Strike a deeper chord through media partnerships

Strike a deeper chord through media partnerships
By Laura Morales
Jan 29, 2025
2 MIN. READ

It’s true that the algorithms powering social media platforms, as well as advancements in AI, are further overwhelming users with information (and misinformation), shortening their attention spans, and leading them to question the truthfulness of what they see and hear.

It’s also true, however, that people are willing to spend time on content that interests and connects with them, that fatiguing habits like ‘doomscrolling’ are falling out of favor, and that traditional media is both incredibly credible and relevant in Europe. A study of long-form content performance on streaming platforms like Netflix, conducted in 2023 by the GWI Consumer Insights Platform, shows that audiences engage more with content that provides broader perspectives on local realities, as well as content that makes them feel better about the world. Recent studies by Eurobarometer (2023) and the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2024) show that traditional media outlets like television and radio remain popular across all age groups in Europe. These outlets are also among the three most trusted sources of information in the EU. Public television and radio are considered the most trustworthy by nearly half of Europeans, and traditional broadcast and print media outperform social media and online news platforms in terms of trust.

Considering these truths, the question naturally arises: what sort of content do EU institutions—as well as other entities that need to raise awareness of their policies and programs amongst the general European public—need to produce to interest and truly connect with their audiences, whether via traditional or social media? The answer? Content that resonates and strikes an emotional chord within them; and key to resonance, per ICF Next’s four-pillared Resonance Model, is localized, co-created content developed by and amplified through media partnerships.

Knowing that resonant communications (especially across such a diverse geographic area as Europe) cannot happen in a vacuum, we work with local, regional and international media experts to develop groundbreaking audiovisual assets tailored to the needs and media consumption habits of our clients’ target audiences. Created with a journalistic mindset around pressing issues (like climate, food security, and social equity), and driven by genuine and compelling stories, these bespoke assets—which we promote across our media partners' channels—strike an emotional and lasting chord within Europeans.

Serving as the ideal link between contracting authorities and the media, we at ICF Next, with over three decades of experience in strategic communication for EU institutions, ensure consistency in messaging and concepts across all campaigns through the central direction we provide our co-creators, as well as seamless workflows and implementation.

Find your resonance.

This is only a taste of things to come at ICF Next.

Get in touch with us to learn more about the impact of resonance and how it will result in increased engagement, positive feedback, and new business opportunities for you—and how we can help you find your resonance.

ICF’s global marketing services agency focuses on helping your organization find opportunity in disruption.
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Meet the author
  1. Laura Morales, Outreach Media Relations Lead

    Laura is the outreach media relations lead at ICF Next Belgium, with nearly 10 years of experience in public relations, where she has contributed to impactful communication campaigns for European institutions.  View bio

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