CON

TENT

S F

OREW

ORD

INTR

ODUC

TION

CAS

E ST

UDIE

S

Duck Tape ‘Race of Gentlemen’Tenthwave

Carphone Warehouse ‘Smarter World’Adjust Your Set

Chivas Regal ‘MASHTUN’Somethin' Else

Terra ‘Penetras de Luxo’Wanted Agency and ASAS da Imaginação

Unilever Dove ‘Real Beauty Sketches’Ogilvy

Barclays ‘Your Bank’Red Bee Media

Metro Trains Melbourne ‘Dumb Ways to Die’McCann

Unilever Surf TOWIE ‘Summer D’Reem’ITV

Volvo Trucks ‘The Epic Split’Forsman & Bodenfors

Sony Xperia ‘Vs The Northern Lights’DigitasLBi

PepsiCo Lyubimy ‘Natural Love’Fuse Russia

Intel+Toshiba ‘The Beauty Inside’Pereira & O’Dell

Unilever Hellmann’s ‘In Search of Real Food’Ogilvy

RES

EARC

H

MAR

KET

REPO

RTS

T

HE F

UTUR

E

ABOU

T TH

E BO

OK

10 Years of the BCMA Alison Knight

Looking Forward to the Next 10 YearsAndrew Canter

Stop Trying to Make Your Ads Go Viral: Top Tips for Video SuccessUnruly

Defining Branded Content for the Digital Age: Phase One Findings Ipsos MORI & Oxford Brookes

RussiaAnton Efimov

BrazilPatrícia Weiss

Expert Predictions ReportJustin Kirby

Contributors

Producers

Feedback

Copyright 2014. This book may not be

reproduced in whole or in part without

the written permission of the publishers

(BCMA, DMC, New Media Works) and

the relevant copyright owner. Please

contact online@dmc.co.uk in the first

instance to request such permission. All

trademarks and registered trademarks

acknowledged. All rights reserved.

CLI

ENT

VIEW

EurostarNick Mercer

FOR

EWOR

DBack in the early 2000s, I worked with a

number of companies who were advising

brands to use different ways of

communicating with their audiences,

often substituting and in some instances

replacing more traditional advertising

routes.

It struck me that it seemed a good idea to

try to bring together these interested

parties and promote a new form of

communication based on bringing

consumers and brands together by

invitation, not interruption, in an

entertaining and engaging way through

branded content.

The number of interested parties wanting

a forum for discussion, sharing of ideas,

setting industry standards and

development of best practice steadily

increased and the Branded Content

Marketing Association or BCMA was

officially launched in October 2003.

The BCMA’s primary objective was to act

as a catalyst in breaking the existing

barriers between content providers,

advertisers, agencies and platforms. It

was formed to offer support, advice,

share ideas, to develop best practice,

share learning and to promote the

adoption of branded content as a

marketing medium by communicating its

strengths to the wider market.

Alison KnightFounder, BCMA

FIGURE 2.1

Over the last 10 years, the BCMA has

established itself as the leading

organisation for branded content. We

have created a proprietary measurement

tool, contentmonitor, giving us valuable

insight into what makes branded content

effective. We have opened dedicated

BCMA chapters in the USA, Russia and

most recently South America and

Scandinavia.

We were delighted with the response to

our first ebook showcasing great

examples of branded content, which was

published in early 2013.

Due to its success – and with special

thanks to Tenthwave, Somethin’ Else,

Ipsos MORI, Adjust Your Set, DMC and

New Media Works for their help with

editing, production, distribution and

promotion – we have pleasure in

publishing this, our second ebook. We

envisage this being an annual publication

showcasing the very best of branded

content.

We also publish the ‘BCMA Weekly

Digest’ that brings together all branded

content news and stories from around the

world. Our Insight Series of events brings

together leading experts in the field of

branded content to share their views on

the current and future trends. And our

recently developed Leadership Series

showcases the latest developments

affecting the industry.

Contained within this ebook are all things

branded content, including the best

recent case studies, a report on emerging

markets, expert predictions on future

trends and an in-depth analysis of the

first phase of the Oxford Brooke’s

University and Ipsos MORI Academic

Study which sets out to develop a clearer

understanding of this key marketing

concept and define branded content in

the digital age.

We look forward to our next ten years

with great excitement and we hope you

are inspired to join us on this amazing

journey.

3

INTR

ODUC

TION

We generally look back to look forward

and predict the emerging trends, but the

explosion of social media and the rapid

development of technology has impacted

positively on branded content and given

us a glimpse of what the future may hold

for brands. 2013 was the year that

branded content marketing came of age.

The recent content revolution can be

traced back to a seminal moment in 2001

when BMW decided to take its US$30

million advertising budget and spend it

on producing five ‘mini’ feature films

working with luminary directors and

producers, such as Ang Lee, Guy Richie,

John Woo, Ridley and Tony Scott. The

star-studded line-up of actors included

FIGURE 3.1

Andrew CanterCEOBCMA Looking Forward to the

Next 10 Years“2013 has been an incredibly

exciting year with some

amazing campaigns from

major brands. We’ve seen the

growth of social media and the

Internet as a real driver, and I

think that brands that adopt

strategies that embrace

branded content to its full

impact will maximise ROI.”

