What Is Branded Content: The Essential Guide

Branded content is still relatively new, and because of that, many companies are still unsure of what exactly branded content is. Some people even think it’s a form of native advertising.

Branded content is any form of media in which a company or brand works with an outside party to produce content about their product, service, or brand.

In the past this was done through traditional marketing channels such as radio, television, newspapers, and magazines.

Today, the rise of social media has opened up other avenues for creating branded content and making it part of the customer experience.

Branded content can take many forms depending on your goals. It can be:

• a video series,
• a podcast,
• a print piece,
• or even an entire website.

Here are some examples of branded content from well-known brands:

Old Spice’s “Dikembe Mutombo” YouTube videos are one example of branded content that garnered more than four million views in just two months.

The series features former NBA player Dikembe Mutombo challenging Old Spice body spray users to prove their manhood through feats of strength and agility.

The Euro RSCG Worldwide team created the podcast Serial for This American Life to promote last year’s launch of the Honda CR-V. The series follows investigative journalism techniques.

CrowdSpring has a great infographic that shows the various personal branding archetypes: 

What Is Branded Content?

Branded content can take many forms. It could be a blog post created by an outside party about your products and services, or it could be a video made by someone else that highlights your brand.

It can also be as simple as including your logo on a t-shirt or coffee mug as part of a contest or giveaway.

The possibilities are endless but all branded content helps you achieve one thing: building relationships with potential customers through the vehicle of storytelling.

   

The reason that branded content is so effective is that it allows you to tell stories about your products and services.

What Is Not Branded Content?

The days of anonymous blogs, articles, and posts are over. Everything is now branded to some degree, because people have the ability to buy products and services that fit their needs and interests.

To keep them interested and coming back for more, you have to create content that speaks directly to them. But creating content that speaks to your audience doesn’t mean you need to write a novel or make a video that goes on for hours.

Tone your content down so it isn’t too formal or corporate sounding; use lots of analogies, anecdotes, and metaphors which give an added dimension to your message; and make sure you spend time on the finer details of writing.

And remember that not all content has to be produced by you.

Hire freelancers to create the content you need, giving them parameters as to what you want their work product to say. Don’t be afraid of outsourcing work when necessary, but don’t leave it up to chance either.

Make sure you know what you’re getting before you agree on anything.

Advantages Of Branded Content

Each day, we are bombarded with news from every direction. We get information from a variety of sources such as newspapers, television channels, internet and others.

While we have access to all this information, it is often hard to differentiate between facts and fiction.

And even when we do decide what is real, we have a hard time remembering the information or having faith in it. At the end of the day, most people are too busy to follow what is going on around them.

We are now at a point where the content has been focusing on those who create it. The companies that produce this content are trying to take control of their message and make sure they are sending out something they believe in.

This is where branded content comes into play. Branded content attempts to connect with consumers on a more personal level with an underlying tone of honesty and authenticity that traditional advertising lacks.

With so much media out there, it’s important for companies to find ways to cut through the noise and reach their target audience. It has become an increasingly popular way for brands to stand out in today’s over-saturated media landscape.

Examples Of Branded Content

If you’re looking for examples of branded content, look no further. These are some of the most recognizable and well-executed examples in recent history.

   

Budweiser’s “Puppy Love” Budweiser, a brand with a heart of gold and the number one selling beer in America, made a splash with its Super Bowl commercial this year. The puppy-filled ad is intended to spread awareness about responsible pet ownership.

The spot was so popular that it’s been viewed over 11 million times on YouTube since it aired in February.

Apple’s “Get a Mac” Ads The Mac vs. PC campaign didn’t last forever, but that doesn’t make it any less memorable.

Apple’s ads had a simple concept and were filled with memorable characters like Justin Long as the cool, hip Mac guy or John Hodgman as the nerdy PC fella. This campaign ran from 2006 to 2009 and encompassed many different mediums including TV, print ads and online videos.

ETrade Baby: “So easy even a baby could do it,” says ETrade’s famous baby spokesperson (voiced by John Goodman). The campaign was created by Fallon Worldwide and debuted in 1999.

Branded Content, What It’s Not

Branded content has become a buzz word in the digital marketing space. In this article, we will dive into what branded content is and how it differs from native advertising.

Branded content is a form of marketing strategy where a brand tells a story or provides useful information about their industry/company to their audience in order to establish themselves as an authoritative voice within their industry.

This can take the form of articles, interviews, infographics, videos, etc. Native Advertising. Native advertising is defined by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) as “online advertising that matches the look and feel of the platform on which it appears.”

