With a new Web3.0 digital age on the horizon, the way we communicate with our consumers is shifting. What started with brands encouraging audiences to swipe, comment, and tap to learn more on social media, has now become engaging, connecting, and sharing experiences with them.
Change is coming, and the pandemic brought it closer to the forefront of the way advertising and brand marketing works. With three virtual gatherings, a flagship event, eight online courses, six debates, and over 50 evening events, Hub helped New Scientist move their events online, while staying true to their brand.
Brand engagement in a hybrid world
How does a company which once engaged their audience in-person, move their events online? The answer was to kick off a new digital strategy.
Hub thrives on exploring new, hybrid ways for brands to connect with their audience, so we were up to the task: helping the longstanding magazine scale their online presence by producing their annual flagship event, New Scientist Live, with over 50 digital sessions each day.
Engaging with a global audience
The in-person travelling roadshow once attracted guests from all over the world. New Scientist aimed to create an immersive experience for their global community and expand their reach further than ever, all hosted online from one, central location.
New Scientist Live reached over 25,000 people from 50 countries, with almost 3,000 unique attendees.
Encouraging real-life interactions
The crucial element to creating the virtual events was replicating the same personal exchanges guests would experience in real-life events. To pull this off, each activity had to be immersive and invite the audience to engage.
The strategy was centred around featuring real people, creating opportunities to connect with the hosts and ask questions. Putting faces to a brand encourages trust, and trust increases equity.
The sessions at New Scientist Live included live Q&As, ‘in conversation with’ segments, studio broadcasts on the main stage, ‘behind the scenes’ access, talks, experiments, and demonstrations, all featuring custom-designed sets in line with the event theme and New Scientist branding.
Repurposing events to create social proof
Without content, it didn’t happen. The secret to continuing engagement post-event and really getting a return on investment? Recording significant moments from the events and turning them into digestible content. That included giving the audience a chance to catch up on what they missed by watching on-demand content.
Content from the event also inspired eight New Scientist Academy online learning courses, each focusing on a specific topic and featuring up to four speakers. It didn’t stop there, either. Then followed accompanying articles, downloadable resources, and tons of social media content to keep the impressions coming.
Staying connected into the future
In summary: virtual events held by New Scientist between 2021 and 2022 attracted an astounding total of over 60,000 registrants. New Scientist’s shift to the online world seemed like an obstacle at first, but with our help, became the makings of extraordinary engagement in the hybrid world.
The question is – what’s next? With more and more brands tapping into the metaverse and creating virtual communities, the possibilities for brand engagement are limitless. If you want to be part of the evolving world and keep your brand not only relevant but seen by who you want when you want, let Hub, the premium of creative marketing agencies London, take care of your needs.