Clive Owen, Madonna, Don Cheadle,

Mickey Rourke, Gary Oldman and Forest

Whitaker.

BMW Films’ ‘The Hire’ series season one

featured ‘Ambush’, ‘Chosen’, ‘The

Follow’, ‘Star’, and ‘Powder Keg’. The

brand followed this up with three more

films for season two: ‘Hostage’, ‘Ticker’,

and ‘Beat the Devil’.

Already ahead of the curve, BMW then

created BMW Audiobooks in 2006, which

were given to customers to play in their

new cars, but were not deemed to be a

great success. However, we often learn

more from things that don’t work than

from things that do, so BMW should be

congratulated for their vision and

foresight.

We can surmise that this influenced the

decision of the likes of Audi (2005) and

more recently Renault (2009) to launch

dedicated channels to showcase their

brands. We have also seen Jaguar

producing the 2013 film, ‘Desire’, starring

Damian Lewis. It was created in

collaboration with Ridley Scott

Associates (RSA) and features music

from Lana Del Rey.

The masters of branded content, Red

Bull have created some incredible

content over the past few years,

culminating in the Stratos project that

saw Felix Baumgartner freefall from

space. Who would have thought that a

brand would be bold and confident

enough to spend millions on achieving

this? Money well spent? It certainly gives

a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Red

Bull gives you wings”.

Mobile telecommunications brands have

been extremely active in the branded

content market in the last decade. We

have seen Orange create the music show

‘Playlist’ with Initial (Endemol), broadcast

on ITV in 2005. A year later T-Mobile

decided to follow suit and co-produced a

show with Channel 4 called

‘Transmission’, and Vodafone’s music

show TBA ran on E4 from 2006, produced

by Endemol.

Drinks brands have relied heavily on

branded content, with great examples

from Bacardi’s B-Live events in

partnership with Groove Armada. A

drinks brand as a record label? Also,

5

established brands such as Johnnie

Walker have created a rich vein of

content based on the history of the

brand.

Other brands like Chivas Regal have

invested heavily in content creation with

two films based on real friendships

directed by multi-award-winning Joachim

Back: ‘Here’s to Big Bear’ and ‘Here’s to

Twinkle’.

We also witnessed a huge change in

attitude to content as brands such as

Heineken reportedly increased their

branded content marketing budget from

under 5% to 25% over the course of 18

months. This culminated in their highly

acclaimed 2011 ‘Open Your World’

campaign that was created to engage in

areas that were at the centre of their core

consumer’s life, i.e. music, football,

nightlife and social media. With this

campaign, they recognise the legend in

all of their drinkers, those who know their

way around and recognise a fine beer

when they taste one. In ‘The Entrance’,

the film’s hero demonstrates his

‘legendary-ness’ by making the ultimate

party entrance.

This was followed by their high-profile

involvement in the James Bond movie

‘Skyfall’, which caused a great stir among

Bond fans as beer replaced his Martini

and generated huge coverage for the

brand. It was a notable example of how

brand integration can be subtle but

effective, notwithstanding the £45 million

investment. 6

“We’ve evolved from, “If [consumers]

might skip my ads then I’m going to try

and hide my ads in the content they’re

already consuming” to “Wait a minute, I

actually have stories that I can shape

and share with my audience that are

worthy of their time.” That is really a

huge transfer of thought from a world of

branded content being a tactic, to a

world of strategic, story-based

marketing where all forms of

communication have to be put through

the filter of “What do I have to say that

adds value to people’s lives and

conversations?””

Scott Donaton,

Global Chief Content Officer,

UM

Branded content has always been at the

heart of Luxury brands, with great

examples coming from: Dunhill’s ‘The

Voice’ campaign, featuring distinguished

gentlemen who have achieved great

things in their chosen fields; Prada with

‘The Therapy’, a short movie directed by

Roman Polanski, starring Helena Bonham

Carter and Ben Kingsley; LVMH; Chanel,

producing the 30-minute film ‘The Tail of

a Fairy’, created by Karl Lagerfeld and

featuring Vogue cover girl Freja Beha

Erichsen; and Cartier with their incredibly

moving ‘Painted Love’ campaign,

featuring original music by French band,

Air.

The soft drinks sector has been

dominated by Coca Cola who have fully

committed to branded content with their

‘Content 2020’ vision. They believe this

will leverage the opportunities in the new

media landscape and transform one-way

storytelling into dynamic storytelling that

hopes to add value and significance to

people’s lives. Their ‘Move to the Beat’

campaign in 2012 formed part of their

Olympic Games association and

achieved great results.

We have also seen them diversify into

sub brands, such as Coke Zero for which

‘A Step from Zero’ was created with

excellent results. The campaign

consisted of launching a global social

media audition to define the next global

dance move. After hundreds of original

dance move submissions poured in from

all parts of the world – igniting thousands

of social media conversations – one guy

stood out with a tale of possibility that

just had to be told. Not only did his dance

move – the ‘Toe Tappy’ – take off, but

also he got the whole world dancing to it.

And who can forget the Coca Cola Polar

Bears that featured during the Superbowl

in 2012? Another great example of

branded content from a truly visionary

brand.

