Summary
Imagine a monthly media report so engaging the CEO asks to be on the distribution list. One which keeps a global consumer brand informed of news and social conversations affecting both company and industry, which reveals not just what people are saying, but how they are thinking (using search listening techniques). A report which, through innovative use of picture heavy storytelling, appeals to broad swathes of internal stakeholders beyond comms. This European candy producer’s monthly report, developed in partnership with Commetric, shines a light on the value the comms function brings to the business.

Objective/Brief
The client is one of the world’s most modern and innovative manufacturers of herb drops and remains under private ownership. Their products are exported to more than 45 countries, with 90% of sales outside the domestic market. The global insights team supports the work of in-market communicators, partnering with research and analytics providers to keep the company informed of its market positioning. In 2023, having identified an appetite for knowledge sharing amongst the team, they commenced development of an internal deliverable alongside partners at Commetric.
The objectives were to:

• Produce a document which looks like a magazine, which was engaging to read
• Help the global insights team promote the capabilities of the function internally and foster a desire for centralized insight through the production of an aspirational ‘output’
• Instill appetite for further insights based on media and social data
• Encourage curiosity and sharing of best practice and success amongst in-market comms teams
• Reflect the complex monitoring and measurement requirements for the brand: in-market communicators operate under differing regulatory regimes; where the core product competes against candy brands in some parts of the world and is considered an over-the-counter medicine in others.
• This was achieved via media monitoring and great storytelling.

Strategy
Three data streams inform the stories featuring in the monthly reporting:

1. Earned news for the brand (print and online) and competitors (online)
2. Social media
3. Trend watching – social and search insight

Earned news

• Based on broad company level searches across key markets to identify stories, with editorially selected content groupings to highlight both the activities of the global comms network and how these resulted in editorial output with positive messaging for the brand.
• Competitor tracking in connection with relevancy screening words eg cough drops, throat lozenges, herbal remedies – made more complex as the brand features in different categories and against different competitors in differing markets.

Social media

• Based on both keyword and logo recognition
• Selective curation and prioritisation by the editorial team
• Includes both earned social insight and sharing of owned social success and engagement highlights.

Trend watching – social and search insight

• Focusing on differing trends each month, in March 2024, the focus was on seasonal allergies. This had been informed by insights from 2023 data which had shown a peak in content during springtime in the northern hemisphere around this topic.
• Includes quantitative and qualitative analysis of social media conversations linked to the topic, outlining localized variations. The monthly report includes significant visual storytelling elements and links to own brand and other brands’ creative, to provide inspiration
• By exploring online search around seasonal allergies, the brand would be better placed to create content which could
  reach consumers with unmet need at point of purchase consideration.

Execution/Implementation

To ensure that the report stays relevant and engaging, stakeholders are involved in production. For the earned news segment, in-market communicators are invited to submit examples of proactive coverage, allowing teams to celebrate highlights, increasing visibility of these outputs and sharing success with marketing peers and the wider business.

Owned social performance, gathered in collaboration with the internal social team, highlight both the outputs and the outcomes from this activity, providing an avenue for knowledge sharing across the brand’s many social accounts, and greater visibility to leadership at a post-performance level.

Earned news reinforces stories which may have previously been communicated internally, but with greater impact. News of the company’s B Corp certification, speaking events for senior leadership, sponsorship and experiential activities all feature in the monthly reporting, keeping the broader business informed of the communications team’s activities.

Competitor earned news tracking keeps the team informed of major stories affecting peer set without the overwhelm that some brands are faced with when carrying out media monitoring across broad and complex peer sets which differ in each market. Earned social data provides an understanding of the earned brand related conversations by consumers and external stakeholders across a range of channels including X, TikTok, Pinterest and Reddit.

Rooting the team’s planning and activation around data and insight would elevate internal perceptions of the comms function; success of the initiative would be measured via:

• growth of the distribution list
• range of functions asking for access
• and interest in further insight studies

Effectiveness of Assignment
The monthly report, first published in October 2023 has:

• Experienced a 3.5-fold increase in distribution list size over just a few months (now >70) since inception. This includes the CEO who personally asked to be added, calling the monthly report ‘interesting stuff’.
• The monthly report audience growth was via proactive op-ins based on recommendations and forwards of the original delivery mail and attachment.
• The monthly report recipients span multiple job functions across the company including: senior leadership, communicators, country executives, consumer service and product development.
• The report is sent as an email with an attachment and links to an internal sharedrive and also links to Commetric’s archive which can be accessed via an online dashboard.
• The monthly report archive receives regular logins from multiple users across four key European markets: Germany, Switzerland, France and Ireland.
• The monthly report has sparked curiosity for insights, evident through increased requests for data from communicators and active participation of teams in story submission and trend watching themes.

One recipient described the magazine / monthly report as “a basic which was missing”. Others praised the insights report in
this way:

“The inclusion of global media monitoring is invaluable. It keeps us well-informed about industry trends, competitor activities, and emerging issues worldwide.”
“The social media section is incredibly insightful, providing a deep dive into relevant trends, user sentiments, and notable brand mentions. This is crucial for understanding our online presence and the industry landscape.”
“I appreciate the effort to report on current trends which allow us to stay ahead of market dynamics. “

The comms team have also acted on the insight uncovered. For example, noting that peers such as Fisherman’s Friend maintained messaging during 2023 beyond the ‘allergy season’ in the European spring into the summer months, provided inspiration for the client’s team to extend the length of its messaging campaign around the topic this year.