Sustainable brand building with storytelling concepts

Initial situation & objective: Non-alcoholic beers suffer somewhat from their dusty image. By means of a campaign, the prejudices against this beverage category were to be reduced and non-alcoholic beers were to be positioned in the health-conscious lifestyle environment. The product segment was to be generally strengthened and its relevance increased.

Implementation: A cross-media storytelling campaign was launched with a focus on the core values of naturalness, taste and the positive aspects of Feldschlösschen Alkoholfrei. In line with #freefeelsgood, videos, digital content pieces with social media posts, and 20-minute print articles were implemented and accompanied by appropriate influencers. The campaign was played out in three languages and throughout Switzerland.

Result & conclusion: The campaign achieved 103 million contacts. The association with the defined core values, the use intent and consumption were significantly increased. The attributes were thus sustainably anchored in people's minds.

When are campaigns with playful, interactive elements suitable, such as the Valaisanne Challenge 2022?

ME: Interactive campaign elements such as a challenge aim to get as many people as possible to participate and encourage engagement. On social media, for example, this works well through the sharing of interactive story formats. With a cross-media approach, it is particularly important to link the content channel across the board in such a way that excitement and added value are created - for the brand and for the creators and community.

Are such cross-media storytelling campaigns only suitable for companies with a certain size or the corresponding budget?

ME: It's true that cross-media campaigns often require a little more budget, but we also offer packages that can be implemented with smaller and medium budgets. Cross-media storytelling is by no means only beneficial for companies with a certain level of recognition. On the contrary, we support companies of all sizes in orchestrating target group-specific storytelling on the right channels.

What advice would you give to advertisers who have not yet embraced cross-media storytelling?

ME: Good storytelling stirs emotions and ensures that target groups can identify with a message on the right channels. Successful content requires courage, openness and trust on the customer side. Creativity is required, because storytelling must be implemented in a channel-specific way. Only by addressing the target groups in a credible way will they feel properly met. As a general rule, we recommend that if several channels are being considered for a campaign, the storytelling should be controlled via several touchpoints. This way, the content can be played out in a target group-specific manner and with sufficient reach. The campaign objectives must be defined from the outset so that the common thread runs through the entire campaign and all the media used.

As an advertiser, how do you find your storytelling opportunity?

ME: The question here is the campaign objective: what is the essence or message that wants to be conveyed? Is it about branding or awareness? How is the target audience defined? Should the campaign continue to pay attention to brand and image values, or is it about rebranding? Many factors need to be considered and combined in a campaign. Creativity, courage, authenticity and trust are the basis for storytelling that arouses emotions in a credible way. It's about telling stories that get to the heart of a brand and inspire emotion and trust.

Why is it worthwhile for advertisers to work with 20 Minuten and Picstars?

ME: We see a lot of potential in cross-media implementations and the resulting synergies. That's why we are increasingly acting across media. 20 Minuten and Picstars are doing this with the intention of playing out the brand storytelling specifically on social media. To this end, we have developed three all-round carefree packages in which we can offer services from a single source. These include, for example, an influencer campaign and a social media campaign on 20 minutes that are coordinated with each other. Content can be used efficiently across different touchpoints.

Thank you very much for the interview.

Credits
Responsible at Feldschlösschen: Jérôme Rueff (Brand Portfolio Director)
Responsible at 20 Minuten: Florian Sonderegger (Head of Commercial Publishing)
Responsible at 20 Minuten Advertising: Mirela Jovanovic (Head of Crossmedia & Partner Management 20 Minuten Advertising), Daniel Fassnacht (Key Account Manager)
Responsible at Picstars: Michèle Egger (Head of Key Accounts & Agencies at Picstars)