Traditional Advertising vs. Branded Content

Yetunde Akin-Olaiya

Brand Managers these days are more concerned about how best to communicate with the consumers, especially in the face of the global financial crisis and general budget cuts. Of all costs, the marketing budgets are the most hit, especially in most multinationals. On the other hand, sales expectations are high (compared to the approved marketing communication budgets).

The Marketing communication agencies now have to think “Out-of-the-Ocean” (beyond out-of-the-box) to ensure effective and EFFICIENT ways of reaching the consumers. So the question is how do we reach these consumers? Do we continue with our regular 30 or 60 seconds TVC, prime time – Run-off Spots or Intra-program Spots (which by the way is usually overbooked, causes interruption and can be very annoying)? Or the 30 seconds radio commercial, drive time (also over booked)? Or the full page color ad in national dailies, early page (and you get to see your ads back-to-back with that of competition)? Or the Unipole in a high traffic area (which is near impossible no thanks to LAASA)?

The world is fast becoming a global place and things are happening in a fast paced manner. With the high level of media proliferation and audience fragmentation, it is becoming increasingly difficult to reach the consumers with our regular/traditional way of communicating. Multiple channels, new technologies, a less attentive consumer have made connection with consumers more and more difficult. For instance, with the increase in the penetration of Cable TV (DSTV, HiTV and our very own DAAR SAT), the consumer now has an option of watching over 100 TV channels. This makes the work of a media planner more difficult and confusing.

Audiences have forced brands to consider building more engaging relationships with consumers; they want something they can relate with and have a unique experience. Hopefully this will make them volunteer their attention.

BRANDED CONTENT

Branded content, also known as Branded entertainment and Product placement could be the way out. It is a form of advertising medium that blurs conventional distinctions between what constitutes advertising and what constitutes entertainment. Branded content is essentially a fusion of the two into one product intended to be distributed as entertainment content, albeit with a highly branded quality. Branded content, unlike conventional forms of entertainment content, is generally funded entirely by a brand or corporation rather than a Movie studio or a group of producers.

It is a form of creating an entertainment property, as it involves a new type of creative partnership between content developers, agencies, broadcasters/distributors and brands. It is co-creation, i.e. the convergence of what we can call the ‘Marketing Trinity’: Content, Media and Brands. It means taking the philosophy and message of a brand and translating that into entertainment properties that consumers want to engage with, e.g. films, TV programs, music, events, digital, sponsorship, and merchandising.

It brings entertainment value to brands and integrates brands into entertainment, linking important passions to important brands with a strategic reason why. By enabling these new entertainment experiences, brands gain significant fame and goodwill. By creating more value for the consumer, more value for businesses is created.

This concept is not entirely new, as brands have been appearing in movies and television shows for decades. Now, however, as advertiser struggle to engage the attention of today’s over marketed consumers, they are looking with renewed interest at the placement of brands in various entertainment genres. Many options are available, ranging from simple product placement to brand integration, branded entertainment and ultimately branded media channels. 

Whichever option we choose, whichever ways we choose to do it, it must focus on the consumer, i.e. be consumer-centric. The branding must also be subtle and not overdone (like over-branding the set, etc.). As we progress in this discourse, we would be looking deeply into Branded Content and how it works and the do’s and don’ts.

Yetunde Akin-Olaiya is the Head, Content Management and Digital Media Department of Connecting Marketing.