The power of branded content

The term ‘branded content’ has been doing the rounds for some time and is used more and more throughout the marketing production industry. Unfortunately, it is also more often misused than used.

Until very recently, the approach to almost all marketing and advertising has been to saturate the viewer, reader or listener with product placement; but the sledge-hammer effect has lost a lot of its impact.

Branded content through video has put storytelling at the heart of product appeal and is taking brand association to a new level. Thanks to social and digital media, there is a wider audience than ever, and entertainment is far more attractive than conventional selling tools. For production houses across the region, it is a chance to not only diversify into a new stream of revenue but also to rediscover some of their creativity.

It’s a great opportunity to pitch ideas as well as production values. It’s no longer a case of a client saying, ‘Here’s the plot, go and shoot it.’

Producers, who are increasingly working as artistic directors, constantly explore new angles and new storylines, incorporating the brand’s values, considering where and how the audience will view the content and how the audience can engage with that content.

Production companies have now moved away from an advertising and marketing approach, which has outstayed its effectiveness. We are now giving a little more credit to our audiences, who have largely switched off to the culture of advertising we have relied on for decades. They want to be entertained, and with branded content one can provide that entertainment and create purchase appeal at the same time.

The vast majority of branded video content is aimed at online viewers, who can be targeted far more accurately than previous traditional media allowed. Digital platform is undoubtedly one of the main catalysts for the move towards branded content, but many clients believe that online production should somehow be less expensive purely because it is not for conventional broadcast.

There is no reason quality should be compromised just because the end product is online rather than on TV – to produce good content wherever it lives still requires the same preparation, time and effort. The savings for the client don’t come at the expense of quality, but production itself can be more cost-effective.

A large proportion of branded content commissioned in this region is produced by experienced TV programme makers. Broadcast production in the West has long been outsourced to independent production companies and television production traditionally brings with it experienced multi-skilled personnel, such as producers, directors, editors, assistant producers, researchers and lighting cameramen, leading to leaner production costs.

The emotional association and subtlety of branded content has led to a much more individual production approach to each storyline. Many corporate videos have become formulaic to the extent that they can be both anonymous and meaningless.

The classic John Lewis Christmas ads are a perfect example of branded content, but if you pitched those concepts to companies in this region, many of them would not see the potential of brand association. They would expect the name of the store to feature throughout the ad rather than as an ident towards the end. We have found now that it is far more effective to shoot a short teaser to illustrate your concept, and also to show that you have understood the brief. It may sometimes be difficult in terms of time and budget, but if you have confidence in your pitch, you should have the confidence to go the extra mile. It can pay dividends in the long run.

While it is not exactly in its infancy, branded content still has a long way to go in the Middle East. There is still some resistance to the concept, but the clients who have commissioned branded content have recognised – literally – that it is not the same old story.

Ian Carless is Executive Director at Talkabout Media and is the winner of

13 awards for branded content.