Trends, tips, and best practices

At the World’s Watercooler: in challenging times, video and audio content takes the lead

There are times when the world’s professionals feel like a globalised community, responding to common stories, themes and issues that resonate in every region – and drive shared conversations at the world’s Watercooler that is LinkedIn. There are other times when it becomes clear just how powerfully local events and context shape the agenda. At these moments, the mindsets of professionals diverge – and so too does the content they share on our platform.

This month’s edition of The Watercooler captures how attention is being drawn in different directions as audiences grapple with the huge issues raised by local headlines. It’s a rare occasion when our rankings feature a completely different top ten most shared posts in each region. There is no global theme that unites the content driving the most conversations in France with the content dominating attention in Brazil, or the most shared posts in Germany with those in South Africa. During July, each region responded to content with a distinct flavour. All are feeling the impact of change – but whereas some feel able to look for opportunity, others find themselves swamped with social tensions and worrying about unpredictable futures.

The Middle East is where we find the greatest continuity in tone. Here content remains focused on the fast-growing tech start-ups that dominated attention across most regions in last month’s Watercooler. This is a region still motivated by the opportunities created as the world starts to emerge from the pandemic. In Latin America, audiences are still attuned to the vision of the future put forward by business influencers and tech innovators. However, in both Europe and Africa, this continuity disappears. Attention is dominated by worrying recent developments: devastating heatwaves and flooding that brought the realities of climate change home to Europe even before the IPCC report released by the UN in August; a long and difficult national debate about COVID-19 vaccination in France; disorder and chaos in South Africa that has called into question the stability and future of The Rainbow Nation.

During these locally disrupted times, there are fewer common themes in the subjects that audiences are sharing on LinkedIn. However, there are clear trends in the content formats that professionals turn to when engaging with these stories. Podcasts and videos represent 17.5% of the most shared content across our four regions, the highest proportion in our Watercooler analysis yet. They are present in every top ten, in the form of news reports, in-depth discussions of emerging issues – and user-generated footage. Wherever the conversation on LinkedIn turns next, it seems likely that video and audio will continue playing a more prominent role in it.

The Watercooler for Europe:

1. Four-day week 'an overwhelming success' in Iceland

From The BBC

2. Euros 2020: What all of us can learn from Gareth Southgate

From The BBC

3. À lire si vous ne savez pas quoi penser des vaccins COVID19

From Atoute.org

4. Inondations en Europe : comment le réchauffement climatique est passé de "menace pour les générations futures" à danger imminent

From FranceInfo

5. Climat : "Nous sommes aux prémices du réchauffement climatique"

From TV5 Monde

6. L’industrie automobile appelle Emmanuel Macron à l’aide face à une transition énergétique « dévastatrice »

From Le Monde

7. Nucléaire : la Chine lancée à toute vitesse dans la course technologique

From Les Echos

8. Les records de chaleur signifient qu’il faut changer le discours sur l’urgence climatique

From The Conversation

9. Student designs device that stops blood loss from stab wounds

From The BBC

10. "Nous sommes passés de Socrate à Francis Lalanne" : le discours cinglant d'un sénateur contre les anti-vaccins

From LCI

Lessons from Europe’s Watercooler:

Nowhere is the sense of a world in flux more apparent than in Europe. The most shared posts in July are dominated by two issues that force societies to look closely at themselves and ask how much they can change in the face of crisis. In France, that issue is vaccination against COVID-19. In early August, the country introduced a controversial measure requiring people to show a ‘pass sanitaire’, with proof of either vaccination or a negative test, in order to access restaurants, cafés, transport and public venues. During the month beforehand, debate intensified about the need for vaccination – and the ethics of requiring it of people. Two of the ten most shared posts on LinkedIn address this debate directly. They suggest a consensus among professionals in favour of vaccination – and they show the different types of authority that resonate in this debate.

The third most shared post on LinkedIn is written by Dominique Dupagne, a doctor who founded medical blog Atoute.org two decades ago and has been an outspoken voice on healthcare issues since. As Dupagne points out, he’s no automatic supporter of vaccines or France’s healthcare establishment, having criticised the roll-out of a swine flu vaccine in the past. However, he argues that the case for vaccinating entire countries against COVID-19 is very different and he deploys a wide range of evidence to support this. His case for vaccination draws its authority from the person making it and the detailed, long-form way in which it’s made.

The authority of the other pro-vaccine post in our top ten works slightly differently – and shows the power of video content on LinkedIn. It shares a film of a speech by Senator Claude Malhuret that mocks anti-vaccine protestors with a series of snappy soundbites – and which racked up more than half a million views online in just a few hours.