This is the kind of advertising that you see on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Native ads have been used by brands for years on platforms like YouTube but have recently been spilling over onto other social media channels like Facebook which has caused some brands to label these ads as “sponsored content” instead of “native advertising”.

The important thing to remember is that native ads are not considered Branded Content. The main difference between these two ad types is that one looks like editorial content that users come across organically while the other is paid for and placed directly.

How To Get Branded Content Right

You may know that content marketing is important for your business, but are you sure you’re doing it right?

Content marketing is a growing trend among B2B and B2C companies as a way to boost brand awareness, drive traffic, and increase sales.

However, with so many companies trying to use this tactic, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd and get the results you want.

TIP: Content marketing is an ongoing process.

You can’t just publish one article and expect results. You need to plan your content marketing strategy in advance.

Below are some tips for how to do this.

1. Plan your content marketing strategy: Before you embark on your content marketing journey, you need to have a clear idea of how you want to position yourself as a brand and what kind of results you’re hoping to achieve.

You also need to define your goals—are they short or long term? Define your audience: Who is going to read your content?

If you’re running an ecommerce store, do you want to attract new customers or do you want existing customers to spend more money?

2. Define the topics: What type of content are you going to produce? Are the topics relevant and useful for your audience? How often will you update the content?

Branded Content Vs Conventional Advertising

Branded content is gaining popularity as a marketing tool.

It can be a great way to promote your brand and connect with customers, but what does it mean for your business? Branded content vs conventional advertising

There is no doubt that branded content can be an effective way to spread the word about your brand. This form of marketing has become a popular option for many companies, given the fact that it’s less distracting than traditional advertising.

Many consumers are beginning to recognize the tone of branded content, which makes it more likely that they’ll pay attention to it.

Telling the story

For many brands, branded content allows them to tell their own story. Companies have a unique opportunity to share their personality, values and mission with customers through this medium.

This can help you develop lasting relationships with your customers and build trust in your brand.

Connecting with consumers

Many brands are using branded content to connect with consumers on a deeper level. Consumers want to feel like they know and understand the brands they’re supporting.

Branded content helps people get to know you better, which can lead to increased loyalty and purchases down the road.

Branded Content Vs Content Marketing

Content marketing is all the rage. But what exactly is it? The term “content marketing” has been thrown around a lot in recent years, so much so that it’s become rather diluted.

There are definitely a number of similarities between branded content and content marketing, but there are some big differences as well.

In this post we’ll take a look at the two terms, how they’re alike and how they differ, and how you can figure out which one is right for you.

Thing is, if you’ve done any amount of research on content marketing or branded content, you’ll find that there’s a lot of overlap between the two.

They both revolve around creating quality content (i.e., blogs, guides and ebooks) that your audience will love and want to share with their friends. You can even see examples of companies doing both branded content and content marketing together.

But here’s where things start to get blurred:

Some people define content marketing as any sort of blog or ebook they create because it promotes their business in some way — even if there isn’t an explicit call to action or direct brand tie-in.

So when do you decide whether to go with branded content or content marketing? 

Branded Content Vs Product Placement

Branded content is a new form of advertising that is gaining popularity as companies are trying to engage with their audience by creating content that is relevant to their target audience.

A good example of branded content would be Buzzfeed. Buzzfeed produces videos, photographs and articles that are relevant to people in the 18-35 age range.

They produce high quality content that is not only entertaining but also informative.

A successful branded article would be: “The 16 Most Iconic Fast Food Commercials of All Time”. This article on Buzzfeed has been read over 2 million times.

The reason why it was so popular is because it’s a list about fast food which everyone can relate too.

It’s a fun list that anyone can enjoy reading. Being such an easy read, people will share the article on social media which gives Buzzfeed free advertisement for their brand.

Product placement involves integrating real world objects into films and television shows in order to promote those items or brands.

Product placement used to be where you would see a specific product in a television show or film and then at the end of it there would be some kind of reference like “don’t forget to drink your coca cola”.

Branded Content Gets People Talking About The Brand, Not Its Products Or Services

Branded content can be anything from a short video to an interactive tool or game.

This type of content typically goes beyond just promoting products and services to offer some kind of value to the consumer. Branded content is similar to influencer marketing in that both involve creating content on behalf of a brand.

However, with branded content, the company creates the content itself.

With influencer marketing, the company recruits individuals who are already popular in certain social media circles to share information about a product or service.

