Branded content

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

In

values
. The content does not necessarily need to be a promotion for the brand, although it may still include product placement.

Unlike conventional forms of editorial content, branded content is generally funded entirely by a brand or corporation rather than a studio or a group of solely artistic producers. Examples of branded content have appeared in television, film, online content, video games, events, and other installations. Modern branded marketing strategies are intended primarily to counter market trends, such as the decreasing acceptance of traditional commercials or low-quality advertorials.[2][3]

History

Early examples

The concept of branded content dates back to the early era of broadcasting; many early radio and television programs were controlled by their sponsors and

WNBC-TV in New York City).[4][5]

Many

quiz show The $64,000 Question—which was, for a time, the most-watched program on U.S. television.[4] In 1956, the Ford Motor Company's new marque Edsel sponsored a CBS variety special, The Edsel Show, which starred Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Bob Hope. The special was a critical success and widely viewed,[7][8] but its success did not transfer to Edsel itself, however, which was a high-profile commercial failure.[7][8] By request of Crosby, the special was credited as a production of his alma mater Gonzaga University, with its revenues helping to fund the construction of a new campus library.[9][10]

In the late 1950s, the

commercials instead.[11][12][13][14]

Conventional product placement and cross-promotion still appeared in films and television, but it was often argued that overuse of placements can distract from the entertainment value of the work. The film Mac and Me was widely criticized for containing extensive placements of Coca-Cola and McDonald's as major plot elements (going as far as crediting the chain's mascot Ronald McDonald as appearing in the film "as himself").[15][16][17] Hallmark Hall of Fame still occasionally aired on broadcast TV until 2014, when it was announced that the franchise would move to Hallmark's co-owned cable channel Hallmark Channel in the future.[18]

Modern examples

After releasing its hockey-themed film

Disney Parks and Disney Store locations in addition to the NHL's main retail channels, were the best-selling among all teams for a period.[19][20]

In 2001, automaker BMW began a marketing campaign entitled The Hire, in which it produced a series of short films that prominently featured its vehicles, staffed by prominent directors (such as Guy Ritchie) and talent. The films were advertised through television, print, and online marketing which directed viewers to a BMW Films website, where they could stream the films, and access ancillary information such as information about their featured vehicles. BMW also distributed the films on DVD with Vanity Fair magazine to increase their distribution among the company's target audience. By the end of the campaign in 2005, the eight-film series had amassed over 100 million views, and several of the films had received both advertising-related and short film awards.[21][22]

In 2010,

Advertising Age felt that despite lukewarm reception and viewership, "as case studies for successful branded entertainment, they've become the holy grail of how networks and marketers can use entertainment to achieve scalable audiences, measurable product sales and active fan communities."[23][24][25]

The Canadian beer brand

Anheuser-Busch InBev) partnered with its agency Grip and Alliance Films to produce The Movie Out Here, a feature-length comedy film set in the brand's home province of British Columbia. The film was released in April 2013, after being featured at the 2012 Whistler Film Festival. Kokanee beer, along with characters from its past advertising campaigns, make appearances in the film, and an accompanying campaign allowed bars in Western Canada to compete to be a filming location, and users to vote on the film's soundtrack and have a chance to be listed as a "fan" in the credits. Grip's creative director Randy Stein stated that viewers had become more accepting of branded content, and that there would be a larger focus on the emotional aspects of Kokanee as a brand as opposed to the number of placements.[26][27][28] In 2018, Pepsi similarly backed the comedy film Uncle Drew—a feature comedy adapted from a character from a Pepsi Max ad campaign.[29]

The

Flugtag competitions, music festivals and events, and a skydive from the Earth's stratosphere by Felix Baumgartner. These ventures are consistent with the company's image, bolster Red Bull as being a lifestyle brand in these categories, and build awareness of Red Bull without necessarily promoting the product itself. An executive for Red Bull Media House North America remarked that the growth of digital media platforms had made it easier for brands to produce and distribute their own content, and stressed that branded content was most effective when it is "authentic" and high-quality.[30][31][32]

In 2019, the housing rentals service

Tribeca Film Festival, which documented a 2017 tour of the Southeastern United States by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. The company's head of creative James Goode stated that the film was consistent with the company's values of "telling stories of belonging and acceptance", and its involvement and support in the LGBT community. Goode did not consider the film to be branded content, stating that it was an effort to "support the chorus and make the highest-quality piece of content we could."[33][34]

Some branded content efforts have not been as successful. The association football (soccer) sanctioning body FIFA budgeted the 2014 film United Passions, a dramatization of the organization's history. The film was released to negative reviews, focusing primarily on its poor writing and self-serving nature, and with many considering it one of the worst films of all time.[35][36][37] The film's North American release also coincided with the indictment of FIFA officials by U.S. federal prosecutors under charges of corruption, leading critics to point out the irony in its depiction of FIFA president Sepp Blatter.[35][36][37] The film only took in $918 in the U.S. box office, making it the worst-grossing film of all-time.[38]