Despite the vaccine debate, COVID-19 is not the crisis drawing the greatest attention on LinkedIn. July witnessed devastating floods across Northern and Central Europe that has focused the region’s attention on the immediate reality of climate change. Half of our top ten are made up of posts discussing the dangers of global heating or the technologies that will be involved in addressing it. These include the French auto industry’s demands for support in making the transition to electric vehicles – and the advance of nuclear power as China considers potential strategies for cleaner energy. A post on The Conversation connects the two crises – and argues that governments need to learn from the simple, action-oriented messaging used during COVID when it comes to tackling climate change.

Professional audiences can’t afford to ignore disruption. However, the evidence of content sharing on LinkedIn shows that their natural instinct is to attempt to draw positive lessons from it – and to put forward proactive strategies where possible. This is evident in the two most shared posts in the region. At a time when the world is rethinking working practices, news of a successful experiment with a four-day week in Iceland drew huge attention. So too did the opportunity to learn from a widely admired figure from earlier in the summer: the England football team manager, Gareth Southgate. Matthew Syed, a former Olympian who is part of an advisory committee assembled by Southgate, took readers inside the preparations for the tournament. He explained the role that diversity of thinking played in improving the England team’s performances. It’s a case for tackling problems through new perspectives that feels particularly relevant right now.

The Watercooler for Latin America:

1. Flying to space onboard Virgin Galactic

From Richard Branson

2. Nubank revela cartão ultravioleta com Apple Pay

From Link Estadão

3. Simone Biles: o desabafo da campeã olímpica ao desistir de final em Tóquio: ‘Preciso cuidar da saúde mental’

From BBC News Brasil

4. Groundbreakers: entrepreneurs on the inside

From Holly Branson

5. Zema anuncia o fim do parcelamento dos salários de servidores do governo de Minas

From Hoje Em Dia

6. Rock the rooftop: Up at The O2 with Virgin Money’s Emerging Stars

From Virgin Blog

7. Cinco conselhos de gestão de Luiza Helena Trajano

From Vogue Negócios

8. Magazine Luiza fecha acordo para comprar KaBuM!; pagamento será de R$ 1 bilhão

From UOL

9. It’s time to inspire a State of Hope

From Richard Branson

10. Vem aí o real digital

From Istoé Dinheiro

Lessons from Latin America’s Watercooler:

The last two months of content sharing in Latin America has been a story of the rapidly advancing influence of the Branson family – and consequently, of the Virgin brand. Almost half of the ten most shared posts in the region come from either Richard Branson, his daughter (and Virgin’s Chief Purpose and Vision Officer) Holly or the Virgin corporate blog. It’s one of the most powerful examples around of the value of high-profile executive influencers on LinkedIn – and contains some useful clues as to how raising a brand profile in one area produces a halo of attention in others.

The most shared post in the region is Richard Branson’s report (and pictures) from his inaugural flight on the Virgin Galactic spacecraft, a story which generated widespread media attention worldwide. It seems likely that the number of eyeballs drawn to this post helped to increase sharing and attention for others related to it. This includes Holly Branson’s discussion of the value of ‘intrapreneurship’, and the role that Virgin employees’ autonomous initiatives played in different aspects of the Galactic venture. A wider halo effect helped to propel interest in brand initiatives like the Rock the Rooftop tie-up with emerging musicians – and Branson’s long-running Elders project, launched by Nelson Mandela, which gathers former world leaders together to help tackle global issues.

The Branson family are far from the only influencers active in Latin America, however. Another of the region’s most prominent business figures helped to launch a new content venture between Vogue magazine and the Globo radio network. Luiza Helena Trajano, chair of retail giant Magazine Luiza was the guest for the launch edition of the Vogue Negócios radio talk show, and drove this piece of audio content up the sharing charts.

‘Magalu’ also contributes to another ongoing trend in Latin American content sharing: the importance of tech and innovation. Audiences paid close attention to the retailer’s acquisition of the tech and gaming platform KaBuM! However, this wasn’t the tech business responsible for the most shared content during the month. FinTech is one of Brazil’s fastest-growing industries – and Nubank one of the highest-profile exponents of it. After dominating the ten most shared posts last month, Nubank drew attention again for its launch of a new concept in credit cards: one containing no card number that’s designed to work exclusively with Apple Pay. It’s a concept carefully pitched to millennials that’s designed to lessen the risk of fraud.

FinTech innovation isn’t restricted to the private sector, however. Over recent months, there’s been growing discussion in financial circles of the possibilities for governments launching their own digital currencies. Reports that Brazil’s central bank is already in discussions about a digital Real produced an immediate return in terms of audience attention.