Branded content often benefits from being seen as more authentic because it can come directly from the company itself, rather than an outside source that might receive compensation for sharing information about a product.

The best brands use content to promote their company, not just their products and services. In fact, the most successful branded content pieces are not about the brand at all, but about the consumer.

Branded Content is About Providing Value To The User.

Last month, I noted the importance of creating content in-house that is both relevant to your brand and useful to your target customers. This is a key reason why branded content has the potential to drive business results for your organization.

Branded content that comes from within your company communicates expertise, demonstrates thought leadership and provides valuable information in a contextualized way. The more value you can provide, the more likely it is that users will find you, engage with you and share your content with others.

Below are some examples of successful brands that do a great job at providing value to their customers through their branded content:

1. General Electric (GE) – GE has its own branded content studio called GE Garages , which produces stories about people who are using technology to change their industry.

Some of the stories are sponsored, but many are done independently by the editors of the GE Garages site. Not only does this provide value to its customers, but it also provides interesting content for GE’s target audience.

2. Duolingo – Duolingo was founded on the idea that when everyone in the world learns to speak English, it will create a better world. The company’s mission is to make education free and accessible for everyone.

Branded Content Connects With Our Emotions

Have you ever felt a gut wrenching emotion when you’re listening to a song?

I’m sure you have. We all have.

It’s the power of music. And by extension, it’s the power of branded content.

Branded Content is any type of marketing material (print, audio, video, etc) that is aligned with your brand or product. Branded content is an effective marketing technique because the right materials can make people feel emotions that can be associated with your brand or product.

Those emotions are then linked to how they think about your brand or product.

Whether it’s a video advertisement, a song on the radio, or a print magazine ad, branded content can be effective as long as it evokes an emotion related to your brand or product.

So, how do you create branded content that connects with our emotions?

Here are simple steps to creating branded content that connects with our emotions:

Identify who you are talking to

Identify what type of emotions you want to evoke from this audience segment. Create the branded content linked to these emotions

Branded Content Is Great Storytelling In Action. The companies who are doing branded content best are not just telling a story, they’re telling their brand’s story.

This can be a challenge for a small business. Branded content is only successful when the story is related to your niche, offers value and is entertaining or informative.

Know Your Target Audience

Knowing your target audience is essential to creating branded content that will resonate with them. Identify what industries they work in, where they live and what interests them.

Create Storylines or “Personas”

Create storylines or “personas” around each audience segment so you can tell stories that appeal to each one specifically. What do they like to read? Where do they shop? Where do they get their news?

Consider the Process

Start by writing down everything you know about your target audience and the challenges they face each day. Think about the factors that make them business owners and how you might help them improve their businesses or lives in some way.

Create Content That Resonates With Your Customers

The most important part of creating branded content is that it should spark interest in your potential.

Branded Content Is Often Co-Created

There’s a lot of talk about branded content these days, and for good reason: it’s a great way to engage with your customers. But, what exactly is branded content?

It can be a lot of things, but at its core it’s something that has been created by and for you as a brand.

This means you have the opportunity to create pieces that your audience will respond to in a positive way. You’re able to build your brand and company culture, as well as reach out to and connect with potential customers.

How does co-creation come into the equation?

Well, when you’re creating something that you want your audience to enjoy, then you need their input and participation. Ultimately, if they aren’t enjoying the content you post, then they’ve disengaged from your brand. There are ways to get around this. One way is through co-creation.

Here are some ideas of how co-creation works:

You might ask your audience questions in order to learn more about them.

For example: “What do people who work at XYZ do every day?” or “What was the last thing someone did that made you laugh?” This will help you discover what kind of things interest your audience, which will allow you to tailor future

Branded Content Is Versatile

When you’re creating a brand or marketing a business, the most important thing you can do is to ensure that your message is always consistent.

One of the best ways to accomplish this is through branded content. Branded content refers to any media that includes your company’s name or logo.

It could be an ad, it could be an email newsletter, or it could even be a blog post on your website. The important thing is that it’s something that people will consume and associate with your company.

Treating all forms of branded content consistently is easier said than done. Every medium has its own strengths and weaknesses, and different things are going to appeal to different audiences.

For example, some people might love getting a monthly newsletter that provides detailed product updates, but others might prefer the telegraphic nature of Twitter updates.

Some people want their emails packed with information, while others would prefer their emails to be succinct.

Some customers like reading blogs about what happens behind the scenes of your company; others simply don’t care and would rather just see the finished product.