Highly Commended 2024

Small Budget: Great Impact

Brand

PwC

Entered by:

Business Insider

PwC And How Emerging Tech Is Changing Everything

Credited:

Crossmedia

The Challenge

In early 2023, PwC faced the challenge of positioning itself as a thought leader in emerging technologies, particularly the metaverse and other transformative innovations. Senior management decision-makers in large enterprises were increasingly exploring these technologies, especially as global forums like the World Economic Forum highlighted the industrial metaverse. PwC aimed to capitalize on these trends to shift brand perception and enhance understanding of its capabilities in helping businesses navigate the metaverse and other emerging tech solutions.

The campaign needed to address key topics such as ESG, risk and control, sales and taxes, and digital transformation within the context of the metaverse and other new technologies. It also required flexibility to adapt mid-flight, focusing on delivering measurable increases in brand awareness and perception across global markets.

To meet this challenge, PwC partnered with Business Insider to create a strategic content campaign. Through comprehensive market analysis, Business Insider identified that their target audience—C-suite executives and senior decision-makers—had a sustained interest in content exploring the convergence of technologies, with the metaverse as a focal point. Insights revealed that this audience was 4.5 times more likely than average users to engage with content related to these topics.

The campaign recognized that while the metaverse had captured much attention, the technological landscape was rapidly shifting, and practical, real-world use cases were becoming more important than hype. As a result, the strategy focused on creating a mix of editorial and custom content that explored not only the metaverse but also how it intersected with other emerging technologies. This holistic approach aimed to solidify PwC’s position in the market by offering actionable insights into the business implications of these technologies.

The Content Solution

To achieve the campaign’s objectives, a creative content approach was developed, centering around the editorial series ”How Emerging Tech is Changing Everything.” This series explored the intersection of the metaverse and other emerging technologies, including ten editorial articles and a long-form video focused on how these innovations were reshaping industries such as healthcare, entertainment, retail, and education. By aligning with Business Insider’s established format, PwC maintained authenticity while delivering innovative and engaging content.
In addition to the editorial series, three custom long-format articles were created, featuring exclusive interviews with PwC subject matter experts. These articles covered topics such as:

These custom features were enriched with bold highlights, eye-catching images, and infographics, enhancing visual appeal and engagement. This approach not only showcased PwC’s thought leadership but also aligned with the preferences of the target audience, who value innovation and content that pushes the boundaries of traditional perspectives.
The integration of editorial alignment and custom content allowed PwC to dominate the conversation around emerging technologies, including the metaverse, AI, and Web3, establishing a strong market presence.

The content strategy was designed to address the rapidly evolving landscape of emerging technologies while maintaining flexibility. By focusing on the convergence of technologies and real-world applications, PwC ensured relevance even as the metaverse’s hype began to level off. The themes covered in the content series played a critical role in the campaign’s success, resonating deeply with Business Insider’s audience of forward-thinking executives keen on the next wave of innovations.

This comprehensive approach allowed PwC to position itself as a thought leader capable of guiding businesses through the complex landscape of emerging technologies, addressing key topics such as ESG, risk and control, sales and taxes, and digital transformation within the context of these innovations.

The Media/Content Amplification Solution

To effectively engage the target audience, a robust media and content amplification strategy was implemented. Business Insider’s platform provided an ideal setting for the content partnership, leveraging its strong audience base and editorial expertise. The campaign utilized a combination of native units, premium high-impact formats, and social media amplification across LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and Facebook to maximize reach and engagement.

The strategy included 100% Share of Voice roadblock banners on the ten editorial articles and video pre-roll around an editorial explainer video, ensuring PwC’s message was prominently displayed. This approach guaranteed that PwC’s branding and messaging were consistently visible to readers engaging with the campaign content, reinforcing brand association with thought leadership in emerging technologies.

The content was strategically distributed across Business Insider’s digital and social channels, with PwC gaining visibility via thematically targeted rotational media relevant to the campaign’s focus. This distribution strategy ensured that the content reached the intended audience of C-suite executives and senior decision-makers who were already engaged with technology and innovation content on the platform.

Custom articles were made discoverable through native units, custom in-content Interlude units, and social promotion from relevant editorial handles. Native units worked well to caputure the audience’s attention and drive them to the content, seamlessly integrating PwC’s thought leadership into the user experience.

The partnership with Business Insider was key in achieving a comprehensive reach, as the platform has a proven track record of engaging audiences with cutting-edge technology content. By leveraging Business Insider’s authority and reach, PwC was able to deliver a compelling message to senior management decision-makers globally.

Social media amplification played a crucial role in extending the reach of the content beyond Business Insider’s platform. By utilizing LinkedIn, X/Twitter, and Facebook, the campaign tapped into professional networks and sparked discussions around the featured topics, further establishing PwC’s thought leadership position.

This multi-faceted amplification strategy ensured that PwC’s content reached its target audience through multiple touchpoints, increasing the likelihood of engagement and brand recall. The combination of high-impact display advertising, native content integration, and social media promotion created a cohesive and immersive experience for the audience, reinforcing PwC’s position as a leader in emerging technologies and digital transformation.

The Result

The campaign exceeded expectations in driving engagement and awareness while effectively utilizing a limited budget. By strategically allocating resources, we created high-quality content, placed PwC messaging in the right environment, and drove targeted interest from relevant audiences directly to the PwC site.

The custom content performed exceptionally well, generating 40% more page views than the estimated goal. All articles also achieved above-benchmark engagement, with a 33% increase in engagement time compared to Business Insider’s benchmark for custom content. Additionally, the custom marquee units delivered a CTR that was 35% higher than the site benchmark.

The ”How Emerging Tech is Changing Everything” editorial series consistently garnered higher-than-average views, demonstrating the content’s ability to captivate readers. The series saw nearly 300,000 page views and 1.2 million video views, indicating strong viewer interest. The roadblock banners around the editorial content achieved a 71% higher CTR than the site average, further demonstrating the effectiveness of placing ads in a highly relevant context.

As part of PwC’s broader Transformation campaign, which boosted audience awareness prior to content launch and continued through H1 2024, this content-first campaign on Business Insider played a crucial role in driving brand success. By delivering high-quality, relevant content, we exceeded objectives and reinforced PwC’s authority in emerging technologies. The combined media and content efforts resulted in an 8.2-point brand lift across awareness, consideration, preference, and action intent, significantly enhancing PwC’s brand presence and shifting market perceptions.