How media organisations use digital to improve audience engagement

Aaron Eccles, Endemol Shine's head of social media and digital marketing, also explains that VR is set to be huge for his industry

Each programme made by television production company Endemol Shine is a standalone brand with a different target audience.

Its consumers may watch on any combination of smart TVs, phones, laptops, tablets, and games consoles - or watch on one device, while consuming spin-off content on another (perhaps simultaneously)

Aaron Eccles is Endemol Shine's head of social media and digital marketing. He explains: "We try to embed digital as early as possible in all of the conversations we have. We can then plan and get the tone of voice right from the start, across all of our digital channels.

"Let's say we have a show with a young audience: we can't just clip that up and put it on Facebook, because the audience might not be there. Sometimes we shoot [promotional material] vertically so it's right for Snapchat. The point is, you've got to get the right content for the right channel for the right audience, and know how it will work there for that audience."

Eccles adds that emerging technologies, such as virtual or augmented reality and 3D, all need to be planned for now as part of a forward strategy, and not flown in as an afterthought once the technologies have been adopted by market leaders.

"VR is set to be a huge thing for us. What we can do in that space, and how our TV shows may have a place in that world, are all things that will form part of our story as an organisation."

News UK's CTO Christina Scott cites The Sun as an example of another brand which produces content specific to its target format.

"If you look at The Sun on Snapchat, we've created quite different content [for that channel] in a different format. So one of the things we've been looking at is the different demographics on social media channels. On The Times, we don't get younger people straight away, but they may come to The Times as they leave school."

But she explains that adapting stories for the app-centric mobile world doesn't necessarily transform the core content.

"I'm not sure it's changing the content, but it is changing how you decide to tell the story. The Sun [online] is 91 per cent mobile usage, so it's pretty much just mobile. So we have to make sure that we're designing for a mobile experience - vertical videos, and so on. You really have to think about the user experience and the design."

Previously, Scott explained News UK's data strategy, encompassing the use of AI and data scientists.

Computing's IT Leaders Forum 2017 is coming on 24 May 2017.

The theme this year is "Going Digital: Why your most difficult customer is your best friend".

Attendence is free, but strictly limited to IT Leaders. To find out more and to apply for your place, check out the IT Leaders Forum website.