In sport, Nike have been the most active

brand creating content around specific

events, such as their city-based ‘Run’

series – for example, aligning ‘Run

London’ to the recent ‘My Time Is Now’

campaign.

Then there are the charities that have

used branded content effectively. Of note

is ‘Movember’ that has helped to raise

7

£276 million over the past 10 years with

577 funded projects for men’s health in

21 countries, focused upon prostrate and

testicular cancer as well as mental health

issues. There is also Cancer Research

UK’s ‘Tesco Race for Life’, the UK’s

biggest women-only fundraising event,

which incorporates a 5km run for the

charity. It has raised almost £500 million

over the past two decades.

There are many more great examples of

brands using content effectively, which

can be viewed on the BCMA’s YouTube

channel. There are also examples of

where branded content has not worked

as well as planned. It is often the latter

campaigns we learn most from, and we

must ensure that changes are

implemented for subsequent activity to

ensure the best possible outcome.

At our most recent BCMA event, BC:

2023, we asked our experts to look 10

years into the future and give us their

views on what brands would be doing to

engage with their customers.

Eric Schwamberger, Partner at

Tenthwave, said that brands will stop

"disrupting what people are interested in"

and try to "become what people are

interested in", shifting marketing value

from brand impressions and message

frequency to brand engagement and

experiences.

His other prediction was that, as the first

‘Social Generation’ grows up,

transparency and sharing will become

8

“I think one of the most interesting

things about marketing today is just

how much being a globally connected

society has changed things. As more

people enter the job market and [join]

organisations that understand the value

of relevant content and being a good

social brand, and that value

relationships over impressions – as

these people are put in charge of

budgets, we are going to see more

attention paid to branded content and

content marketing. This is going to be

essential for these people to succeed,

because many brands will be competing

to win the hearts and minds of their

consumers. The successful agencies in

the next five years are going to become

obsessed with delivering branded

experiences that can create real bonds

with their customers.”

Eric Schwamberger,

Partner,

Tenthwave

part of a new global dynamic. The idea of

social media will move past a line item in

the marketing budget to an integrated

tactic of just about everything we do.

We have seen an unprecedented

increase in the level of branded content

over the past year, and, although the

process of producing great content has

improved, there is still much debate and

discussion about the best approach.

This was summed up in 2013 by Robin

Thornton of Shaman Marketing, who

said, “There is a significant amount of

confusion and controversy out there

around what content is, what it does and

how to use it.” This is backed up by

Cindy Gallop of IfWeRanTheWorld who

said, “Content is such a broad and fuzzy

term that it tends to make any discussion

of it broad and fuzzy as well.” These

quotes come from the literature review of

our current academic study, ‘Defining

Branded Content for the Digital Age’ –

see the Phase One results report here.

However, through the BCMA’s desire and

passion to drive forward creativity and

establish academic understanding,

champion best practice and share

learning, we truly believe that branded

content will continue to be an

increasingly important part of the

marketing mix.

This will maximise the return on

investment for those brands adopting a

strategy that fully embraces the power of

content.

9

“I don’t think brands are taking

enough risks in the content space.

[They are] looking at what they

bought from a mass media

perspective and trying to replicate

that in the realm of digital. I also

believe that the content produced by

brands is primarily passive and linear.

I don’t think it takes advantage of

advanced platforms like Xbox One. I

don’t think it has a high level of

consumer engagement. I don’t think

it is transmedia in the truest sense of

delivering different content

experiences, be they entertainment

or utility based. So I think there is

tremendous growth opportunity.”

Doug Scott,

President,

OgilvyEntertainment

10

“The branded content segment is

developing and becoming more

popular among advertisers in Russia.

Top TV programmes of general

interest and top sport events are

already branded. Further growth will

follow the segmentation of content

delivery channels (Internet and digital

TV) and technologies that analyse

audience preferences. Audiences will

require more and more specific-

interest content that will be produced

in partnership with advertisers.”

Anton Efimov,

Managing Director,

Fuse Russia

“In the Age of Social Conversation, the period of interruption-based advertising is diminishing and is being replaced by engagement-based advertising in most parts of the South American region.

In Brazil, 2013 has been the year of the video, due to the social visual culture evolution. Naturally, marketers are planning to increase social video ad placements, leveraging the production investments of original content to create their own experience and conversation territory with the consumer - without causing an impact on the traditional, and still predominant, investment in TV. 

Because we are an emerging market, in many cases, the content created is still centred on the brand and is media-oriented, demanding stronger planning and creativity to develop more entertaining, efficient, involving, storied and relevant branded content initiatives within the consumer’s context to provoke shareability and relationship.

The big challenge for the Brazilian market is in maturing and expanding branded content strategies by permeating other forms of connection between the brand and the consumer. When storytelling gets incorporated in the centre of the brand strategy, it will triumph as a powerful, ‘meaning-conveyor’ marketing tool.

More examples of compelling stories that manage to get the attention of a dispersive audience will be seen, informing and delivering value while entertaining. Marketers are getting serious about creating great stories that spread brand meaning and help to humanise the brands – exactly now, when the most important universal currency is the conversation.”

