2001 - 2018 | Edelman

Meet the latest weapon in the GenAI arms race: NotebookLM, a tool made by Google that can take a text source and turn it into a podcast featuring two voices discussing the topic. Rather than sounding like Kitt from Knight Rider, they are realistic voices engaged in (almost) realistic conversation. And I’m equally impressed and petrified.

So, if machines can now remove podcasters from the podcast production line, will this turn the whole industry on its head?

One thing to consider is this. The main reason people listen to podcasts is to learn, according to Pew Research Center data from the States. And if you have informative text content already written, you could easily use the tool to spin up a quick podcast as an additional access point for people to consume, with very little work.

But the beauty of podcasting isn't its convenience, it's the personal connection it builds between creator and listener. Think back to school for a minute. Your favourite teacher was probably the one who engaged you and made the class relevant, not the one who did the bare minimum. And whether you listen to a podcast to learn, to laugh, or to be gripped by a powerful story, there's one common denominator — the people in front of the microphone. The real human beings, the flesh and blood people who bring it all to life.

Who’s in charge?

Creatives have a moral dilemma. Do we use AI tools and, if so, to what extent? Personally, I'm already using GenAI as part of my day-to-day work, but I remain the creator. That only changes when a robot is powerful enough to rip the pen or the microphone from my cold dead hands.

I'm not complacent though. Anyone who ignores the capability – or even the existence – of GenAI tools is doomed to become a victim of them. The way we create is inevitably changing and, try as you might, that genie isn't going back into the bottle. It means we have to think differently, but we're still thinking. We must create differently, but we're still creating. And even if AI is an assistant, it should never be the protagonist.

If I have a dense research paper in front of me, I'd love to have two hosts jovially explain the concepts contained within it rather than read it myself if I’m short on time. But I can't ever see a world where an AI hosted podcast tops the charts.

The art of creativity

I'm always experimenting and exploring what AI can do for me; it's a fun time of discovery. What I've learned that while AI can technically produce things with a specific purpose, it can never truly create things artistically.

There is indeed an art to creating good content and I don't think GenAI has quite mastered it yet. While it tries, let's celebrate not just the outputs but the people making them — with love, with flair, with panache.

At Edelman, we’re excited about the craft of making podcasts and the role of humans in the creative process. There are some things that can never be outsourced, and we always want to put our minds and hands to work to ensure a project is as creative as it can be. The aim is always to make podcasts that people genuinely want to listen to, rather than content that simply fills a void.

GenAI tools are getting better all the time, but if they cause our individual creativity to diminish, rather than flourish, we must ask serious questions about why and how we use them.

Last week, I went along to the LinkedIn B2Believe event, which brought together 500 marketers to celebrate the best of B2B. Taking place close to Soho and near ‘Tin Pan Alley’, home of many of London’s music stores and clubs, the sense of going to an exclusive gig as we went downstairs into the new Outernet entertainment venue, reminded me of going to watch bands as a teenager.

There was an air of B2B as an up-and-coming rock band, with an increasing dynamism and confidence in response to the glitzy pop of the established Taylor Swift ‘B2C’ marketers. James Gill, Senior Director at LinkedIn bounded on stage reminding the audience that B2B companies represent over half of the global economy, highlighting the creativity in the industry and introducing a stellar line up of speakers.

Building Trust With B2B Buying Groups
A highlight of the show was Jann Martin Schwarz and Mimi Turner from The B2B Institute exploring the Better Bolder B2B Branding study. They highlighted that the biggest problem in B2B buying and selling is convincing a group of professionals to reach a collective decision. Alarmingly, 40% of B2B deals don’t progress because it is too hard to find consensus amongst the decision makers.

Many organisations spend time persona building, defining new groups and attributing common characteristics to them. But there is a tendency to assume all CIOs, procurement or finance professionals will react in a similar, rational way when faced with choices. The reality is that loss aversion, ‘satisficing’ and defensive decision making often prevail because these are high value, complex decisions, which carry a professional risk for the individuals.

