Horizontal and vertical communication
Who doesn't know the yearly recurring event that eats up enormous amounts of time, human and financial resources and leaves little lasting impression on the company in the end? Maybe a few photos, a meaningless highlight video, a LinkedIn post that disappears into the depths of the web a few seconds later.
That's it - but it doesn't have to stay that way.
Unlike the idea of 360° degree communication, the concept of Horizontal and Vertical Communication places a strong focus on the close interlocking of event and brand communication. In this context, the term Horizontal Communication describes the classic media work of a communications agency, encompassing both analog and digital advertising. Horizontal communication is characterized by target group-oriented communication that often takes place over the long term and without direct customer contact.
While horizontal communication propagates a brand message over a certain period of time and generates attention for it, the emotional anchoring of the brand message takes place in the course of vertical communication, which is linked to an event (physical, hybrid or digital).
Vertical communication topics can be used as input for horizontal communication, and horizontal communication content can be used as an initial trigger for vertical communication.
Vertical: Emotional anchoring
First basic thought
The emotional anchoring of the message on the event
Emotions are the results of evaluation processes triggered by external stimuli and impulses. In this sense, the event as an element of vertical communication, at which the audience's attention is largely undivided due to it's conscious and prior orientation to it, offers the perfect opportunity to specifically play on the human senses in different ways and thereby steer the evaluation processes triggered by it in a certain direction.
Moreover, it is assumed that the degree of correspondence between vertical event message and horizontal brand message (branding, values, etc.) correlates positively with their effectiveness and recall duration.
Example? Maestrani carries out an art action with emotional anchoring and creates sustainable input for the horizontal communication.
Horizontal: Continuing content
Second basic thought
The event as a production site for further content.
For companies, events are resource-intensive projects that take place selectively and, in the worst case, have little sustainable impact on the business. Against this background, it is desirable to maximize the output of an elaborate event and make it more sustainable. How can this be done, you ask? By not thinking of the event as a closed event, but by using it as a production site for further content. As an exceptional setting for guests and speakers, the event is an excellent opportunity to generate content for horizontal communication in a cost-effective and effective way, building on the investments already made (e.g. presence of speakers, film crew, environment, etc.).
Example? At the Swiss Economic Forum (SEF), NZZ Connect has already recorded footage for future campaigns:
