Content is everywhere around us today, but very little of it really grabs our attention. Good content needs to be based on data that needs to be analysed to find the gems that will appeal to your audience. Speakers at this year's Content First conference, organised by Internet Info on 6 May, offered advice on how to do this.
A perfectly prepared brief is essential
Lucie Hrdinová from the GroupM Nexus agency provided practical guidance on how to achieve high-quality content in her presentation. The first phase is data collection, whether about target groups, trends, channels or formats. It is also worth researching external sources such as the Czech Statistical Office, STEM, the Institute of Sociology, the Centre for Public Art Research or, for example, ČAP or ČNB.
‘The basis is always a perfectly prepared brief. We also have a set of questions for our clients,’ said Lucie Hrdinová, adding that up to 78% of clients believe they have provided agencies with all the necessary information, while only 5% of agencies share this opinion. ‘It is often better to organise a workshop with the client to map out topics and life situations related to the product, and then look at needs, concerns and possible obstacles,’ she added, noting that the book Microcopy by Kinneret Yifrah. You can also use artificial intelligence and created personas.
The second phase is brainstorming, where participants receive a summary of the collected data, which they can study for 10 to 15 minutes. Tools such as FigJam or Whiteboard work well here. ‘During brainstorming, we first summarise the brief so that everyone is on the same page, and the presence of a client representative is definitely desirable,’ Hrdinová described. This is followed by the actual brainstorming, which consists of a silent phase where people put their ideas on a virtual board, then they are passed on to others and everyone looks at other people's ideas from their own perspective, followed by group work and the selection of two to three ideas to be developed. Then it is time for the synthesis of ideas, i.e. the creation of concepts, which are then used to prepare a ‘key message’ for clients. ‘This should serve as a good headline that allows you to understand everything essential right away,’ explained Lucie Hrdinová. This is followed by a presentation to the client and the elaboration of the selected concept.
Competitor monitoring also contributes to good content
Michaela Raková, founder of 52pages, also uses data to create content. In addition to the sources mentioned above, she likes to use field research, social networks and discussion groups. ‘Deeper secrets that people don't like to share publicly can be found with the help of an internet search engine or artificial intelligence,’ she advised.
Using the example of preparing a recruitment campaign for a healthcare group that was looking for new doctors and nurses, she showed what can be important. The first step is to find out what potential candidates look for in a workplace, what role the reputation of the head physician plays, how much they earn, what training opportunities are available, and whether it is possible to choose a nurse.
‘It pays to ask people directly, listen to them and observe them,’ said Raková, adding that it is also necessary to monitor the competition and differentiate yourself from them in your communication. ‘And you also have to be careful not to upset your existing employees.’ From the knowledge gathered, it is then necessary to extract the gold and choose the most attractive benefits, such as state-of-the-art equipment and recognition from the community.
‘However, data is useless if you don't know how to present it well,’ warned Raková, adding that she knows from her own experience how a good idea can be ruined by the wrong tone or overall execution.
Don't confuse opinion with facts
Lawyer Petra Dolejšová pointed out the legal pitfalls of not only marketing work in her contribution, focusing on the difference between an opinion, which is legally acceptable if it is reasonable and based on experience, and facts, which must be true. If they are not, such a statement is unlawful.
She cited an old case as an example, in which an angry consumer accused the company Hamé on social media of selling the same product on the Czech market with a worse composition and at a higher price than in Austria. The problem was that these were not the same product, but two different products. The consumer thus stated false facts about the brand, which, however, took on a life of their own on social media. ‘I advised the company to let things calm down first and then carefully and consistently communicate the difference,’ said Dolejšová, adding that consumers do not complain.
Another example is the case of an influencer known as Fatty Pillow versus the restaurant Podolka. The YouTuber became angry at this establishment after a waitress asked him to move a table and chairs he had moved so that she could seat other guests. He then called on his fans to give the establishment a low rating on Facebook. They did so within a few hours, but unfortunately at a different location. The options were to negotiate with the influencer himself, which proved unrealistic, or with the reviewers who shared their opinion based on non-existent experience. ‘In the end, we called two editorial offices, published a call for good reviews, and within two hours we were back,’ explained Dolejšová.
