Brian Grey Blog

Branded Content. What does that mean? Sometimes it strikes me as basically just a fancy term for “Advertorial” – ugh! Other times, I see it as basically what all content tries to become: sponsored (e.g. branded), so why not just call it Content at that point?

The latest announcement of a company that gets in close with big brand marketers (in this case Nitro, a private ad agency in NY, not an American Gladiator) and a Hollywood honcho that has access to uber content creation (in this case International Creative Management or ICM) getting together to start a venture called “Ignite Brands” got me thinking about this whole concept of Branded Content.

Of course there are a multitude of companies, JVs, partnerships, whatever who all claim to be focused on cracking the Branded Content code. I actually buy in to this approach (somewhat) given the unique way in which marketers are able to integrate their brands in to digital media. We’re talking a world vastly different from a :30 second TV ad or a print ad in a magazine or newspaper. My favorite adage about digital media from the publisher’s perspective when approaching the ad community: “The good news about digital media is you can create whatever you want, the bad news about digital media is you can create whatever you want.”

The core elements that need to be in place to make any of these Branded Content ventures work are pretty standard:

• Engaging Content – Ideas that will truly engage users — not just video clips — but the combination of video, audio, text and design that bring users in, keep them around and bring them back day after day. Ultimately, if the content isn’t funny, informative or engaging in some other valuable way for users, you have no real chance to get users to spend time with the experience.
• Production Scalability – It’s an amazing fallacy that producing digital content (e.g not just video clips, but website experiences with depth and dynamically changing programming) is cheap and easy. It’s not, so there’s a premium on building a team of talent that can produce concepts efficiently over and over again.
• Distribution – If you build it, there’s no guarantee users will come. Thinking about how you are going to syndicate your brilliantly produced Branded Content is critical to getting it in front of enough audience to then generate the impressions needed to warrant real sponsor dollars.

Yah, these aren’t necessarily rocket science concepts, but it is pretty darn hard to get all three of them in line at the same time. But when you do, you can simultaneously make users, advertisers and your bosses happy.