Welcome to the second issue of The Mantle, your monthly download on all the marketing trends and industry insights brewing below the surface, courtesy of Quartz’s in-house creative studio, Quartz Creative.
As vaccines roll out and society re-opens, we’re examining virtual events: what will stick, what we can’t wait to lose, and what needs to change to make them valuable in a (fingers crossed) post-Covid world. Répondez s’il vous plaît!
At the start of 2020, virtual events weren’t on my radar. Now, a year later, they’ve proven a ripe space for large-scale connection, no matter how small all our screens may be. Though many are eager to return to the organized chaos of IRL gatherings, I’ve witnessed plenty of benefits to digital panels and virtual pitches, including better accessibility for the audience and higher scale for the host. To be sure, many tech companies have swooped in to elevate these experiences with crisper AV and deeper attendee engagement, too.
Now, my big question is: Can brands transform the virtual event from a utilitarian response to a moment, into an exceptional experience for our hybrid reality?
— Natalie Diamond, CRO, Quartz
Data Mining
Companies took quarantine as a (government-mandated) challenge to get creative, from repurposing their programming as Instagram posts to turning attendees into VR avatars to hyping a crowd with virtual magic tricks. Digital events became experimental playgrounds, but will they fizzle out as venues open back up? Not according to our research.
In Quartz’s Global Audience Survey from November 2020, 55% of readers surveyed reported attending at least one digital event per month. This, despite easing restrictions, vaccine distribution, and “quarantine fatigue.” Of this group, 86% said they plan to continue attending digital events even after Covid protocols are lifted.
In-person events will return, hallelujah amen. But we predict their on-screen counterparts will thrive in tandem, so long as organizers understand their attendees’ needs.
Our research found the top three reasons for joining a digital event are:
🤓 Personal interest in a topic
📢 To hear from industry experts
✏️ To learn a new skill
Don’t rush in when IRL experiences return. Instead, consider the value prop for your guests and craft programming that matches up.
- Guests who join out of their own curiosity are all ears, so engage them more deeply in the conversation with hosts and each other—through polls, live Q&A, or an open chat module.
- If they’re looking for industry knowledge, forgo the flashy guest speaker and opt for someone who really knows their stuff (even if no one knows their name).
- Wanna help them develop a new skill? Provide specific step-by-step advice and actionable takeaways they can implement right away to hone that craft.
Trendgame
Since moving its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) online last June, Apple has delivered a masterclass in online event production, promotion, and engagement.
Here are the core marketing takeaways from Apple’s virtual virtuosity:
- Define your pre- and post-event strategies. A Zoom event doesn’t require the same lift as filling a hotel ballroom, but end-to-end planning is still critical. Create a promotion timeline and pick your best channels for both paid and organic. Follow up with your viewers after the event via an email of bulleted takeaways and quick survey. Splice and dice footage and mic-drop moments into a suite of social assets like static quote cards and audiograms.
- Production matters. Virtual doesn’t have to mean low-fi. Well-crafted story arcs, fluid slide transitions, and mood music (or if you’re Apple, drone footage of your spaceship-like HQ) make a click-through presentation feel more worth tuning into. Think more movie trailer, less webinar.
- More participants = more potential. In some instances, Apple has featured over 20 presenters, avoiding audience screen exhaustion, offering more chances for viewers to relate to the diverse cast, and allowing for the natural come-and-go vibes of an IRL event.
To learn from the best, tune into the latest Apple virtual event here.
Content Ă la Carte
Since the early days of the pandemic, the Quartz newsroom knew it wanted more regular touch points with our audience. In the year since, we’ve added three live shows to our slate:
- Quartz at Work (From Home), a biweekly digital how-to hosted by our executive editor Heather Landy
- Zach Seward in Conversation, a weekly LinkedIn and Facebook stream between a single executive and our CEO
- Make Business Better, a monthly multipart discussion with policymakers and entrepreneurs led by our editor-in-chief Katherine Bell
These broadcasts carve out a new space to present our fresh perspectives on business issues both personal (burnout, productivity) and macroeconomic (climate change, healthcare).
To launch Make Business Better in March, we welcomed senator Amy Klobuchar, Path Forward CEO Tami Forman, and Wonderschool CEO Chris Bennett into the QCU (Quartz Cinematic Universe) for an actionable dialogue about bringing women back into the workforce in urgent and innovative ways after the pandemic pushed millions out. The topic was timed to International Women’s Day, which aligned with the messaging priorities of our debut sponsor EY.
New from the Stu’
In October 2020, Quartz Creative and Citrix co-hosted a virtual think tank on the future of workplace innovation. The afternoon’s programming was built off the software company’s Work 2035 white paper, which, not coincidentally, predicts how humans and technology will pioneer a hybrid way of doing business.
Speakers and attendees from around the world logged on for a panel discussion and breakout room deliberations, complete with digital “worksheets.” (A group meditation and collective desk stretch helped keep the good ideas flowing.) These conversations became the backbone for the campaign’s culminating report. Without ever leaving their home offices, attendees networked, brainstormed, contributed to a published interactive, and even received WFH-related swag for a surprise analog moment.
Thanks for reading The Mantle
Here’s hoping that one day we can all meet outside of an inbox. Until then, let us know what you’d like to see more of at quartzcreative@qz.com or check out our portfolio to view some of our latest work. See you next month.