Over three-quarters (81%) of B2B buyers report that “everyone” or “almost everyone” in the buying committee already knew the brand that was eventually bought, meaning that brand awareness and recall is critical in closing deals. Whilst brand is often perceived as a top of funnel activity, it is decisive at every stage of the decision-making process, including with ‘hidden’ buyers – those in legal or procurement, who value known brands due to a perceived risk of a less established provider.

For me, this becomes a question of trust. The most successful brands have inherently built trust with their audiences. The customer trusts what the brand represents; they have confidence in its ability to deliver on expectations; the dependability of its people and a sense of reassurance they are making the right choice. Trust removes the risk for B2B buying groups, making it easier for them to reach a consensus.

In the race to hit quarterly targets, generate and convert leads more quickly, B2B marketing can become transactional yet ask any salesperson about what closes deals, and they will say trust and relationships. As an industry we need to consider how we build and measure trust with customers, prospects and buyers.

Earning the attention and right to busy B2B decision makers’ time is also key. Earned business creative, which brings a fresh perspective, is memorable and distinctive and which has external societal relevance and depth has a better chance of sticking in the minds of everyone in a B2B buying group, as opposed to more rational campaigns which mirror what the rest of the segment is doing and rely solely on paid and performance marketing to hit the numbers.

Creators and Credibility
The other key theme of B2Believe was the role of B2B creators and influencers. If B2C influencer marketing is about the ‘halo of celebrity’ then B2B influence is about the ‘halo of credibility’, with LinkedIn’s research showing that 87% of B2B buyers placing far more value and trust in respected third-party experts and opinion formers, than in what they hear from a nameless corporation.

A brilliant panel which included Ophelie Janus from Siemens; Jon Evans from System1 and Imogen Coles from Ogilvy discussed B2B influence in more detail. Ophelie Janus explained how Siemens identified and established relationships with a group of 12 influencers, giving them behind the scenes access to its engineers and researchers and inviting them to its Innovation Days. Siemens has also created a Corporate Ambassador Programme, establishing its employees as influencers and making the most of their extensive, personal professional networks.

Jon Evans talked about the origins of the ‘Uncensored CMO’ podcast, which has become one of the most popular ‘listens’ for marketers and drives 50% of inbound enquiries for Jon’s company, System1. Jon explained how the podcast gives him the opportunity to get in touch with the senior marketers he is looking to target for System1 and brings huge credibility from his conversations with leaders from the BBC, Guiness and John Lewis.

Again, the key takeaway on B2B influencer marketing is that the right creator partnerships can add real value when it comes to earning and build trust with business leaders and decision makers.

Like all good gigs, B2Believe had a real vibrancy and energy, with the industry positive about creativity and experimenting with new collaborations (with creators and influencers) and the tools and tech to orchestrate and amplify its activity. I’m looking forward to seeing more B2B marketers topping the charts with successful, distinctive campaigns which drive commercial impact.

Three Takeaways:
1.    Trust removes risk for B2B buyers, making it easier for them to reach a consensus.
2.    B2B influencers create a ‘Halo of Credibility’ for business brands.
3.    Business brands need to earn the attention of busy decision makers.

By Andrew Mildren, Managing Director, Edelman's Business Marketing EMEA.

It is no secret that celebrities and influencers impact consumer behaviour and are, more than ever, a dominant feature in the digital marketing sphere. But how best should brands navigate these relationships? How can they make the best impact with celebrities and influencers when it comes to the increasingly crowded area of purpose-led marketing?

