Woolworths head of content to leave, start EGC consultancy
Woolworths Group’s head of content Keshnee Kemp is leaving the business to launch a content consultancy, August One. The business will zero in on one of Kemp’s big bets: employee-generated content.
Kemp has been with Woolworths Group for nearly five years, where she led branded content across the business. During her time there, she saw the growing importance of social content and strategy, and she was given the freedom to move into new platforms in a way the brand had never done before.
“When I started at Woolies, there was no owned social strategy, not a real one. It was just campaigns on social platforms,” she told Mumbrella.
“We started posting social content with our people, the strategy was a people-led, personality-led platform, over a food platform like many would have expected, and it just took off.”
Eventually, that turned into an employee-generated content (EGC) program. It is defined by Kemp as “content that’s made authentically by team members”.
The Woolworths program is optional. Team members are provided safety guidelines and foundations, and given the opportunity to express themselves online.
Keshnee Kemp
Kemp said that consumers are starting to turn away from traditional influencers in the same way they’ve been turning away from TVCs. For brands, getting cut through is becoming increasingly difficult.
“Everyone knows influencers are paid to create content, so I think EGC is having a real growth, certainly locally, because it is truly authentic content created by a team member of a business, not by the business itself.”
What are the incentives for employees to get involved? After all, if influencers get paid thousands of dollars to promote a brand, why aren’t employees?
The answer is simple, according to Kemp. “They want to be a part of it and we want to encourage them to express themselves”.
She said it gave employees a chance to express themselves, and in return, the brand gets a little boost. Employees are paid as per usual.
EGC isn’t without risks. While most employees have positive intent when representing a brand online, Kemp stressed the importance of launching EGC programs with the right conversations and onboarding processes.
“Generally, sentiment is really high and positive, which is fantastic. They’re just at their job, you know, doing their job. But it could be risky for sure, because the team member might not have been on social before, might not understand that ultimately this is a public platform,” she said.
“This is all new to them, so robust foundational work is really important.”
August One will bring content strategy, social production, and performance together under one roof. Kemp will also be consulting for a handful of clients on EGC specifically.
“The marketing mix is shifting so significantly and so quickly, and it’s a really exciting time for social,” she told Mumbrella.
“What we’re seeing is that a lot of this platform-first content, whether it be EGC or organic first, is being turned into paid content, so it’s all connected. So from the August One perspective, we could go in and help them build a program like I did at Woolies, but it could also be that we help deliver performance by putting paid behind what is working, which is a new way for social as well.”
She said ultimately EGC is a way to execute alongside paid ads, influencers, and traditional channels.
“This is a really creative way to actually cut through all of the noise, and have an impact,” she said. “No one channel is the answer for anyone’s strategy, but choosing the appropriate ones will set agencies or brands apart.”
August One will officially open on June 2, 2025.
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I don’t know…EGC just sounds like a way for big businesses to milk their staff without any added incentive for them. If the staff was in a sales-based role fair enough as that helps their own profile too, but how many of those Bunnings staff in the ads are actually real vs paid actors? Can’t imagine a Woolies staff loving their job that much to want to provide the monopoly with free advertising using their face. Keen to see if it flies.