Sometimes when you’re developing a creative for a campaign, the stars align in terms of subject matter, objectives and, in the case of one of our latest projects at least, the time of year.
Author: Pete Whelan
When it comes to measuring the success of a campaign, there can’t be many greater arbiters than an announcement by the Prime Minister.
With the new BBC Director General, Tim Davie, taking up his post this week, at the top of his extensive to-do list is the task of restoring trust in the corporation and re-establishing the notion of impartial reporting.
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Ethics in the age of Algorithms and AI
Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence are everywhere. For most people working in communications we’ll already be aware of them and what they do, but a tweet by the Chair of the CIPR’s AI in PR Panel, Kerry Sheehan made me stop and consider what the wider implications of the use of these technologies are now and what they will be in the future.
Shitposting masterclass or just a plain shitshow? That’s the question that everyone is asking after the design horror show in the government Covid-19 public health campaign. And it’s not only communications professionals.
We’re offering 20% off our filming packages for a limited time this summer.
There’s limited availability and it’s first come first served. You have to book by the end of July to get the discount.
Wondering how film and video can help you engage your audience and deliver your key messages? We’ll be holding an Instagram chat with DTW’s film production team where you can get answers to all of your questions.
Today’s announcement that Ofcom will have more powers to force social media firms to act over harmful content is no surprise, but what does it mean in reality in terms of social media regulation?
DTW Director Pete Whelan takes a look at the new proposal and gives four top tips for harassed and harangued social media managers in the brave new world.
1) We’re already responsible for our content
Say a million content creators throughout the UK are reading the news today! Of course, no-one managing any social channels spends any time checking and re-checking their content and carefully crafting posts to make sure they’re on message and don’t have any unfortunate typos…
The reality is that the Ofcom proposal is grabbing the headlines. However, it is likely to have much more impact on Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat than any of us responsible content creators. That said, it’s a great time to review social media regulation and what we’re doing to make sure we are absolutely bang on.
- Be clear in your objectives
- Understand your audiences
- Create some great and relevant content
- Speak like a human
- Evaluate and do more of what works!
2) Regulation isn’t new – take a look at the Advertising Standards Authority code
The Advertising Standards Authority’s CAP Code has covered social media content in the UK since 2011.
Yes – that does include organic content posted on your own channels – not just ad campaigns. The ASA can and does rule about the appropriateness of organic content.
Still not sure? Try this quote for size – “marketers should be aware that any content that bears a relationship to the products or services they offer has the potential to be considered directly connected and therefore within the ASA’s remit.”
You can read all about the ASA’s remit on social media in its handily new updated guide.
3) The big social networks will continue to tighten up the rules
There are already things that social networks are doing to better police content.
For example, Facebook has cracked down a lot on the use of clickbait headlines in the last 12 months. You need to factor this into your strategy and make sure you’re playing to the ever-changing whims of each individual network to get the best audience engagement.
4) So what’s next?
The biggest point for me on this is how will Ofcom, as a regulator, communicate the work it is doing to its stakeholders and ensure that the public, in particular, understands its remit.
This is going to be particularly challenging given the global nature of social media. We know from our work with clients like the FCA and the SRA where we helped them with communicating complex UK only issues such as regulatory changes that this can be achieved successfully, but the work plan for this will need to start now in order for it to be a success. Get in touch with our team today if you’d like to learn more about the work we undertake daily on this topic.
Thanks for reading
Pete