An important consideration for brands when investing in talent endorsement is authenticity. Social media is a saturated environment where consumers can find it difficult to navigate platforms and distinguish between personal content and promotional activity. Ever evolving regulatory changes within the industry mean that there is an increase in transparency for consumers regarding online promotions. Just last month, Instagram announced new algorithms and tools which identify potential ‘ad’ content and reminds users (and brands) of the rules if they appear not to be following them. The credibility of talent, therefore, is imperative to campaign success. Celebrities and influencers can no longer disguise their opinion as [completely] impartial as the modern consumer is savvy enough to know that payment or other incentives can impact objectivity. This is where selection of the talent and curation of the content become paramount to successful consumer engagement. The genuine connection between the talent, the brand and the cause must be apparent for a seamless partnership.

Celebrities have proven to and continue to be valuable tools in purpose marketing, however, these need to be selected and handled with care and expertise.

Purpose marketing has accelerated over recent years as brands and celebrities alike are expected to stand for something, using their influence (and money) to make a positive impact on social, political, and environmental issues.

Social media gives these initiatives an amplification like no other, with the ability for individuals to reinforce their message in their own words directly to thousands, if not millions, of loyal followers. Social platforms provide an opportunity for celebrities and influencers to encourage followers to galvanise toward a common goal, making them a hugely valuable resource for brands looking to support their own purpose campaigns. It is always important to note, however, that there are often careful considerations to be made. This is a creative partnership, not an ad buy.

Celebrities have not always shown up well in purpose campaigns, particularly where brands are involved, and are often seen as ‘cashing in’ or ‘jumping on a bandwagon’ to profit their own profile. Often, it is as simple as supporting a campaign that genuinely makes a difference. Billie Eilish is vocal about her sustainable lifestyle choices, even announcing that her new tour would be eco-friendly, but her partnership with H&M launched earlier this year was considered greenwashing by critics. This is because H&M could not back up the sustainability claims they were making about 14 out of the 16 items in the collection. The agency, and Billie's team, should have protected her personal values better and guided the brand by insisting on transparency about how the clothes were made, instead of launching the range with the vague claim of it being ‘sustainable’.

In contrast, when cricketer Kevin Pietersen signed up with Swiss watch company Hublot for a campaign to raise money and awareness for Save the Rhino, he had already spent many years promoting and speaking passionately about the cause. The same can be said for celebrities that head up healthcare campaigns having suffered from that very health issue themselves. In this case, your partners (whether they be the talent or a charity) are the experts and you should ensure full transparency and alignment between their values and the values of the brand.

Celebrities and influencers must exert an element of trust in what they promote, and it is important to understand that the number of followers is not the most important factor during selection. Celebrity involvement will usually be impactful, but for success (and a positive impact!), they must practise what they preach and have demonstrable knowledge of the subject matter. Likewise, brands must have depth to their purpose initiatives for the total campaign to be authentic and trusted.

History has shown that celebrities and purpose can work, just ask Bob Geldof, Elton John, Jameela Jamil and most recently Marcus Rashford who have all used their celebrity status to not only raise millions but have also lobbied government for financial aid and policy change.

Let us know if we can help with any talent or influencer support

Edelman UK, the world’s leading communications firm, has appointed Chuka Umunna as Executive Director and Head of its Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) consultancy offer.

Part of Edelman’s specialist capital markets and financial services team, Smithfield, Chuka will lead a team advising business leaders on ESG audit, embedding ESG factors into decision making, strategy and culture and managing ESG issues relating to corporate transactions.

Edelman Smithfield frequently advises on large cross-border transactions and fundraisings as well as domestic deals. It acts for investment managers with more than $4 trillion of assets under management as well as some of the world’s largest private equity firms and sovereign wealth funds. The team is enjoying its fifth consecutive year of record revenue.

The company’s third annual Investor Trust report revealed that investors believe companies must address the needs of a wide range of stakeholders, not just shareholders, and must implement effective ESG practices to win trust across all these audiences. This movement will only accelerate in the wake of Covid-19 and the tragic murder of George Floyd.

Umunna, a solicitor, is a former corporate employment lawyer who - before entering politics - worked for several years at a City law firm advising companies on contentious, transactional (M&A) and advisory matters including employment litigation, industrial relations, remuneration and incentives, and workplace health and safety.

