Lab Podcast: Episode 15
All Culture is Digital Culture (feat. Wattpad)
Overview:
Welcome to Floor 9! This week’s episode takes an in-depth look at one of our 2018 Outlook themes: All Culture is Digital Culture. As our media and content become increasingly digitized, the separation between “online” and “offline” is getting blurred as we enter an age where all popular culture is now part of the digital culture.
In this week’s episode, we are joined by Chris Stefanyk, Head of Brand Partnerships at Wattpad, a massive online community of self-publishing writers and readers. Together we dived into how news, sports and entertainment — three key domains of pop culture — are being deeply impacted by digital technology and what that means for media owners and brands. Chris shed some light on how Wattpad is capturing the attention of the youth and helping brands to tap into the digital-native culture of today.
What We Covered:
- Background on the trend All Culture is Digital Culture
- News: The 2016 election and its fallout illustrates how much technology is changing news consumption and influencing politics
- Sports: A generational shift in viewership toward live streaming and esports is upending what we typically consider as sports
- Entertainment: The move to streaming means all assumptions are up for grabs
- The role that Wattpad plays in the global digital culture and how it is taking a data-centric approach to help brands understand it
- Brand Takeaways
- We joke about using the word “woke” unironically
Download and listen to this episode on iTunes or Google Play Store.
Related Links:
- Wattpad Brand Partnerships Website [LINK]
- Lionsgate/Wonder Case Study [LINK]
- Coca Cola Case Study [LINK]
- A Life Wasted by Clay Wagner (via Rebecca Boyd) [LINK]
- The Surging Popularity if GIFs In Digital Culture [LINK]
- The Unraveling of Live Sports TV [LINK]
Noteable Quote:
“Digital culture is culture; it’s everywhere. You need to figure out what aspect you want to dive into… and understand how the community is talking about your brand on the platforms.”
— Chris Stefanyk
You can get in touch with Chris via email, LinkedIn, or Twitter
