What is branded content?
Posted: Thu Dec 05, 2024 4:33 am
Branded content is mass-appeal media or entertainment content that’s either sponsored, commissioned, or created by a company. Think Netflix-style documentaries for SaaS marketers, or short films directed by clothing brands.
Audiences australia mobile phone number connect with branded content on an emotional level. They consume it because they find it in some way entertaining or profound—not just because it’s interruptive like most marketing.
It’s not about the product
Branded content is values-first, product-later marketing, with a simple message: “We get you”
Products aren’t sold or promoted directly. Instead, the goal is to create positive brand affinity and shared audience values.
The product may still get a mention, but it never overshadows the main entertainment.
It’s not the same as content marketing or product placement
Wikipedia defines branded content in relation to content marketing and product placement:
Content marketing is created to naturally spark brand interest.
Advertising is a direct attempt to get audiences to buy.
Product placement is a form of subtle, subliminal marketing.
Branded content is entertaining, educational, or emotional content. It’s not made to persuade, but to share the audience’s values.
Examples of different marketing types
When the persuasion is dialed down, and the entertainment is dialed up, audiences can even forget they’re consuming a form of marketing.
Branded content tends to increase brand awareness, since its entertainment value appeals to a wide audience.
Examples of different marketing types based on brand awareness
Why is it worth creating branded content?
Branded content goes beyond traditional advertising—it entertains, connects with, and sticks with your audience in ways other marketing just can’t.
Here are five reasons to give it a go.
1. Stand out against other pick-me brands
Talking to The Washington Post, CEO of Storified and former founder of Marriott’s Content Studio, David Beebe said:
Content marketing is like a first date. If all you do is talk about yourself, there won’t be a second date.
David Beebe, CEO, Storified
He may have been talking about content marketing, but Beebe perfectly articulated why branded content works so well—it sidesteps the “me-me-me!” marketing of most brands, and instead makes everything about the audience.
When you create branded content, you stand out in a playing field of pick-me brands.
Audiences australia mobile phone number connect with branded content on an emotional level. They consume it because they find it in some way entertaining or profound—not just because it’s interruptive like most marketing.
It’s not about the product
Branded content is values-first, product-later marketing, with a simple message: “We get you”
Products aren’t sold or promoted directly. Instead, the goal is to create positive brand affinity and shared audience values.
The product may still get a mention, but it never overshadows the main entertainment.
It’s not the same as content marketing or product placement
Wikipedia defines branded content in relation to content marketing and product placement:
Content marketing is created to naturally spark brand interest.
Advertising is a direct attempt to get audiences to buy.
Product placement is a form of subtle, subliminal marketing.
Branded content is entertaining, educational, or emotional content. It’s not made to persuade, but to share the audience’s values.
Examples of different marketing types
When the persuasion is dialed down, and the entertainment is dialed up, audiences can even forget they’re consuming a form of marketing.
Branded content tends to increase brand awareness, since its entertainment value appeals to a wide audience.
Examples of different marketing types based on brand awareness
Why is it worth creating branded content?
Branded content goes beyond traditional advertising—it entertains, connects with, and sticks with your audience in ways other marketing just can’t.
Here are five reasons to give it a go.
1. Stand out against other pick-me brands
Talking to The Washington Post, CEO of Storified and former founder of Marriott’s Content Studio, David Beebe said:
Content marketing is like a first date. If all you do is talk about yourself, there won’t be a second date.
David Beebe, CEO, Storified
He may have been talking about content marketing, but Beebe perfectly articulated why branded content works so well—it sidesteps the “me-me-me!” marketing of most brands, and instead makes everything about the audience.
When you create branded content, you stand out in a playing field of pick-me brands.