From 2010-2019 he served in Parliament including as Shadow Business Secretary for several years and in other senior posts leading on economic, business, trade and foreign policy issues on the Opposition benches. During this time he co-founded Small Business Saturday in the UK, led the successful campaign against the hostile takeover of AstraZeneca by Pfizer and became a leading advocate of the stakeholder capitalism agenda, campaigning for more diversity in the boardroom.

Hugh Taggart, General Manager, said: “If we have learnt anything about business during the pandemic, it’s that they will undoubtedly be held to higher ethical standards. Anyone – including companies in the private sector - with the resources to help solve the problems society faces, will be expected to make a contribution.

“In a time of such profound change, we couldn’t have found a better person than Chuka to spearhead our ESG offer and advise our clients. Chuka is a deep and analytical thinker, a passionate campaigner for a fairer society and joins Edelman at a time when Smithfield continues its rapid ascension as a leading adviser to many of the top global financial institutions.”

Chuka Umunna, said: “I’m honoured to be joining Edelman to lead its ESG consultancy offer. Smithfield has a strong history of executing extensive consultancy work for companies and asset managers in the UK and internationally on the management of ESG factors. When combined with the full breadth of the firm’s capabilities in corporate reputation, data and insights, creative, and brand strategy, it truly differentiates Edelman from its competitors in this space.”

The 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report titled Brand Trust and the Coronavirus covers different approaches of brand communication from a consumer's perspective.

To read more click here

Boris Johnson’s share of the vote was just one percentage point higher than Theresa May’s. Instead of a hung parliament, it translated into a majority of 80 with key victories in Labour heartland seats epitomised by taking Tony Blair’s former seat of Sedgefield and Dennis Skinner’s Bolsover seat. Confident of a five-year term if he wants it, this new political geography will have significant impact on Boris’ agenda. As the dust settles, what next for Brexit, how quickly can he ‘get it done’, what will be his other domestic priorities, and what are the implications for the Union given the SNP’s strong showing in Scotland? And where does a demoralised Labour party go from here?

Click here for detailed analysis of all these questions and more.

DOWNLOAD FULL ANALYSIS HERE

에델만 코리아(사장: 장성빈)는 “신뢰가 사라진 시대를 진단하다”라는 주제로 제 17회 ‘2017 에델만 신뢰도 지표 조사(2017 Edelman Trust Barometer)’ 세미나를 개최했다.

매년 전 세계를 대상으로 실시해 그 결과를 스위스 다보스 포럼에서 발표하는 ‘에델만 신뢰도 지표 조사’는 올해로 17번 째이며, 2017년에는 전 세계 28개국에서 국가별로 18세 이상 1150명, 3만3000명 이상을 대상으로 온라인 조사로 진행됐다.

전 세계적으로 기업, 정부, 미디어, NGO 등 주요 주체에 대한 신뢰도가 하락하는 경향을 보인 가운데, 사회 시스템 전반에 대한 대중의 불신이 심각한 수준인 것으로 드러났다. 특히 우리나라에서 이러한 경향이 두드러지는데, 국민 2명 중 1명은 우리 사회의 시스템이 제대로 기능하지 않는다고 믿고 있는 것으로 확인됐다.

시스템이 제대로 기능하고 있는지 여부는 불평등, 희망 결여, 확신 결여, 변화에 대한 갈망, 총 4가지 항목을 통해 조사했다. 그 결과 우리나라 응답자의 절반에 가까운 48%가 시스템이 제대로 기능하지 않는다고 생각하는 것으로 나타났으며, 불확실하다고 생각하는 사람은 41%에 달했다. 시스템이 제대로 기능하고 있다고 믿는 사람은 11%에 불과했다. 특히, 상류층 (고소득층의 43%, 고학력층의 47%, 여론 주도층의 48%)에서도 사회 시스템에 대한 불신이 높다는 사실을 확인할 수 있었다.

