Branded content is the chance for a company to market their customers as value commodity. Not the type of value we associate solely with a dollar sign. Instead to focus on their emotional responses. It is a chance to create an artistic vision that does not instantly correlate to ROI. The goal is for Companies to make it look like they are giving back to the community. This creates a popular opinion which eventually translates into beating the competition.
These branded content “commercials” are short films. There are features that make them mini-movies. Many of the marketing agencies recruit award-winning auteurs to create them. The finishing touch is a credit sequence. Sometimes the product companies partner with a non-competitor corporation as we will see for these examples.
The branded content featurette may have some thematic relationship to the sponsoring companies. This is the case for Journey of the Hop (2016). Goose Island Brewery and The Weather Channel partnered to make the Story of a beer ingredient through different climates. We can see how this relates to the two companies. Still, it is more than just a beer commercial. It has some educational value. It is also amazingly entertaining with a high cinematic element.
Journey of the Hop – The 49th Parallel from Seth Coleman on Vimeo.
Not all branded content has a direct correlation to its sponsor. Such is the case with Morgan Spurlock’s Crafted that he created with funds from Haagen Dazs. Yet, the video is an interesting feature that pushes the idea of the artisan. Viewers can associate with the ice cream company. https://vimeo.com/181043120
Some branded content projects are a little more complex than just a long video. The partnership between the Guardian newspaper and Amazon is just that. This is a podcast series slash blog entries and drawings aimed to promote the new Amazon show Bosch. https://www.theguardian.com/how-to-solve-a-murder
Most branded content pieces can trace some element of their description to the sponsor. Yet, none of them are direct plugs for the product. This idea of specializing your marketing to brand an image to the viewer is the future of marketing. You want viewers to associate your product name with words like smart, interesting, and powerful. Branded content invests in the next generation of your consumers. It establishes your company as doing more than the competition. Branded content is also a piece of entertainment a company should be proud to sponsor.
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