Patrícia Weiss,

SVP Strategic Consultant for Branded Content, Branded Entertainment and Transmedia Storytelling,

ASAS da Imaginação

Campaign : The Race of Gentlemen

Client : ShurTech Duck Tape

Agency : Tenthwave Digital

CASE

STU

DY

12

First run over an Autumn weekend in 2012, the Race of

Gentlemen is an invitation-only series of races in which hand-

built, modified pre-World War II cars and motorcycles roar along

a 1/8-mile sandy straight on the beach at Wildwood, New Jersey.

The Race was conceived by a group of hot-rod enthusiasts from

the Oilers Car Club, which was established in the 1940s. The

Race invokes the bygone era when people built cars to push

their skills and their love of speed, using parts pulled from other

cars or fabricated by hand in their backyards and home garages.

“My vision was for a race much like you would have seen in 1910

or ’20: people dressed up, with picnic baskets and good booze,

waiting to see a machine at its top speed pass before them on a

wide open beach,” said Mel Stultz of the Oilers Car Club and

founder of the Race of Gentlemen.

One of the spectators at the 2012 event was Brendan Kennedy –

now a Tenthwave Creative Director. Brendan went to Tenthwave

in summer 2013 and pitched the idea of partnering with a brand

to help raise the profile of the Race.

The agency loved the idea, but had just three weeks to find a

partner, conceive and produce a campaign that would be ready

to go live at the second annual Race in October 2013.

13

CHAL

LENG

E

When looking to engage a brand with a

cultural event, Tenthwave aims to satisfy

two important factors:

1. The event should be something that

people care about and are already talking

about, but there is an opportunity to

expand the conversation in some way.

2. The involvement of the brand must

be relevant and authentic to the event – a

brand can’t stomp all over an event and

take it over, they have to be genuine

participants with a right to be there, and

they have to participate in a way that’s

not only on-brand but also feels natural

to the consumers involved.

For their first challenge – finding a willing

and suitable brand partner – the agency

realised that a cult race series with a

niche target audience required the

support of a cult brand that’s relevant to

that niche and interested in building its

own profile within the same community.

One of Tenthwave’s clients, ShurTech’s

Duck Tape®, was an obvious and natural

fit.

Duck Tape was first used during World

War II, when US troops needed a strong,

flexible, durable, waterproof tape that

could seal canisters, secure cracked

windows, repair trucks and more. The

tape has been a staple in garages and

toolkits across America ever since.

Not surprisingly, drivers in the Race of

Gentlemen were already using Duck Tape

to build and patch up their cars, make

pre-race modifications and running

repairs – it was literally holding together

vital car parts.

14

SOLU

TION

So both culturally and from a product

angle, Duck Tape was a perfect match for

the Race. The brand agreed to get

involved at short notice, trusting

Tenthwave to come up with a branded

content marketing idea that would

expand on Duck Tape’s existing goodwill

and authenticity among race-goers.

The agency had several other

considerations to take into account for

the conception and production of a

campaign.

First, they had to do something highly

effective for the Race and the brand with

a very short lead-time and without

spending a lot of money. In fact, there

was less than US$10,000 allocated for

media.

Hurricane Sandy had hit the beach the

year earlier, destroying some of the

historic beach huts and infrastructure. In

order to support the event, Tenthwave

would have to bring their own technical

communications equipment, such as

power and Internet connectivity, and get

Duck Tape involved from the ground up.

From a creative viewpoint, the energy

and passion of the historic motoring

event was matched by the amazing

natural beauty of the backdrop itself – the

beach with its sand and sea spray, the

crazy characters, the old jalopies and the

heritage buildings would all enable the

creation of great visual content.15

Tenthwave decided to create an

experiential, branded content marketing

pilot campaign, consisting of a mix of live

activities during the Race from 4-6

October 2013:

Live online broadcast of races Tenthwave created a campaign website

that included live streaming of race

footage from the beach, so that anyone

anywhere in the world could view the

races and the surrounding activity. Social

media, including Facebook, Instagram

and Twitter, was used to help drive traffic

to the live feed site before and during the

Race.

Live photographic contest Spectators were encouraged to take

photos during the Race weekend and

hashtag their photos with

#raceofgentlemen and #ducktape for a

chance to win US$500. Instagram was

the main social media platform for the

photos, however photos also appeared

on Duck Tape’s Facebook page where

the brand has more than 5.5 million fans.

The contest was promoted on the

campaign website via a live feed of the

Instagram shots, and it was promoted

live at the Race, where Duck Tape and

Tenthwave staff walked around chatting

with attendees and handing out cards

with directions on how to enter the

contest.16

"This campaign worked

because it was cool and fun

and relevant for hotrod

enthusiasts. Whatever it is

that’s culturally relevant, we

want to bring that authenticity

and relevance to all the brands

we work with. This campaign is

just one excellent example of

facilitating the meeting of a

brand’s product with cultural

and social currency."

Drew Rayman,

Managing Partner,

Tenthwave

Duck Tape giveaways ‘stand’ Duck Tape gave away free branded T-

shirts, rolls of Duck Tape and cards

promoting the photo competition from

the back of a suitably modified

stationwagon on the beach.