The Watercooler for The Middle East:

1. UAE to grant golden visas to 100,000 global coders

From Gulf News

2. Forward Thinking on technology and political economy with Daron Acemoglu

From McKinsey Global Institute

3. Swvl, a green-focused mass transit company, is going public via an all-female SPAC

From CNBC

4. Amazon to Launch 'Amazon.eg' in 2021

From Ahram Online

5. UAE unveils coder training campaign with tech giants Google and Amazon

From The National

6. Raising $55.5 Million, iAngels Helps Transform Israel Into Scale-Up Nation

From Forbes

7. SoftBank Leads Funding to Vault Kitopi Past $1 Billion Value

From Bloomberg

8. Hong Kong-based ADM Capital invests $25 million in Square Yards

From The Economic Times

9. Saudi Arabia ‘holds 10 times more fintech companies than planned’

From Arab News

10. Half of Hospitality Workers Say They Won’t Return To Their Old Jobs

From Travel Pulse

Lessons from The Middle East’s Watercooler:

In last month’s Watercooler, The Middle East most embodied a trend towards professionals focusing on investment opportunities and tech start-ups. In July, that trend accelerated further. Eight out of the top ten most shared posts in the region tell the stories of potential or actual ‘unicorn’ tech businesses – or of government initiatives to promote them.

The tech businesses from the region generating headlines include two based in Dubai that are now valued at over $1 billion: Swvl, which brings the ride-sharing concept to mass-transit in emerging markets, and the cloud kitchen start-up, Kitopi. There’s news of new investment for the Indian tech-led real estate platform, Square Yards, and of the launch of Amazon in Egypt following the acquisition of souq.com – a move which could presage a wider roll-out for the Amazon brand in the Arab world.

Forbes takes an in-depth look at a venture capital firm supporting Israel’s transition from the start-up nation to the scale-up nation, arguing that the country’s entrepreneurs are increasingly inclined to stay in place, take funding and expand to achieve unicorn status. In the United Arab Emirates, attention focused on another form of support for the tech ecosystem, with the government seeking to train 100,000 coders via a partnership with Google and Amazon.

Amid the excitement around start-ups and growth opportunities resulting from new technology, McKinsey created the second most shared post in the region by striking a different tone. Its podcast interview with MIT Professor of Economics Daron Acemoglu featured an in-depth discussion of the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and automation on inequality. It provides more evidence of the shareability of audio content on LinkedIn – especially when accompanied by a written transcript that makes the content easily visible.

The final entry in our top ten provides interesting context for the focus on tech – and why there may be a ready availability of talent keen to train for the sector. It’s a research report from the US that suggests more than half of hospitality workers won’t return to their old jobs – and quotes a chef trading in his job in the kitchen for one in software development. For a region with a strong hospitality industry and a fast-growing tech one, these are insights with wide-ranging implications.

The Watercooler for Africa:

1. From The Desk of The President - Monday, 26 July 2021

From The President, Republic of South Africa

2. From The Desk of The President - Monday, 19 July 2021

From The President, Republic of South Africa

3. Soon-Shiong Sees His Shot as a Universal Booster

From Bloomberg

4. Food Shortage Set to Grip South Africa After Rioters Rampage

From Bloomberg

5. How to make entrepreneurship a viable option in SA’s recovery

From CNBC Africa

6. Tobacco firm Philip Morris calls for ban on cigarettes within decade

From The Guardian

7. WATCH: Chaos in KZN, shopping centres close in wake of violent protests

From Midrand Reporter

8. Former President Barack Obama joins NBA Africa as strategic partner

From NBA

9. elmenus raises $10 million in pre-Series C round

From Wamda

10. CDC: The coronavirus could be 'just a few mutations' away from evading vaccines

From Insider

Lessons from Africa’s Watercooler:

Africa epitomises the growing influence of video on LinkedIn, with three of the ten most shared posts built around video content. However, the two most shared posts of all show that format isn’t everything when it comes to influence. They both consist of simple text with deliberately straightforward headlines – however those headlines told their audience everything required to make them essential reading.

During the second half of July, the South African provinces of Gauteng and Kwa-Zulu Natal experienced organised violence on a scale never seen in the post-apartheid era. Following the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma, shops were looted on an epic scale, trucks carrying essential supplies were burned, communities armed themselves and violence spilled over with tragic consequences. The two statements shared by President Cyril Ramaphosa on LinkedIn were a response to this dangerous situation. The sharing they generated showed the value of the platform in helping to get such messages out.

In all, these events were the subject of half of the ten most shared posts in Africa in July, including a video report on Bloomberg exploring the threat of long-term food shortages as a result of the riots – and a compilation of video footage from bystanders showing the looting underway. However, it’s not the only crisis dominating professionals’ attention. Concerns about future coronavirus mutations also make it into the top ten, balanced with reports of the potential to create universal booster vaccines that could prove crucial in a region where the supply of shots is an ongoing challenge.

The content shared on LinkedIn in Africa often balances a sense of challenge with a sense of optimism. In July, the challenges predominated – but a determination to look forward remained. In one frequently shared video segment, CNBC Africa examined the question of how to unlock the potential of entrepreneurialism to tackle widespread inequality in South Africa – a key underlying cause of the recent troubles. News of investment in the continent through the NBA and Barack Obama captured attention as well, as did the story of an innovative food discovery start-up in Egypt. At a time when the future felt particularly fragile, Africa retains faith in the value of innovation for navigating through it.