How to activate a global audience in less than a week
The foundation of Amplification at Dailymotion
Dailymotion was tasked with activating its global audience in support of an unprecedented live digital event, for a brand-new Partner, in just a few short days. We implemented an amplification strategy that leveraged four key elements: cadence, targeting, creative workflow, and asset management to help the Partner achieve their goals.
Dailymotion joined the world’s biggest digital platforms to stream “One World: Together At Home”, a live broadcast — in support of the healthcare workers on the frontlines battling the COVID-19 crisis. As a truly global company, it was an honor to activate our international technology and communications (and music lovers!) teams to support such a historic live event.
Monday — The Kickoff
It was a late Monday afternoon when we received word that we would be streaming “Together At Home” the charity event put together by Global Citizen (our Partner), whose goal was to raise money for the World Health Organization and frontline healthcare workers. From a technology perspective, Dailymotion has been in the online video business for 15 years and has delivered billions of video views; all we needed was access to the live stream and we’d be up and running. No concern there. However, we also needed to activate our worldwide audience to tune in and take action in less than a week. This warranted an eyebrow raise, at least.
To give you a sense of scale, we have content teams across the world who help localize (35 international destination sites, to an audience in more than 50 countries) communications, multi-language social handles, a handful of hyper-targeted newsletters, blogs, press avenues, internal communications, push notifications, in-app notifications and an editorial team who curates and shares relevant content alongside our recommendation algorithm. This huge mechanism provides Dailymotion the unique ability to target, amplify, and subsequently drive specific traffic onsite. However, without a succinct plan, these benefits can turn to detriments in no-time.
To keep such a nuanced machine running and on-task requires is a sound communication plan. This rests on the pillars of cadence, targeting, creative workflow, and asset management. Combined, they inform a consistent and clear channel strategy that engages an audience from awareness through retention.
Tuesday — The Plan
Tuesday morning post an internal ‘kick-off,’ we got to work on how the cadence of our communications would help the Partner achieve their goals (viewership and tune-in). Cadence provides guide rails for everything from engagement to the amount and type of creative needed.
The first step was to identify the messaging hierarchy. This was a charitable streaming event, so communications had to encourage users to take action with Global Citizen (primary message) and inform them of the live event (tertiary message).
Secondarily, we had to determine when these messages would be pushed live. It was important to avoid frantic spamming due to the tight timeline (t-minus 5 days) so we set up three messaging windows: pre-event (“take action”), live-event (“tune-in”), post-event (“thank you and results”) to control output. The pre-event phase focused on informing users about #Togetherathome by driving them to the event website. The live-event phase drove users to Dailymotion.com where they could watch. The post-event thanked those who tuned-in and shared the results (more than $127M raised!).
Wednesday — The Target
The cadence strategy provided the “when”, so during Wednesday’s stand-up, we were able to address the next piece of the puzzle, the “who”. Dailymotion’s Partners include publishers who leverage the player (streaming technology) as well as viewers (who frequent the destination site, dailymotion.com). We then mapped those personas to datapoints showing previous engagement wins per channel. Meaning that we knew which channels gave us the best chance to activate the desired personas.
With “when” and “who” locked in, it was time to outline the “how.” A detailed creative workflow document is a marketing manager’s best friend. If constructed concisely and carefully, it saves the team from multiple email threads, slacks, and the need for additional meetings. It becomes the source of truth for any inflight campaign. The document should consist of:
- Approval flows (internal and external) which identify stakeholders and current statuses.
- A creative checklist that has primary and alternative messaging with corresponding assets.
- Timing windows inform channel managers when to activate.
- Target profiles remind channel mangers of their campaign audience for further targeting.
- Support contacts offer backup personnel for pivots or emergencies.
There is a myriad of ways that companies streamline this process so being flexible and taking into account your own resource constraints can affect how you track and execute this step. The one constant to remember is that this is a live document and that it is subject to change from every stakeholder (Partner, channel owners, leadership, etc). So, encourage channel owners to always be checking the document like the rearview mirror in a car before they schedule or post.
Thursday — The Tools
Without warning, it was Thursday. Meaning we were less than 24 hours away from launch. With cadence established, targets identified, and creative workflows outlined the teams began to schedule and prep their channels for “go.” The final step was to collate and organize approved assets into a single repository. Saying asset management out loud seems like a no-brainer but more times than not, this step is often overlooked. Teams assume that such an obvious thing is being taken care of…by someone.
If files and folders are not clearly marked or if there are asset changes or replacements coming down the pike, you’ll have teams borrowing or shoe-horning other creative not optimized for their channels. The wrong asset can make or break a post. Take your time, have consistent naming conventions, label, file, and version meticulously.
Friday — The Execution
Friday meant “go” and all inbound and outbound channels began to go live. Communication lines were open through the weekend to ensure that each channel was carefully following the schedule and creative guidelines. Any changes were funneled through team comms so edits were captured and implemented in realtime.
This coordinated effort resulted in more than a million views and hundreds of thousands of concurrent streams. Dailymotion’s unique position as a technology and video destination allows its passionate storytellers to work hand in hand with its Partners. It’s Dailymotion’s pleasure to raise awareness and extend the reach of our Partners worldwide for the videos that matter.