Archival video footageA production crew filmed thousands of

hours of footage during the Race

weekend, with the aim to use this

collection of stories and social content in

future Duck Tape social and digital

marketing initiatives.

17

"What was so great about this

branded content campaign is

that it was just an off-the-cuff

idea from a guy in a garage:

“Hey this is going on, wouldn’t

it be cool if…” Duck Tape was

literally invited in to the event

and they took a chance that it

would generate some benefits

for them as well as for the Race

of Gentlemen. And boy did it!

It’s all about finding the right

idea and the right brand and

bringing them together."

Kate Daggett,

Executive Creative Director,

Tenthwave

"Duck Tape is the most versatile tool in my bag. I keep a roll

in every car I own and I use a ton of it when I'm prop-making

for the Race of Gentlemen"

Meldon Van Riper Stultz III, Oilers Car Club, and his 1939

Indian Chief

18

Founded in 2010, Tenthwave is the

customer-obsessed digital, social

and mobile marketing agency.

Its passion is to inspire customers

through insight and understanding,

creating share-worthy social content

for brands that resonates with – and

between – people.

As a more personal, full-service

digital agency, its core service

offerings lie in strategy, research,

digital design, development, branded

content development, user

experience, social media

management, online media,

analytics, promotions and online

marketing.

Tenthwave has about 100 employees

globally, with offices in New York

City, Long Island, Chicago, Detroit,

San Francisco, Washington DC and

London.

See more of Tenthwave's work here.

PROF

ILE

R

ESUL

TS• c.30,000 people accessed the live

event online broadcast

• Online viewers from 60+ countries

• Average 15+ minutes spent on site

per visitor

• c.1 million pieces of branded

content consumed in a week

"My first truck, a 1969 Toyota Hi-lux, had a floor entirely made of Duck Tape" John Illenye and his 1928 German-built Triumph and Hindenberg metal werks sidecar

"I've used Duck Tape to make a fan belt – and a

belt to hold up my pants!"

David Stein and his 1930 Ford Model A

Speedster

The Duck Tape 'Race of Gentlemen' branded content marketing initiative matched

the right brand with a relevant, relatively unheard-of, cool cultural event. It was the

perfect opportunity to tell a story about Duck Tape in an authentic way – a story

that people could help create and share in real time from a live event via earned

media.

The brand was welcomed into the event, rather than having to buy its way in, and

all the Tenthwave and Duck Tape staff rolled up their sleeves to help build the

event infrastructure. This translated into a feel-good, morale-boosting story that

brought kudos to Duck Tape for its support of the event and the traumatised

Jersey Shore, and in turn helped the live, socially activated campaign to take off

under its own steam.

The Duck Tape partnership also raised the Race of Gentlemen’s profile, connecting

this niche subculture with other enthusiasts who create – and break! – things.

Looking at the impact of the individual Duck Tape campaign activities, the stand at

the Race was mobbed by race-goers and the free samples ran out within minutes,

tens of thousands of people from around the world tuned into the live event on the

campaign website, and over a million social impressions flooded the Internet over

a couple of days.

19

OUTC

OMES

"Our goal with the Race of

Gentlemen is to give car buffs

some pure, event-driven

content that stirs passion and

makes them the marketing

engine. When a brand delivers

content so cool that people

want to share it with their

friends, there’s a credibility you

can’t buy."

David Rodgers,

Senior Digital Marketing Manager,

ShurTech Brands

There were several useful outcomes from the photographic contest: When Duck Tape and Tenthwave staff

walked down the beach to hand out

cards about the contest, the reaction was

extremely positive and they were treated

as part of the family. Duck Tape wasn’t

borrowing the equity of the Race; it was

dedicated to helping build it – a

difference that was apparently obvious to

event attendees and social media

viewers alike.

As a result, Duck Tape saw its largest

spike in conversation across its social

media channels. Through its presence at

the Race and the inherent awareness this

created, the brand also appeared in

vastly more attendee photographs as an

integral part of the cars, motorbikes, and

general race experience.

The photographic contest also proved

vital to the live broadcast activity. When

there were breaks between races, the

footage from the beach wasn’t constantly

riveting. However, the accompanying

Instagram feed always featured shots

that captured breathtaking moments in

time and covered stories that were going

on all over the beach, such as performer

stunts that were pulled – a racer standing

on a motorbike, the passion and energy

of the event.

The archive film footage of the event is

being curated, along with all the fan

content, and it will be distributed

throughout the coming year.

Building on 2013’s campaign experience,

Duck Tape and Tenthwave are now

looking to scale up the reach and

amplification of the pilot project’s

success.

For 2014, Tenthwave plans to involve

additional strategically aligned brand

collaborators to augment the campaign

activities, create more rich content to

share, and use it to build a larger cultural

story for the Race of Gentlemen and its

associated partner brands.

20

"I X out my headlights and seal my floor with

Duck Tape when I'm racing"

TJ O'Grady and his 1931 Model A Ford

roadster pick-up

"We use Duck Tape on the seams between the hood and grill and the hood and body to help cheat the wind" Ken Schmidt and his 1932 Ford 3-window Coupe

Campaign : Smarter World

Client : Carphone Warehouse

Agency : Adjust Your Set

CASE

STU

DY

22

23

CHAL

LENG

E

In 2012, Carphone Warehouse decided to return to its roots – a new ‘back-to-

basics’ approach, with a focus on becoming the specialist smartphone retailer.