The question of the appropriateness of opinion was again addressed by the court in the case of the ČEZ advertisement, which was reworked by the non-profit organisation Greenpeace. The Constitutional Court ultimately ruled that Greenpeace's action was an appropriate expression of a non-profit organisation's opinion on an energy company.
Your eyes are overloaded, try engaging your ears
Petr Koubek, screenwriter and creative director at LCG New Media, discussed the advantages of incorporating sound into content. Sound is everywhere, which means there are many opportunities to listen, whether you're cooking, cleaning or driving.
What's more, we perceive it subliminally, it evokes emotions more easily and stimulates the imagination. When people hear audio branding, they don't just associate it with a brand name or logo, but also with their experiences. A few notes used by McDonald's remind them of French fries, while Netflix reminds them of the latest series.
Audio advertising has a similar effect. On Spotify, which is used by 53% of Czech users in its free version, such advertising spots pay off. People listen to the app for an average of 147 minutes a day, whether while running, getting up, driving, doing housework or falling asleep. What's more, there is a guarantee that no other ads from competitors will appear within the block, and only four are broadcast per hour. This means that listeners do not feel overwhelmed. Last but not least, Spotify offers detailed targeting not only by age and city, but also by favourite genres and playlists.
According to Koubek, for high-quality audio advertising, it is good to start from the end and ask what it should achieve. Don't describe, but tell a story through sound. Focus on emotions and don't be afraid to be personal, because advertising speaks to a specific person. And don't skimp, because the likelihood that people will listen to it all the way through is high.
He cited the advertisement for the wart removal product Endwarts as an example, whose name is reminiscent of the famous Harry Potter series. For this reason, they chose a dark sound design for the background, with the voice provided by Aleš Procházka, who dubbed Professor Snape. The ad had 626,000 views, reached 231,000 users, and achieved an average click-through rate of 0.16%. Spotify was the third channel where people noticed the ads as part of the campaign, behind YouTube and the internet in general, which, however, received much higher investments.
Print magazines are like VHS for Gen Z
Václav Rambousek and Tereza Hadrbolcová from Ogilvy explained how PR targets today's Generation Z. Talking to them through traditional media, such as an advertorial in a premium magazine, is like offering them a film on VHS. ‘Young people today are purely digital; they want authentic, raw and uncontrived content,’ said Hadrbolcová, adding that this generation is also the loneliest of all, which is why they appreciate a sense of belonging and offline encounters.
However, according to Ogilvy's findings, only 29% of young people today think that brands understand them, almost half (48%) ignore them completely, and 70% of them are unable to find a relevant brand. That is why it is important for brands to take the time to select the right influencers. This is aided not only by qualitative research and quantitative criteria such as engagement or reach, but above all by constant monitoring of events. It is not always about celebrities and mega-influencers; micro- and nano-influencers often work better today, as does co-creation of content.
Ogilvy, for example, involved influencers in its campaign for the new series The Squid Game for Netflix, which began in the underground, where volunteers were recruited to participate in bloody games. For this reason, the agency chose the Prague underground, where pink guards, masked people dressed in pink, appeared, later joined by a dozen influencers in suits and carrying briefcases, inviting passers-by to play the game. All this was accompanied by a themed headline in the Metro newspaper, which also featured a two-page article about the series itself. The campaign reached 2.6 million people across social media, influencers and other activations.
Look for Out of the Box opportunities
However, brands don't just have to create content, they can also earn a lot from it. Footshop managed to create content worth 20 million Czech crowns on Instagram alone, and this year it should approach 30 million. ‘Most sneaker retailers just share photos sent to them by manufacturers, which is why their profiles look exactly the same everywhere,’ said Klára Lokšová, Head of Social Media at Footshop.
That's why this sneaker and streetwear retailer decided to do things its own way. They photograph or film each model themselves, incorporate their own visual identity into the content, and even get paid by the brands for doing so. ‘Thanks to this, we are no longer just a retailer, but a fashion influencer. We are the authenticator of what sneakers are cool and relevant for Generation Z,’ said Lokšová.
Footshop has thus managed to maintain a high level of engagement within its sector and build quality relationships with its brands. ‘Brands now come to us themselves to ask if we have any projects they could get involved in,’ explained Lokšová. One such case is the collaboration with Puma and Adidas, for which it presented the Samba XLG model in a series of videos.
