Digital Future Society by

Shaping a better digital future though brand journalism

Before, institutions were only featured on the news, but nowadays they can also be the source of news. Corporate communication has gone from press releases and internal publications to developing portals of content that can match or even surpass conventional media.

“Advertising and marketing are dead and will stay dead. So creating relevant content at the right moment within a specific environment, with the right shape and design and without forgetting the interest of the audience is what remains necessary.”

Rafa Martínez, COO & Head of Brand Strategy at Folch and Executive producer at White Horse

Digital Future Society is a programme promoted by the Ministry of Economy and Business of Spain and Mobile World Capital Barcelona, which aims to build a fairer and more inclusive future in the digital era and improve the impact of technology on society. With this objective, it connects institutions, corporations, civic organisations and academia, in order to generate debate, share knowledge and create solutions for the challenges presented by digital advancement and bring them closer to the public. Digital Future Society works in four key areas: public innovation, trust and digital security, equitable growth and inclusion, and citizen empowerment. We decided to take the leap and transform DFS from an institution that promotes its services and activities to a media platform that generates relevant content for its community, through different channels and formats.

Meaningful content at meaningful moments

On a daily basis, we manage DFS’s social media networks: Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Website. In order to spread informative and unique content through the most appropriate platforms at all times, we monitor for relevant news across a diverse range of media and turn key press angles into didactic yet entertaining content. Our aim is to generate debate, giving a broad perspective on the key technological issues affecting society today. From major issues, such as the debate around facial recognition, to complex narratives such as data ethics in automated decision making, we take an accessible approach, seeking to widen our audience beyond policymakers, academics and activists, to entrepreneurs and wider civil society.

A comprehensive editorial strategy for Instagram

We chose Instagram as our central platform for content curation, using it to highlight and spread their monthly reports, information and content from their workshops and summits, as well as featuring relevant third party headlines and opinion pieces (News). Content was posted across the feed but also in more engaging formats through Instagram stories and Instagram highlights. Beyond this base layer of content we generated unique content in the form of: Podcasts, expert Q&As, Video Interviews, and Infotainments. Each piece has a distinct format in order to fulfil different requirements.

New Q&A format to highlight information

For the Q&As, we worked with the support of Interprofit. Rather than exploring a full range of content within a wider theme, we focus instead on a specific topic and relevant profile selected during the editorial meetings, based on recent news and stories of relevance and on the interviewees expertise. These thoughtful interviews feature important figures from all over the tech and regulatory world – experts with a focus on Artificial Intelligence, ethics, public innovation, facial recognition, etc. The question and answer sessions are held in English and then translated into Spanish. Each piece of content is shared across multiple platforms using a deliberately non-corporate and engaging – or ‘pop’ – visual language, with commissioned illustrations by Luis Mazón.

An extra layer to potentialise their set vision

Infotainments are also called soft news, a type of media combining both information and entertainment, hence the name. This was a project done before by Broadcaster, in which we saw as an opportunity to give a fresh new approach. Infotainments are around one-minute videos explaining a concept in an easy, popular and media-friendly format, adapted for the different social networks. Our aim was to create a more dynamic feeling around the topics, grabbing the audience’s attention through a careful selection and edition of videos, animation, design, and a well-thought script (for both English and Spanish versions). This resulted in a series of didactic, bitesize overview of a particular news story or key topic, published twice a week.

Exploring new platforms for new adaptations

We wanted to give a wider vision and a space for discussions to the audience through a more vivid experience. As a result, we created a monthly podcast which is displayed in Spotify. Alongside our production company White Horse we produced the podcasts in a professional recording studio hosted by Bis Turnor together with Pipo Serrano. The podcasts are accessible and designed to appeal to the on-the-go commuter profile.

As for the flow, we wrote a script in which act one is lead by the interviewer with an initial fact or anecdote followed by an introduction to the topic. From there, we created a discussion and contribution from one (or more) interviewees. Adding edited Q&A’s within the main narrative layer, maintaining fluid and continuous narrative. Music and sound bites are used throughout the podcast, in order to highlight key moments and give rhythm and climax. In terms of the diffusion, we spread every episode through their website, Instagram and Twitter accompanied by a commissioned illustration done by Stephen Cheetham.

A reflection of the digital era

Alongside our production company White Horse, we produced and directed ‘Insights’ videos –a series of in-depth interviews with global experts about how technology and society can evolve together in a more inclusive, sustainable and equitable way. The interviews are set in a dynamic environment to create a sense of movement and a state of fluidity. Besides transport, we filmed in a diverse range of locations and public spaces. For each interview we wrote the scripts, which are conducted in English, accompanied by a text version which is transcribed and edited in Spanish and English. As for the locations, the videos have been shot in Barcelona and Madrid. So far we have featured well-known, important and knowledgeable people from the world of tech and innovation such as Grace Mutung’u (Associate at Kenya ICT Action Network), Steve Cadigan (Talent Hacker, Advisor and former VP Talent at LinkedIn), Mary Gray (Researcher at Microsoft Research) and Aura Cifuentes (Leader of Colombia’s Public Innovation Team) among others.

Expanding the DFS sphere of influence

We organised a Live Event Coverage during the Digital Future Society Summit 2019 which took place at the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), with panel sessions hosted by Azeem Azhar and featuring renowned experts such as Natalia Olson, Ed Vaizey, Lisa Witter, Mary Haskett, Jeff Merrit, Rumman Chowdhury, Jiun-Huei Proty Wu, Catherine Luckhoff among others. These panels were focused on discussing the challenges, risks, and opportunities for topics such as facial recognition and biometric technologies. We covered the event with photography, video clips, quotations diffused through Instagram posts, Instagram stories and other social platforms including Twitter. As a part of this diffusion White Horse also produced and recorded a wrap-up video summarising the event.