As the most integrated communication group under a single brand umbrella, Havas Germany utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to content production. Stephan Lachmann, Director Social Media & Content at Havas Creative Germany, delineates their integrated production workflow for creating impactful work.
Can you give us a brief overview of your structure and some of the clients you work with?
In the social media domain, our social experts develop specific creative ideas and actions for a client briefing, drawing insights from historical data, real-time trends, reporting results, and observations from community management. This work is supported by our proprietary AI tool, ‘Havas predictAIble’, which we launched last spring. Through this tool, we can make analytical predictions and provide data-driven recommendations, such as forecasting engagement rates and offering optimization suggestions for captions, videos or visuals.
From these generated ideas, we derive a detailed briefing in close coordination between our social experts and our in-house video production team. The implementation steps are transparently distributed across the three video production units – Production, Post-Production, and Animation – using an agile project management tool. Depending on the complexity of a campaign, assets may undergo pre-testing before going live. We tailor these measures and other possibilities closely to the individual requirements or preferences of our clients, in sectors such as FMCG, DIY, or retail.
How does your production team utilize social listening tools to understand audience sentiment, gather feedback, and adapt their strategies for improved engagement?
While our video production team itself doesn't directly utilize listening tools, as described, we actively integrate listening and monitoring results from each managed brand into our social newsrooms. This involves incorporating current events, which we leverage for the creation of ad-hoc content with production times under 24 hours. Additionally, we take into account comprehensive report insights from past months and performance predictions from our in-house AI tool in our workflows.
What innovative approaches does your production team take in using new tech or AR/VR experiences to create unique and memorable interactions with your audience or clients?
In our standard procedures, we partially and additionally use Generative AI to add props to our sets in post-production. Another focus lies in projects specifically designed for Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). Here, we employ innovative technologies to create immersive and unique results.
Notably, the use of Havas predictAIble stands out as a tool that provides valuable insights for optimizing our video assets. It is based on the analysis of historical data and aims to enhance key performance indicators such as engagement rates and watch time. Through the integration of AI into our workflows, we strive for continuous development and improvement in our video production processes.
How does the localization of content for different regions and cultural contexts factor into your media strategy, and what lessons can be learned from successful cross-cultural campaigns?
Localized campaigns are fundamentally reviewed and challenged by our local teams. This approach is based on the understanding that an international unit often cannot fully grasp the subtleties and nuances of the local market. Simultaneously, trends in different regions typically vary. To operate an effective newsroom, it is crucial that it is fueled by listening results and cultural nuances of each respective country.
Through this targeted integration of local expertise and cultural sensitivity, we can ensure that our newsroom responds flexibly to current developments, ultimately enabling the creation of ad-hoc content that aligns with contemporary events.