With every network represented (7million+ purchase combinations), Carphone

Warehouse’s unique sales proposition is to offer more choice than any rival retailer,

and to be the only place for truly independent expert advice.

To fulfil this aspiration the brand needed to inspire people about what smartphones

can do: the mini-computer in the pocket that can make people laugh, cry, keep

close to loved ones, educate, provide the soundtrack to a commute, help run a new

business – even spark revolutions and regime change.

Video has an important role to play in this activity. Video consumption is becoming

increasingly critical in the consumer research and purchase journey – 39% of all

smartphone shoppers now use video at some point in their buying process.

Carphone Warehouse appointed Adjust

Your Set as its video agency following a

competitive pitch, then challenged the

agency to create a campaign with two

objectives:

1. Develop an ongoing programme

of entertaining and engaging video

content that inspires people about

smartphone possibilities.

2. Support the brand’s desire to

become the number one destination for

smartphone research and browsing.

The results benchmark for the

campaign was to generate 6 million

aggregated views and a 5% click-

through rate within a year.

Adjust Your Set came up with the

‘Smarter World’ branded video campaign,

creating a content strategy split into

three phases; awareness, engagement

and interaction.

For the launch of the campaign, Adjust

Your Set produced an introductory film to

a ‘Smarter World’, unveiling ‘Cliff’ as a

humorous salesman in a Carphone

Warehouse store, fed up with customers

not using their phones to their full

potential. Cliff takes customers on a

journey through the ‘Smarter World’ lab

where dogs can communicate, a DJ can

spin tunes and you can work up a sweat

with a personal trainer, all from your

smartphone or tablet.

Adjust Your Set has now started creating

a series of six ‘Smarter World’

documentaries focussing on different

inspirational stories. The first looks at an

amateur photographer’s rise to fame

through smartphone photography. The

film crew took Dilshad Corleone to

Barcelona to shoot the city with its

stunning architecture and beauty, simply

via his smartphone and the variety of

apps now available to photographers.

24

SOLU

TION

The next documentary features the

achievements of blind runner Simon

Wheatcroft who is using his smartphone

to help him train for an ultra-marathon in

the desert.

The documentaries are complemented by

how-to content created by Carphone

Warehouse and Geek Squad,

showing viewers how they can use apps

to achieve similar style photos, videos

and challenges. The audience is then

encouraged to create and submit their

own photos and videos.

To host this content and enable it to be

shared with other people, Adjust Your Set

designed and built a dedicated video

player system that presents both the

professionally produced content and

user-generated content integrated across

multiple channels

(carphonewarehouse.com, YouTube,

Facebook) and devices (desktop, mobile

and tablet).

When people upload their own

smartphone content, as well as sharing

via social media the ways in which

smartphones have affected their lives

they get the chance to win smartphone-

related prizes. The winning entries are

then used to populate the ‘Smarter

World’ player to provide an immersive

visual experience to the user.25

26

Adjust Your Set™ is a full-service

digital content agency.

Their approach is to fuse content

strategy, creativity and technology to

enable brands to become always-on

publishers in a customer-centric

digital world.

As the most visible and powerful

content format available to brands

on digital and mobile channels, and

the fastest growing advertising

medium ever, video is the agency’s

focal point. Adjust Your Set have

been pioneers and distributors of

video in a multi-screen world since

2008.

Take a look at some more work from

Adjust Your Set.

PROF

ILE

R

ESUL

TSLaunched in 2013, the ‘Smarter

World’ campaign has achieved:

• 1 million+ aggregated views

within six weeks of launch,

backed by media spend

• 36,000+ page impressions

• 4,000+ user-generated

content uploads

The 'Smarter World' branded video

campaign achieved its core aims.

The device that generated the most

engagement, not surprisingly, was the

smartphone. It drove 68% of the page

impressions, followed by the tablet at 55%

27

OUTC

OMES

"Our customers want to

connect with us in new and

smarter ways, and video is the

ideal content format to share

our brand stories with them. We

were really impressed by the

strategic thinking from Adjust

Your Set, and their expertise in

retail video-commerce. The

‘Smarter World’ branded

content marketing campaign

combines creative and

technical innovation to deliver

strong brand engagement."

Gareth Jones,

Head of Online Marketing,

Carphone Warehouse

Campaign : MASHTUN

Client : Chivas Regal

Agency : Somethin’ Else

CASE

STU

DY

Working with Havas, Somethin’ Else

took Chivas’ overall campaign

objectives and put their proven

design approach to work.

Somethin’ Else could have proposed

a perfectly suitable game where little

hosts barrel back and forth. However,

creating a game that actually makes

social gatherings go well was deemed

a far better plan: the game should be

a tool for hosts and should bring the

campaign to life.

