There is a lot of talk about brands becoming publishers – as if it was a simple transformation achieved by the stroke of a budget making biro. But what does it really take?
In Australia, Medicins Sans Frontieres or “doctors without borders” aim to put this to the test.
Médecins Sans Frontières is the world’s leading independent organisation for medical humanitarian aid, providing relief after natural disasters, helping victims of conflict and running emergency feeding programs. Working in war zones much of their work happens far from the eyes of the world.
And while MSF are known as a “below the radar” organisation – this poses real challenges for sharing stories, building awareness and engaging with potential sponsors, donors and the interested public.
For the month of October, MSF TV aims to address this challenge head on, creating a digital newsroom to bring stories directly to the public. There are:
- Seven channels of video content aimed to stimulate conversation
- Conversations amplified through the #msftv hashtag on Twitter
- Live updates and headlines from around the world
- Interviews from those on-the-ground
- Hosted debates on Facebook and on MSF TV
- YouTube channel with an archive of episodes and issues from the MSF TV site
The rise of digital opens new opportunities for brands to go peer-to-peer
Marketers generally think in terms of business-to-business or business-to-consumer communications. But the rise of digital has changed the landscape. It’s not one-to-many but one-FOR-many communications. The old B2B and B2C distinctions are crumbling under the weight of social media – with communicators now working in a peer-to-peer conversation.
Very few organisations have followed this path thus far. It’s complicated, challenging and exciting. MSF and their partner agency, Republic of Everyone, are trailblazing. They truly are going where others don’t. But we can only expect more to follow.