The Worldcom Public Relations Group (WCPRG), in cooperation with the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO), made its debut at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival from 17th to 21st June 2024. HBI Communication GmbH, one of Worldcom’s partner agencies for many years, had the unique opportunity to take part in the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2024. In order to optimize this exceptional occasion and attain optimal visibility, the internal marketing team of HBI devised a detailed strategy encompassing all agency channels of communication.

1. Target Definition and Campaign Plan

The following campaign objectives were established at the start of the planning phase:

• Increase brand awareness: Worldcom Public Relations Group, HBI and partners
• Communicate the on-site presence
• Thought leadership
• Expand social media channels
• Local networking and live coverage

The campaign’s main goal was to announce the Worldcom Public Relations Group a premier partnership of globally recognized agencies for the first time at this major industry gathering.

2. Target Groups

The following audiences were selected to communicate HBI’s presence at the Cannes Lions Festival:

• Creatives and leaders in the communications industry
• International companies seeking for innovative communication solutions and an agency to provide them
• Industry media covering relevant players and trends
• Potential partners interested in working with HBI and/or becoming a Worldcom member

The campaign used customized messaging and content to appeal to pre-defined audiences. Instagram, X (Twitter) and LinkedIn are the three social media platforms used by HBI that were the main focus.

3. Content und Messages

The campaign’s fundamental idea was to produce excellent content. It was crucial that we communicated in a range of formats:

• Announcement: Two press releases and two blog posts with graphics created especially for this purpose. The subjects covered included HBI’s attendance and the Cannes Lions Festival’s themes. Read them now:
  • Strategic sponsorship – how companies can benefit from major events
  • Is it worth participating in awards?

• Countdown- & Teaser-Postings: Posts designed to build anticipation for the festival

• Videos: Videos with testimonials from HBI attendees and Worldcom partners. Voiceovers, etc., gave the campaign a more individualized touch and visual depiction. Due to their moving content, videos frequently have a larger audience than photos.

• More quality visuals: Visuals that are both aesthetically pleasing and educational garner greater attention.

4. Channels and Timing

As previously stated, the diverse content was dispersed over all of HBI’s media and channels.

Instagram:

• Weekly social media posts with captivating images or videos (EN)
• Story reposts (+ creating an Instagram highlight for ongoing presence)

LinkedIn:

• Weekly Social media posts in the form of engaging graphics or videos (DE&EN) + Reposts

X:

• Weekly social media posts that are visually appealing or include videos (DE)

E-Mails:

• Sending two press releases about the Cannes Lions Festival
• Mention of the participation in the festival in the external newsletters of HBI, which are sent out via Mailchimp (DE & EN)
  ⮕Like the LinkedIn Newsletter

Website:

• Blog posts related to the specific content of the Cannes Lions Festival

Another crucial factor was the content release’s timing. We advise launching communications several weeks before to the event for campaigns this size. A well-planned timetable allows you to create a sequence of touchpoints by reaching different audiences at different times.

We developed a comprehensive plan that specifies when to post what material on which channel in our social media dashboard:

During the festival, real-time updates were displayed in the form of images and videos.

5. Monitoring & Follow-up Work

Flexibility in responding to emerging trends and current events at the Cannes Lions Festival was crucial for successful implementation. The content was regularly modified in the lead-up to the event, and the social overview was updated as a result. We were able to measure campaign success and make improvements with regular campaign monitoring.

We reevaluated and examined our campaign’s outcomes following the festival. We pinpointed both the campaign’s advantages and shortcomings, which gave us important information for subsequent efforts.

Conclusion

We had a terrific time participating in the Cannes Lions Festival, which provided us with a special chance to showcase our proficiency in integrated communications. We successfully maintained current relationships and established new ones. Our campaign benefited greatly from our tailored campaign strategy and focused execution, which included everything from defining our target audience to tracking our progress and providing follow-up. We especially appreciate the hard work and commitment of the Worldcom partners and the HBI Festival staff!

About the author

Elena Sauter

Junior Communication Consultant at HBI Communication Helga Bailey GmbH

Elena Sauter has been supporting HBI in the areas of PR and marketing since 2022. As a Junior Communication Consultant, her responsibilities include the creation of professional articles & the conceptualization of social media postings. Furthermore, Elena is involved in directly assisting our client work.

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