Recognising that social gatherings

are affected by personal digital

technology, Somethin’ Else also

decided to embrace that technology

to turn the attention of party guests

towards each other. This called for a

29

CHAL

LENG

E

Chivas Regal is a sophisticated, modern brand of Scotch whisky –

with over two centuries of history. Their ‘Art of Hosting’ marketing

campaign is sharply focused: Chivas makes the modern social

gathering complete.

Chivas asked their marketing partner Havas Worldwide London to

include a smartphone app in the campaign. Havas challenged

content design and creation company Somethin’ Else to come up

with a game that showcased the ‘Art of Hosting’, which is all about

creating an environment, a novel experience, and facilitating a

good time.SO

LUTI

ON

MASHTUN

social game that made players look at

each other rather than their devices.

Those two insights framed Somethin’

Else’s mission: to reinvent the parlour

game for the modern age; to make ‘real-

time social games’; and ultimately to

make you a better host.

The starting point for developing the

game was to look at the most successful

parlour games from history and capture

their essence. What made them popular

games? What was the central mechanic

that encouraged interaction?

The creative team tested them out (a lot)

and whittled the list down to around 20

games.

The next step was to test these ideas

against the central premise: the games

had to make smart, entertaining and

imaginative use of iPhone and iPad

hardware, such as the touch screen,

camera, gyroscope, accelerometer and

microphone.

A shortlist was then compiled and the

resulting games were prototyped and

tested to see if they fit the bill.

Scoring was an interesting challenge. The

aim was for scoring to be arbitrary,

something to be set by the party host to

demonstrate that s/he had the qualities

that Chivas was interested in fostering.

The results of several user testing

sessions with a target audience of

professional people aged 25-35 were fed

30

into the whole development process to

create the final app: MASHTUN – a suite

of five parlour games for the modern

host:

• Mashact: Inspired by Charades, this

quick-fire acting game encourages wild

team acting under pressure, with the

words selected by the opposing team.

• Mashjam: Players ‘jam’ by playing

sections of a track in time.

• Mashtip: Players complete physical

challenges while keeping a tower of

blocks balanced.

• Mashrelay: A head-to-head relay

race powered by your voice!

• Mashseek: Hide and seek for the

modern age. One team hides their

device. The other team uses their device

to find it.

The MASHTUN app automatically

suggests the number of teams and the

number of players on each team, based

on the guests and smartphones or tablets

in the room.

Launched in April 2013, the free app was

made available on the iTunes app store

as part of the wider ‘Art of Hosting’

campaign, and promoted via YouTube,

Vimeo and Facebook.

31

32

Somethin’ Else designs and creates

content that millions of people

watch, listen to and play with every

day on their computers, radios,

devices and televisions.

Awarded internationally at the

highest level – they are 2013’s BAFTA

Production Company of the Year, for

example – Somethin’ Else has an

interdisciplinary team of media and

technology experts who work with

brands, broadcasters and content

publishers across four areas: digital,

radio, talent, and TV and video.

Their knowledge of strategy and

their obsession with audiences and

users help them to achieve difficult

objectives by creating content

people love.

Take a look at Somethin’ Else’s

showreel.

PROF

ILE

"This collaboration with Havas

Worldwide London shows why

enlightened brands and

agencies are instrumental in

the future of content. Together

we've created a parlour game

like never before – truly social

and sophisticated, challenging

people’s perceptions of

technology and gaming."

Paul Bennun,

Chief Creative Officer,

Somethin’ Else

The MASHTUN app has been nominated

for a number of awards (already winning

a bronze award in the Kinsale Sharks

International Creative Festival 2013 –

Digital category), and generated

significant interest from other FMCG

brands on how games can play a part in

their content marketing.

33

OUTC

OMES

"Chivas MASHTUN combines

elements that we know modern

gentlemen love: games,

gadgets and, above all, being a

great party host. Chivas has

always been about bringing

people together, celebrating

friendship and generosity. With

this new venture, we wanted to

change the rules of gaming

technology, which can be

insular, and make entertaining

at home sociable, entertaining

and memorable."

James Slack,

Global Brand Director,

Chivas

© O

livia

Art

hur/

Mag

num

Pho

tos

Campaign : Penetras de Luxo

Client : Terra

Agency : Wanted

ASAS da Imaginação

CASE

STU

DY

35

Wanted Agency and ASAS da

Imaginação decided to create

branded content that featured

Generation Y and could be viewed

digitally, making it possible to

generate spreadability.

They came up with ‘Penetras de

Luxo’ (VIP Party Crashers), a series of

online films that uses Planeta Terra as

a backdrop to tell the story of a group

of friends that gatecrashes the

festival’s VIP area.

To shoot the series, the festival was

turned into a set where the storyline

and characters were fictional but

settings and surroundings were real.

36

CHAL

LENG

E

Terra is a Brazilian ISP and media network that sponsors Planeta

Terra, one of the largest music festivals in Brazil.

The brand challenged Wanted Agency and ASAS da Imaginação to

come up with a marketing campaign that had two objectives:

extend the experience of the one-day Planeta Terra festival into

other territories; and connect with Generation Y to continue the

conversation about the festival long after the event ends.SO

LUTI

ON

PENETRAS DE LUXO

Live incidents that occurred throughout

the festival were used to develop the

story, grabbing the attention of the public

during and after the event.