한국 조사 결과 기업, 정부, 미디어, NGO 등 주요 4대 기관에 대한 신뢰도가 전년 대비 모두 하락한 가운데 정부에 대한 신뢰도는 28%로 4대 기관 신뢰도 중 가장 낮은 수치를 기록했다. 이는 28개국 평균인 41%보다 13%p 가량 낮으며 작년 조사 결과와 비교해도 가장 큰 폭으로 하락한 것이다. 또한, 정부 관계자를 신뢰한다는 응답은 17%로 더욱 낮은 것으로 확인됐다.

기업에 대한 신뢰도는 29%로 조사 대상 28개국 중 최하위를 기록했다. 이는 전년보다 4%p 하락한 것이며 조사 대상 28 개국 평균인 52%보다 약 20%p 이상 낮은 수치다. 기업의 CEO를 신뢰한다는 응답은 24%로 매우 낮게 나타났다.

이처럼 사회 전반의 신뢰도가 추락하고 기업에 대한 불신이 극에 달했음에도 불구하고 기업의 신뢰도 제고 활동에 대한 대중의 기대감은 오히려 높은 것으로 나타났다. 우리나라 응답자의 69%는 “기업이 이윤을 창출하며 동시에 경제적 및 사회적 환경을 개선할 수 있다”고 답했다.

자신의 생각이나 의견과 유사한 정보만을 믿고 나눔으로써 자신의 믿음을 강화하려는 ‘에코 챔버 효과’ 현상도 주목할 만 하다. 응답자들은 자신과 견해가 다른 정보에 대해서는 무시할 가능성이 약 3.5배 정도 높다고 대답했으며, 응답자의 61%는 중요한 사회 문제에 대해 자신의 견해를 바꾸지 않거나 거의 바꾸지 않는다고 밝혔다.

이 ‘에코 챔버 효과’는 타인의 견해에 대한 신뢰도 뿐 아니라, 전통 언론의 권위 하락에도 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 검색 엔진, 전통 언론, 온라인 언론, 소셜 미디어, 온드 미디어에 대한 신뢰도 중, 전통 언론에 대한 신뢰도가 2012년 대비 가장 큰 폭으로 하락했다. 한편, 전체 응답자의 58%는 온라인 검색 엔진을 통한 검색 결과를 가장 신뢰한다고 대답했다.

에델만 코리아 장성빈 사장은 “매년 사회 전반에 대한 신뢰도가 낮아지고 있는 것은 전 세계적인 추세지만, 이번 우리나라의 결과는 우리 사회의 불신이 심각한 수준에 이르렀다는 것을 극명하게 보여준다”며, “정부, 기업 등 사회 주요 기관들이 각자 책임감을 갖고 대중과의 소통에 적극적으로 임하고 더욱 열린 태도로 신뢰도 제고를 위해 끊임없이 노력해야 할 때”라고 설명했다.

이번 조사에는 전 세계 28개국 33,000명 이상이 참여했으며, 한국에서는 여론 주도층 200명을 포함한 총 1,150명이 참여했다. 여론 주도층은 25세 이상 64세 이하의 대졸 이상의 학력 보유자로 가계소득이 상위 25%인 사람 중, 정기적으로 뉴스 미디어를 구독하는 사람을 대상으로 선정했다.

이번 ‘2017 에델만 신뢰도 지표 조사 발표’ 세미나는 150여명의 사회 각계 각층 인사들이 참여한 가운데 2월 8일 서울시 중구 소재 페럼타워 3층 컨퍼런스 홀에서 진행됐다. 벤 보이드 에델만 프랙티스 및 섹터 총괄 사장의 조사 결과 발표를 시작으로, 질의 응답 등의 시간이 이어졌다.

(사진: 연합뉴스)

In what appears to be an increasingly polarising world, many large businesses will find themselves in a contested and congested messaging environment – if not an actively hostile one.

