DMX Dublin is an annual event held by the Marketing Institute of Ireland, one of Edelman Ireland’s partners. The day-long event is Ireland’s largest marketing event, celebrating the crossover of marketing, digital, design and media. It brings together over 30 world-leading speakers and over 900 attendees for a full day of sharing, learning and networking. Cécile Nathan-Tilloy of Edelman Intelligence London presented the findings of the Edelman Earned Brand study.

Here are our top takeaways from a selection of this year’s sessions:

1. Consider micro-influencers
When selecting influencers, it can be tempting to look only at the number of followers they have. However, low- to mid-reach influencers should not be dismissed and can, in certain cases, be much more effective and authentic than investing in one larger influencer.

The key to working with these micro-influencers is resonance, not reach. You will need to work with more micro-influencers to reach the same number of people you would reach by working with one mass influencer. However, a roster of well-selected micro-influencers will deliver your message to their niche audiences in ways that resonate with those audiences. Micro-influencers can create content that elicits emotional responses amongst their followings, and in the long-run, that can be much more impactful than flashing a message in front of a sea of eyeballs, without triggering emotional reactions.

2. Earn the right to be relevant
Ensuring authenticity is as simple as ensuring all your content aligns with your brand’s values. When you remain true to your company’s central beliefs throughout all content, you earn the right to be relevant when those beliefs take centre stage in the media. For example, Lego has always believed in creativity and promoting play for kids of all ages. They’ve therefore earned the license to talk about creativity and play in a genuine way. They won’t be seen as jumping on the bandwagon; they’ll be seen as continuing to support the things they’ve always stood for.

3. Consumer is king
The retail landscape is changing – we’re moving to Web 4.0 and are on the path to Web 5.0. In this era, consumers are calling the shots – almost three quarters of all consumers expect retailers to have a constant view of them (online and offline); expect to receive personalized assistance almost immediately (within five minutes); and are more likely to buy from a brand that knows their name and remembers their purchase history. Key to retaining current customers, as well as growing your customer base, is solving issues for your customers first and ensuring that these solutions are complemented with technology.

4. We are not marketers, we are publishers
We must think like a publisher and not like a marketer. Using meaningful and engaging pieces of information and content, as opposed to pushing messaging, is key. Content must not only be shareable but must also aim to retain its audiences. As such, content needs to be immediately captivating – we must get to the point quicker.

5. Our obsession with millennials needs to end
Our industry tends to be “millennial-obsessed” and, at times, to the detriment of targeting the right audience for a campaign. We need to avoid targeting people by age bracket and start focusing on the reasons why consumers choose to purchase a product. It is crucial to analyze consumers’ interests or habits and avoid purely looking at demographics such as age, socio-economical, and geographical categories. Why are we targeting age groups instead of creating content that speaks to the human emotion behind these purchases?