Research and issues

In 2003, the Branded Content Marketing Association was formed in order to promote branded content to a wider, international audience. In January 2008, the BCMA conducted a study intending to analyze the efficacy of branded content compared to traditional advertising. Reportedly, over one-third of people were skeptical about traditional ads, and only one-tenth trusted the companies producing such adverts. The study concluded that "in the overwhelming majority of cases consumers preferred the more innovative approach compared with traditional advertising".[39] Over 95% of the time, web sites that feature branded content were more successful than web sites featuring typical advertisements, and are 24% more effective at increasing the purchase intent of viewers. Branded content is most effective in the 18-34 age group, who tend to react with more positive opinions and being overall more responsive to branded sites. Online Publishers Association’s President Pam Horan concluded, “In nearly every category measured, ad effectiveness scores on branded content sites were numerically higher than on the web in general, on portals or on ad networks.[40]

These positive results, however, having come from an organization which endeavors to promote the marketing practice, are subject to criticisms of bias.

Award community

Webby and Lovie awards among other had recognized Branded Content as a category in prior instances, but most awards within the advertising community officially began to grow to include branded content in 2012, when "Branded Content/Entertainment" became a category at EuroBest, Dubai Lynx Spikes Asia and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ^ "Content Marketing vs. Native Advertising: Which Is More Effective on Social?". Adweek. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
  2. ^ "Consumers Coming to Accept Native Advertising Done Right". EContent Magazine. 2014-07-28. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  3. ^ Atkinson, Claire (14 April 2008). "Testing The Boundaries of Branded Entertainment". Advertising Age. 79 (15): S-12–S-18.
  4. ^
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  5. ISSN 0362-4331
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  6. ISSN 0362-4331
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  7. ^ a b "Hubris, and Sputnik, Doomed the Edsel". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
  8. ^
    ISBN 9780252065743
    .
  9. ^ "Stardust, Pajamas and Memories of Crooner Bing Crosby Put on Display". Los Angeles Times. 1993-08-29. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  10. ^ "The Back 9: Things you might not know about Bing Crosby, Spokane's favorite son". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  11. ISSN 0458-3035
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  12. ISSN 0362-4331
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  13. ^ "Encyclopedia of Television - Quiz Show Scandals". The Museum of Broadcast Communications. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  14. ^ "AdAge Encyclopedia of Advertising: 1950s". Advertising Age. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  15. ^ Rabin, Nathan. "Ronald McDonald Approved Case File #151: Mac And Me". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  16. ISSN 0458-3035
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  17. ISSN 0458-3035
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  18. ^ "Hallmark Hall Of Fame Films To Move To Hallmark Channel". Multichannel. 12 September 2014. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  19. ISSN 0458-3035
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  20. ^ "The Wide (disney) World Of Sports". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
  21. ^ "BMW Films: The Ultimate Marketing Scheme". iMedia. Archived from the original on 2020-04-01. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  22. ^ "The Hire Film Series By BMW to End". Motor Trend. 2005-10-13. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  23. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2011-04-02). "Procter & Gamble Backs Another Family Friendly TV Movie/Backdoor Pilot On NBC". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
  24. ^ Schneider, Michael (2010-02-22). "Walmart's and Procter & Gamble's family-friendly primetime gamble". Variety. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
  25. ^ "P&G, Walmart Find Success as Moviemakers for Their Brands". Advertising Age. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
  26. ^ "Labatt rolls out a Kokanee ad in the shape of a feature-length movie". Toronto: The Globe & Mail. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  27. ^ "Alliance Films sets pic promoting beer". Variety. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  28. ^ "Labatt takes product placement to the extreme with Kokane movie". The Toronto Star. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  29. ^ Schultz, E.J. (5 June 2018). "See Pepsi's Ad Backing Its 'Uncle Drew' Movie". AdAge. Crain Communications. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  30. ^ "Branded content lessons from Red Bull Media House". Marketing. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
  31. ^ O'Brien, James. "How Red Bull Takes Content Marketing to the Extreme". Mashable. Retrieved 2018-01-28.
  32. ISSN 0362-4331
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  33. ^ Spangler, Todd (18 April 2019). "Why Airbnb Produced Documentary 'Gay Chorus Deep South,' Its First-Ever Film (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.com. PMC. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  34. ^ Haring, Bruce (2019-09-16). "MTV Documentary Films Acquires 'Gay Chorus Deep South', Plans Fall Release". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-09-21.
  35. ^ a b Roxborough, Scott; Richford, Rhonda (17 June 2015). "FIFA Movie Director Breaks Silence on Bomb: "It's a Disaster; My Name Is All Over [This Mess]"". The Hollywood Reporter. (Prometheus Global Media). Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  36. ^ a b Scheck, Frank (3 June 2015). "'United Passions': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  37. ^ a b Berry, Dan (2 June 2015). "FIFA Film: An Epic Fantasy". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  38. ^ Rife, Katie (June 19, 2015). "FIFA vanity project United Passions breaks box-office record (not the good kind)". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  39. ^ "Commissioned Research:Milestone Attitudinal Consumer Study".
  40. ^ Marken, G.A. "Andy" (2006). "Branded Entertainment". Public Relations Quarterly. 51 (4): 2–3.
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