Let’s talk about… branded content!

Oh man! Can’t we talk about something else??

No. Because it’s very interesting. And if you’re reading this you probably work in marketing — or have a passing/professional interest in it — so it’s important too.

Fine…what is it then?

It’s called lots of different things:

• Brand journalism
• Branded editorial
• Advertorial
• Native advertising
• Custom publishing
• Cool videos
• Oscar-nominated movies
• Jumping out of a parachute from space

But what is it really?

It’s taking your brand out of the equation and thinking about the kind of content your customers enjoy. Create that content and credit your brand (or pay someone else to do it). Voila.

That simple, eh?

To be honest… yes. Because your brand effectively curates what your customers are interested in, rather than pushing the ‘hard sell’ or the same old messages, your customers start to feel more of an affinity for your brand. That you understand them. That you’re like them. Or, at least, the people at your company are like them.

Isn’t that tricking them?

Err…no (c’mon!). It’s an exercise in accessibility: a humanising endeavour. (Ok — maybe that’s a bit grandiose…) It’s appreciating how your brand fits into a wider context of customer’s lives/work. It builds their trust — because you’re being honest about what your brand stands for.

So it’s all new-fangled and digitally-driven…?

It’s actually been around for years (General Motors was doing it in 1956). Essentially, it’s good PR: reputation building stuff.

But branded content isn’t about pushing a product; it’s about showcasing a lifestyle. Or talking about an issue. Or discussing topics that are relevant to your customers. If your product has a part play in that — well, all the better for you.

Know any good editorial examples?

• GoDaddy’s Garage is a great example of a company with a limited remit (they sell web domains) doing branded content right. Hints and tips on running an online business? Yes please!
• The Makey Makey Blog has some great customer stories: genuine, honest, and engaging tales about the different ways they’re using this cooler-than-Magnum PI piece of maker kit.
• Disney Style; the entertainment brand’s lifestyle blog, is pretty nice too (if you like that sort of thing…).
• Microsoft’s Stories are very swish (as you’d expect).

So, it’s just blogging then??

Nooo! No, no, no (they’re just easier places to find good branded content). Publishers like BuzzFeed do it well (check out the ‘Case Studies’ bit).

Vice Media has a whole division dedicated to it… and they’ll create it for you if you’re happy for their spiky stamp to be sprinkled all over it.

Do it right and you might even be able to charge people for it — like Net-A-Porter does.

Well, I’ll be damned! Any final words of wisdom?

Basically, forget you’re a brand. Pretend you’re a journalist. Remember your brand’s audience. Write something they’ll enjoy/find interesting. Job done.