This may be a relatively new challenge for the commercial sector but for NATO, and its member nations, the issue of hostile narratives and malign messaging is ever pressing (and ever growing).

I recently had the honour of addressing the Assistant Secretary General for Diplomacy - Ambassador Tacan Ildem and a select audience of Defence communicators in NATO headquarters, Brussels. I was there to talk about strategic communications and my perspective and thoughts upon the #WeAreNATO campaign.

Like so many campaigns before it, the focus is primarily upon the means and the metrics as opposed to the ends. That is not to say that branding and awareness are not essential components in any communications campaign but the focus on the short term for the sake of easy to measure metrics (to determine success) is limiting.

In NATO’s case, I had argued that the #WeAreNATO campaign should in fact be viewed as a strategic counter-disinformation effort. It should be an attempt to build resilience into NATO’s narrative in a way that explains its purpose, embodies our liberal democratic values and builds trust.

Branding and awareness are of course important to this, but the measure shouldn’t simply be shifts in knowledge of NATO, but rather in the actions of populations toward national and international security challenges; how often is NATO the answer on the lips of our friends and family? How many people within NATO nations are pressing their Governments to meet the agreed 2% of GDP for Defence expenditure?

These are also useful questions for us to ask in the commercial sector.

How defensible is our narrative if it were ever attacked? Beyond simply buying more of our products or service - what do we want our key stakeholders to do? For those that are advocates for our business do they know how they can help – how are you facilitating this?

By being able to answer these questions, it not only helps develop confidence in your own messaging during the good times but also the bad. If you are lucky enough to have clear answers to all of these questions then you have a level of resilience in your narrative that the majority of businesses should be envious of.

If you would like to talk about how you could make your strategic narrative more resilient please do get in touch with the team here.

Our 2016 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that although the Korean public’s trust in corporations improved, it ranked the lowest among the 28 countries surveyed. An especially notable finding was that while the opinion leaders’ reliability was higher than that of the general public, public opinion wielded more power.

The 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer revealed that trust in Korean government and media improved in an unprecedented manner, showing hope for trust to be restored. Korean respondents also displayed concerns about the global rise of “fake news”, highlighting the need for media to get their facts straight.

25 Years of Trust

GenAI's New Trick: Turning Text into Podcasts – A Game-Changer or Creativity Killer?

The Rockstars of B2B Marketing Find Their Groove at LinkedIn B2Believe London 2024

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Let us know if we can help with any talent or influencer support

Chuka Umunna Joins Edelman To Lead Esg Consultancy Offer

Brands should stop humorous ads, protect employees, be creative problem solvers: Edelman Trust Barometer

Edelman Political Bulletin: Boris Wins, What Happens Next

DOWNLOAD FULL ANALYSIS HERE

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25 Years of Trust

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The Rockstars of B2B Marketing Find Their Groove at LinkedIn B2Believe London 2024

A Call for Authenticity

Let us know if we can help with any talent or influencer support

Share

Chuka Umunna Joins Edelman To Lead Esg Consultancy Offer

Share

Brands should stop humorous ads, protect employees, be creative problem solvers: Edelman Trust Barometer

Edelman Political Bulletin: Boris Wins, What Happens Next

DOWNLOAD FULL ANALYSIS HERE

Share

신뢰가 사라진 시대를 진단하다

Related Content

Report

2017 Edelman Trust Barometer

Report

2016 Edelman Trust Barometer

Ask not what your narrative can do for you…

Share

2016 Edelman Trust Barometer

Other Resources

Related Content

Report

2017 Edelman Trust Barometer

Report

2018 Edelman Trust Barometer

Report

2019 Edelman Trust Barometer

2018 Edelman Trust Barometer

Other Resources

Related Content

Report

2016 Edelman Trust Barometer

Report

2017 Edelman Trust Barometer

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2019 Edelman Trust Barometer