Hundreds of millions of pounds worth of business, a replica Rovers Return, and state-of-the-art touchscreens with an in-built content management system – we’re now in our third year of adventures in Cannes with ITV STUDIOS at MIPCOM and MIPTV.
The bi-annual MIP events are key marketplaces where ITV STUDIOS negotiate the selling, licensing and distribution of their programming and show formats worldwide. Nearly three hundred shows, formats and other pieces of content are on offer to buyers – and they will be discussed at over eight hundred meetings - so the event is a hugely complex operation.
ITV STUDIOS needed an agency that could advise on how best to use technology and digital tools to enhance its marketing at the event and streamline some of the sales process. Having just re-branded under their new name they wanted an experienced agency to help implement its new brand and content across a whole range of platforms - both online and offline.
Since winning the business we are now in our third year as ITV STUDIOS’ strategic partner for the MIPCOM and MIPTV events in Cannes. We’ve been involved in every aspect of production from print collateral and website, to the design, graphics and experiential elements on the stand.
One of the most exciting and innovative aspects is the digital content management system we’ve created and installed. Thanks to this system, every meeting is now managed and delivered via a series of over 30 touchscreens, installed in meeting pods at the stands. Not only does the touchscreen system allow attendees to browse clips and content to their hearts’ content, it even provides additional facilities enabling them to book everything from a copy of a DVD screener for future reference to a table for lunch afterwards or a follow up meeting elsewhere in town.
And because every interaction with the touchscreens is logged, the system gives ITV Studios real-time feedback on how many meetings are being held, what’s being discussed and which pieces of content and programming are attracting the most interest.
It’s an amazing system and we’re really proud to have created it, but this only the beginning. Soon, we will be introducing tablets and other evolutionary new technologies to enhance the sales experience.
And we haven’t even mentioned the Rovers Return-themed room we created for promoting Corries’ 50th birthday... but that’s another story.