConf pic.twitter.com/gePDZ4GH3S
— Michelle Goodall (@greenwellys) October 17, 2017
So important for breadth of data sources – @Brandwatch leading the industry for Instagram data #NYKCONF pic.twitter.com/fTjVQbQwSq
— Adam Fraser (@adamf2014) October 17, 2017
What’s after the roadmap, I hear you cry? I’ll give you a little heads up.
Matt Locke is a digital storyteller, founder of Storythings, and an expert in the role of new tech in media development, having led groundbreaking innovation projects at the BBC and Channel 4.
He’s currently researching the history of how we measure attention – from applause in 19th century music halls to the digital networks of today. Here’s what his keynote’s about:
In 2017, we’re at the tipping of two concepts that have defined how we discover, share and engage with media. One concept has lasted over a century, whilst the other is just a decade old. These concepts can help us look past technology and platforms to understand the truth about audience behaviors, business models and media policy. In this talk, Matt Locke will give a brief history of how the schedule and the stream were created and came to dominate different media eras, and what this means for how we tell stories now and in the future.
OMG THERE’S A MAGICIAN!!!!!!!!
Our CMO, Will, is on stage introducing the theme of the conference. He just said time was measured in ounces. But we’ll move on.
We’re talking fake news, mistrust, real-world scenarios. How do we understand the psychology of news spreading? With so many platforms and networks and a tangled web of information online, how do we judge what’s real, and what we should toss aside? Is time really measured in ounces? We’ll find out.
We’ve put together some incredible speakers discuss finding truths that inspire the best decisions.
And we are OFF! @willmcinnes kicking off @Brandwatch #NYKCONF pic.twitter.com/Ket572Rhjp
— Adam Fraser (@adamf2014) October 17, 2017
The main ballroom (fancy!) is filling up, so while we wait for CMO Will McInnes to welcome us all in a few minutes, I’m taking a quick look at Twitter and admiring the stage set up. It looks super flash. Props to our events team.
Here we goooooooo @Brandwatch #NYKconf pic.twitter.com/lZZfJpVlAb
— Will McInnes (@willmcinnes) October 17, 2017
Oh, what a lovely setup ? #NYKCONF #insidebrandwatch pic.twitter.com/DKgt9A7csc
— Brandwatch (@Brandwatch) October 17, 2017
Ready to go for #NYKConf day 1! #insidebrandwatch pic.twitter.com/RlRzD10phP
— Emma Shanahan (@emmashan100) October 17, 2017
Excited 2 be here in Europe w/ good folks of #NYKConf – Brands & Causes can do a world of good together – tnx @Brandwatch 4 inviting @akdn pic.twitter.com/H198C5Ki8y
— Aaron Sherinian (@ASherinian) October 17, 2017
Looking forward to being inspired by @Brandwatch, one of @CREATION's awesome data providers, at #NYKCONF today.
— Daniel Ghinn (@creationdaniel) October 17, 2017
We're getting the pastries and coffee down us and we're raring to go at #NYKConf. Here's @p_agnew at one of our lovely info pods – say hi! pic.twitter.com/YiP48dZQb3
— Brandwatch (@Brandwatch) October 17, 2017
Updates to follow – check back for more and follow @Brandwatch and the #NYKCONF hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.
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