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‘Look for opportunities outside the box. When we decided to present sneakers in our own way, brands protested, but we tried again and again until we succeeded,’ concluded Lokšová.
How to get young people moving?
Jan Molina, Head of Social Media at Kaufland Czech Republic, described the successful Fofrtaška 2.0 campaign at the conference, which has won numerous awards at advertising competitions, including the prestigious Cannes Lions international festival. At home, it won awards at the Lemur, Flema, Zlatý středník and ADC competitions.
The aim of the campaign was not only to rejuvenate the target group and increase brand awareness among the younger generation, but also to change their perception of the brand. The result was a campaign based on humour, exaggeration and collaboration with popular influencers from the gaming community.
The whole project started with an ironic post: "The future starts now! Introducing Fofrtaška 2.0. Write “I want a Fofrtaška!” in the comments." The joke quickly became a viral phenomenon that spread across communities. To this end, Kaufland joined forces with the esports team Sinners, local brand Braasi, the largest Czech Twitch streamer Agraelus, influencer and YouTuber Mikýř, tech influencer Petr Mára, lifestyle and music magazine The Mag, the Czech Radio Foundation Ježíškova vnoučata, and Viktor Sheen.
Working naturally with the community played a key role. The content was not created as traditional advertising, but inspired fans to create their own posts. Hundreds of user-generated videos appeared on Instagram and other networks, carrying the same exaggeration as the original idea.
Overall, the campaign generated more than 200 million impressions and led to more than a twofold increase in young people's willingness to shop at Kaufland. Among gamers, the brand recorded a 78% positive perception and over 222% increase in consideration, i.e. the willingness to consider Kaufland when making purchasing decisions.
Authenticity and community as the key
Natálie Procházková and Kristina Rudišová from the Prima group presented how their team adapted to the fast dynamics of the TikTok platform. ‘We show behind-the-scenes footage, use trends, give space to familiar faces and, above all, the community is key for us,’ said Procházková. They presented examples of posts that received enthusiastic comments such as ‘Prima navařila’ (‘Prima has cooked up something good’), ‘admin by měl dostat přidáno’ (‘the admin should get a raise’) and ‘we love you’.
They emphasise authenticity and the ability for younger audiences to identify with the content. They use TikTok not only to promote programmes, but also to build their brand and interact with fans. One example they gave was the campaign for the series Hrdina (Hero), which focused on the main character played by actor Jan Nedbal. Prima developed its communication along two main lines: ‘hot’ – with the subtext ‘everyone would like to have their own Hero’ – and the second, which was based on the storyline between the Hero and the public prosecutor Bartošová.
Personalised videos and the power of authenticity
Michal Orsava, co-founder and creative director of the Webout agency, focused on personalised video content and its potential for the future. "Today, there is no need for large-scale production. The audience appreciates it when the video looks like the first shots straight from the editing room. More authenticity, less glitz," he said. According to him, personalised videos play a key role, as they allow you to address the viewer by name and even use individual audio. This form of content has a 90% completion rate. Thanks to interactivity, it will soon be possible to shop directly from videos, influence the plot or compete.
A specific example was the Gen ACS campaign for the 130th anniversary of the Sparta football club, which included the creation of the microsite genacs.cz. Visitors entered their data and within two seconds a personalised video was generated for them. The result was a 95% completion rate and an organic reach of 15% of the population of the Czech Republic.
The LLMO era is coming
Gašpar Nagy, CEO of Techmates.io, pointed out a fundamental change in online search: ‘We no longer search on Google, we ask AI.’ According to him, tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini will increasingly determine what content reaches users.
Nagy introduced the concept of LLMO, or Large Language Model Optimisation, which is the optimisation of content for language models. ‘By 2028, traditional SEO is expected to bring in only half of today's traffic. If you want to be part of the “truth” of AI models, you have to learn to speak their language,’ he said. According to him, this means straightforward answers, consistent brand language, and content tailored to the question-and-answer format.
In addition to technical SEO, he emphasised the importance of human stories and originality. ‘Avoid generic descriptions. Add emotion, a personal tone, and leverage user-generated content,’ he recommended.
Source: mediaguru.cz