Client: Omroep ZWART
Services: Marketing strategy
Year: 2020
Omroep ZWART
Let’s turn Omroep ZWART into reality together
Within two weeks, Omroep ZWART was the largest broadcaster in the country on social media. With record speed, the required 50,000 members were gained. This brought the status of aspirant broadcaster within reach. Agencies Buutvrij, Hammerfest, MediaMonks, WeFilm and Maak joined forces to make the broadcaster founded by Gianni Grot and Akwasi Ansah fly. The goal: to be the broadcaster within NPO that shows a realistic reflection of Dutch society, both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes.
For us, it all started in October when Akwasi turned to Omar and asked him to help him to realise the mission. To start a broadcasting company: Omroep ZWART. A broadcaster that stands for inclusivity and wants to bring diversity to the predominantly white Hilversum. A name that raises questions for some or is labelled as polarising. The deeper layer is that if you blend all the colours, you will get black. This philosophy of blending is in the name and in the broadcaster’s identity. In addition, until now 'black' has almost always had a negative connotation. To blackball, working black, blackmail, black market, etc. Time to put this word in a positive light by showing how powerful and inviting this colour can also be.
On 23 June, the first major brainstorming session was held with the agencies involved to see how everyone could contribute to the whole. A meeting in which, on the one hand, everyone contributed ideas, but on the other, each agency also brought its own expertise. For instance, Buutvrij took the lead from the start by taking care of part of the strategy, copy, drafting the manifesto and the launch campaign of the upcoming broadcaster. MediaMonks, hailed as the indispensable force right from the start of the collective collaboration, provided resources such as the studios for the Wakker campaign that kicked off the ZWART communication. Hammerfest took care of the social part of the Omroep ZWART campaign. Wefilm took responsibility for the concept and production of the successful launch film. Maak, as part of the core team, took responsibility for the conversion of the marketing campaign and overall management of the agencies.
When the deadline approached and it didn't seem like the finish line would be reached, "Doubling Day" was created. This "bring in a friend" promotion resulted in reaching the 25,000 members it took to reach the goal of 50,000 in just three days. A huge conversion booster. However, the vast majority of people were involved from the early stages because they felt the urgency of the cause. The success of the collective campaign is a result of correct timing. The relevance has become even greater, which is perhaps the strength that made the broadcaster land so well in Dutch society. The necessity of a connecting broadcaster is recognized.
Op 23 juni was de eerste grote brainstormsessie met de betrokken bureaus en werd er gekeken hoe iedereen kon bijdragen aan het geheel. Een ontmoeting waar enerzijds iedereen ideeën aandroeg, maar anderzijds bracht ieder bureau ook een eigen expertise in. Zo nam Buutvrij vanaf het begin de leiding op zich door zich te ontfermen over een deel van de strategie, copy, het opstellen van het manifest en de lanceringscampagne van de aankomende omroep. MediaMonks, in de wandelgangen geroemd als de onmisbare kracht direct vanaf het begin van de collectieve samenwerking, stelde onder andere middelen als de studio’s beschikbaar voor de Wakker-campagne waarmee de ZWART-communicatie afgetrapt werd. Hammerfest droeg zorg voor het social-deel van de Omroep ZWART-campagne. Wefilm nam de verantwoordelijkheid voor de creatie en productie van de succesvolle lancerings-film. Maak, als onderdeel van het kernteam, nam verantwoordelijkheid voor de conversie van de marketingcampagne en aansturing van de bureaus. Wanneer de deadline naderde en het er niet op leek de eindstreep zou worden gehaald, is er ‘Verdubbeldag’ in het leven geroepen. Deze ‘bring in a friend’-actie resulteerde in drie dagen tijd tot een aanwas van de 25.000 leden die nodig waren om het doel van 50.000 te behalen. Een enorme conversie booster. Maar veruit de meeste mensen waren al betrokken in een beginstadium omdat ze de urgentie voelde. Het succes van de collectieve campagne is wel een gevolg van juiste timing. De relevantie is nog groter geworden, daarin zat misschien wel de kracht waardoor de omroep zo goed is geland in de Nederlandse samenleving. De noodzaak wordt ingezien van een verbindende omroep.
Omar Kbiri
Maak
"The shittier your proposition, the more media budget you need."
New era marketing
In our opinion, it is not necessary to spend as much budget on media as usual because the broadcaster's proposition is so strong. In fact, the shittier your proposition, the more media budget you need to get your message across to people. So, it is important to think about how you matter at all times. Omroep ZWART's rock-solid proposition is what most efforts and resources have gone into. That is why it was so easy for everyone to join.
The success of Omroep ZWART shows that there is room for more initiatives in which new generations are given a voice. The broadcaster wants to be a movement of like-minded people in which more diversity is not an objective but the norm. More of these propositions must be developed because they fit better with this generation and the current time. This is new era marketing.
Source: Adformatie (this text was written on the basis of a public interview)
