B2B Influencers to Community Building - Five Things We Learned From... Dentsu's What's Next Live

Somerset House was first designed in 1776 as a neoclassical mansion for bishops and aristocrats who favoured it for its proximity to the river Thames, from where they could have easy access to the quickest mode of transport at the time: barges.

Today the iconic building on The Strand is, of course, famous for championing creativity - playing host to photography exhibitions, artists residencies, gigs and films. Aware of the importance of advocating for creativity in advertising, Jessica Tamsedge, the CEO of Dentsu UK is a member of the Board Of Trustees.

Given her position - and the ad industry’s increasing concern about the devaluation of creativity in marketing - it is no surprise that the agency chose the location to host its second event focusing on the biggest conundrum facing brands and agency-land alike: what next?

Featuring an array of contributors including filmmaker Akinola Davies, marketers from Channel 4, Amex, BT and LinkedIn, plus a look at insights from new research carried out by insight agency The Outsiders the discussion focused on the role of technology, how people’s needs are changing and how brands can better leverage social media.

1. Everyone's looking for small wins

Discussing findings from a recent ethnographic study (a qualitative method of research which involves observing life and spaces as it happens) carried out by The Outsiders with Dentsu in a panel entitled ‘The Future We Really Want: Helping Brands Meet Consumer Expectations’ – the insight agency’s founder and managing director, Steve Lacey explains that in uncertain times people are endeavouring to create order in the everyday.

“There are three ways in which people are taking action-based control: the first one is a little obvious - it’s around financial control. So people have been using saving pots. The second is that people are being very organised and planning the next day with things like packed lunches. But the most exciting is that people are much more focused on connecting with the senses - things like walking, connecting with nature, playing board games and doing crafts,” he says.

He adds that this is reminiscent of the mood conveyed in the 1992 Cadbury Flake advert ‘Bath’ in which a woman luxuriates in a bath as she bites into a Flake, “Sensuality is the new luxury in people’s lives. If you’ve got magazines at home you tend to go back when you’re bored and reread them when you’re bored".

2. B2B Influencers are an untapped asset

In a panel entitled ‘Influencing to Impact’ BT’s global head of field marketing Hasseina Albohaithi, LinkedIn’s senior agency partner Clemence Beauchamp and Lumen Research’s CEO and co-founder Mike Follett discussed how brands can leverage employee influencers.

Speaking about BT’s recent influencer work with Dentsu, Albohaithi highlights that although there was some initial wariness but the consensus came with the understanding that building a competitive edge as a business came down to people. “A lot of the activity that we did brought the campaign to life for our sales people as well. They really bought into it when they started to see their customers represented in the influencer groups,” Albohaithi explains.

Beauchamp highlights that a recent survey of 50,000 B2B buyers carried out by LinkedIn revealed that the site was number one placed when it came to where they sought out content.

“I would say that employee voices are underutilised and this is your best asset as a brand and it’s about giving them the voice and forum to speak. Often they’re super proud and happy to contribute,” Beauchamp adds.

3. Authenticity matters more than ever

The event focused on how this taps into an increased importance on authenticity more widely. “Technology has to feel real and it has to feel like it is meaningful in people’s lives. I think it touches on something else,” says Dentsu UK’s chief strategy officer Chris McKibbin highlighting the importance of true research and slice of life advertising.

Lacey likens it to how as a disabled man he can easily spot tokenism, and adds that “I wonder if the audience starts seeing AI and they understand what’s real and what’s not because it’s instinctual”.

Similarly, in a discussion between Dentsu CEO Jessica Tamsedge and award-winning filmmaker Akinola Davies, who has worked with brands including Gucci, Kenzo, Moncler and Guinness, the importance of allowing creatives freedom was discussed.

Davies raises that many brands could do more to put anchors in a wider range of communities. “I think there could be a big conversation for brands to get involved in and put anchors in different communities across different disciplines. For almost a decade Red Bull did Red Bull Music Academy which was propped up by an energy drink but would bring a lot of different grassroots musicians to a venue each year and fans and producers would come, managers would come and it would be a massive music seminar for grassroots musicians,” he highlights.

Meanwhile the day also featured a discussion between Tamsedge and Channel 4 CMO Kate Jackson discussing how Channel 4 is evolving and how it reshaped the narrative around disability in its latest Paralympics campaign – which switched its narrative from the idea of 'Superhumans' to focusing on the athletic skill of Paralympians.

“The idea behind that was to really call the viewer out. For the first time we turned the camera on the viewer and we had three scenarios in the film which were heavily researched and called the quite patronising everyday views people bring to watching the Paralympics such as that’s incredible considering. Well, considering what?”

4. Creativity thrives when brands anchor themselves in community

In his conversation with Tamsedge, Akinola Davies, who has worked with brands including Gucci, Kenzo, Moncler and Guinness, underscored the importance of investment in diverse communities for inspiring creativity.

Davies argues brands could do more to put anchors in a wider range of communities. “I think there could be a big conversation for brands to get involved in and put anchors in different communities across different disciplines. For almost a decade Red Bull did Red Bull Music Academy which was propped up by an energy drink but would bring a lot of different grassroots musicians to a venue each year and fans and producers would come, managers would come and it would be a massive music seminar for grassroots musicians,” he highlights.

Similarly, The Outsider’s research involved talking to a range of people including a group who had founded a running club in North London which had an array of splinter WhatsApp groups from bible studies to politics or pottery and believes brands can use this as a springboard to. tap into increasingly multifaceted communities.

“The respondent who runs the running club said Adidas are amazing. What they do is they send some trainers every now and again and once a month they call us up and say do you need any help can we help you grow at all. They’re recognising them. People focus on co-creation as though it’s an equal power balance.  It’s not – it’s giving communities the power to move forward,” Lacey explains

5. Community is the future of consumer engagement

McKibbin highlights that to help create impact in people’s life there are specific acts that brands can do that add to joy and delight. Edwards explains that earlier this year, American Express created a series of activations which saw them tap into specific details about areas of London – for example they set up a flower stall in Highbury and Islington because there is a stat that people in that area buy more flowers than anywhere else in London, whereas in Lambeth the activations were focused on dog walkers and in Tower Hamlets they were focused on fashion.

The ensuing panel featuring American Express UK vice president Dave Edwards and futurist Tracey Follows who works with brands including Sky, Farfetch, Condé Nast and Virgin, included a discussion about self-actualisation and how in times of recession people are looking to meet increasingly basic needs for shelter and security before they can make a connection.

Neatly summing up the challenges ahead Follows says: “Once humour comes back the truth will come back and reality will come back.  Right now its surrealism because there’s this presentation of a fantasy world but bring back humour and we’ll be able to cut through into reality again.”

As brands navigate an evolving landscape creativity, authenticity and community will be the linchpins upon which meaningful human engagement is built.

The question is can the industry avoid the lure of dry efficiency and shift towards deeper connection quickly enough to save itself? And what better place than the river for a reminder that at this juncture, adland’s barge needs careful steering.