Launched online and on digital TV after

the festival, six short episodes and one

short film presented the ‘Penetras de

Luxo’ characters and showed how they

gatecrashed the VIP area. Just like every

good work of fiction, a conflict was also

added: a mysterious situation occurs and

they all end up at the police station.

The idea of blending real life with fiction

was taken a step further with a celebrity

twist that started during the festival. One

of the characters was played by a

famous Brazilian actor and, in a PR stunt,

his character’s name reflected his real

name, Sergio. So when a fictional kiss

between him and another character was

shown on the big screens at the festival,

it generated tweets and impressions on

social media instantly.

37

38

RESULTSDuring the Planeta Terra festival weekend:

• c.65,000 festival attendees were exposed to

elements of the series

• The kiss scene received 600,000 social

media impressions

• The buzz became so intense that Sergio had

to publicly announce that the kiss was part of

‘Penetras de Luxo’, creating even more buzz

about the series

‘Penetras de Luxo’ subsequently became one of

the most watched national productions on

Terra’s digital TV platform, Sunday TV

Wanted Agency was founded in

Brazil in the age of participation, in

the midst of a culture of

convergence.

The Agency believes that fan culture

is the new reality in which

consumers participate in the

production of collective intelligence

about brands and products. In order

to succeed, the brand story needs to

connect with the broader

conversation and discussion of what

is happening in today's culture.

Wanted Agency specialises in

creating or developing brand culture.

It uses a proprietary methodology to

tell a consistent story throughout the

brand experience and initiatives,

connecting the brand to

contemporary culture and creating

tribes who actively participate in the

life of the brand.

Take a look at some more work from

Wanted Agency.

PROF

ILE

The ‘Penetras de Luxo’ series of

branded content films became

such a hit for Terra that it has

now evolved into a sitcom with

a contract for an entire season

on web and cable TV.

39

OUTC

OMES

"The key to the success of this

branded content marketing

campaign was creating

intriguing narrative content that

seamlessly incorporated the

product (the festival) with the

audience, as well as blurring

the lines between fiction and

reality. This created an appetite

for people to discover more, to

put themselves in the shoes of

the characters and to talk to

each other about the story

unfolding before them."

Patrícia Weiss,

CSO, Wanted Agency; SVP Strategic

Consultant for Branded Content,

Branded Entertainment & Transmedia

Storytelling, ASAS da Imaginaçaõ

Campaign : Real Beauty Sketches

Client : Unilever Dove

Agency : Ogilvy

CASE

STU

DY

41

CHAL

LENG

E

From 2005, Unilever's Dove brand of personal care products has celebrated women's natural beauty in its 'Real Beauty' marketing campaigns.

Market research suggested that only 4% of women describe themselves as beautiful, so the Dove Real Beauty campaign for 2013, created by Ogilvy Brazil, was tasked with raising the self-esteem of the other 96%. No short order!

Real Beauty Sketches"Unilever asked us to

make women feel better

about themselves. We

wanted to move women,

to find an idea that could

actually prove to women

that they're wrong about

their self-image. Hats off

to Unilever – they didn't

approve a script, they

approved a social

experiment that could've

gone either way."

Anselmo Ramos,

Creative Director,

Ogilvy Brazil

Ogilvy came up with the idea to run a

social experiment that turned on its head

the tendency of women to be critical of

their appearance. It involved women

being filmed going through a process of

self-discovery, seeing themselves

through their own eyes and those of

strangers.

For the experiment, FBI forensic artist Gil

Zamora sketches women he can't see on

different days – firstly based on their own

descriptions of themselves, then based

on a stranger's description, without Gil

ever knowing when the subject was the

same person. The resulting sketches are

then revealed to the subjects for

comparison, with the sketches from the

strangers' descriptions being the more

accurate and flattering. The women

reacted strongly to the sketches, some

with tears, as they realised that they were

doing themselves an injustice.

The campaign was presented on YouTube

as a branded, documentary-style film (in

six-minute and three-minute versions)

with the tagline 'Women: You Are More

Beautiful Than You Think'.

42

SOLU

TION

43

RESULTS • 170 million views on YouTube

• Most-watched online branded content of 2013

• 3rd most-shared branded video of 2013

The Dove Real Beauty Sketches branded content marketing campaign

strongly reinforced Dove's ongoing Real Beauty strategy. It was

successful in tapping into women's emotions and making people think

again about how they judge their own appearance.

The film went viral very quickly (more than 15 million views within a

week of its launch) and inspired conversations, debate and articles in

media as diverse as Adweek, The Telegraph, Facebook, Bloomberg,

Mashable, New York Times, Forbes, Huffington Post, and Psychology

Today – as well as wider adoption of the concept, such as the 'Men:

You Are Less Beautiful Than You Think' spoof video.

44

OUTC

OMES

Campaign : Your Bank

Client : Barclays

Agency : Red Bee Media

CASE

STU

DY

Video content held the key to

answering those particular

challenges. Its power to move, amuse

and persuade people was used by

Red Bee to tell real stories about the

changes Barclays had made and is

still making now.

Working with Barclays, Red Bee

identified the stories with the most

tangible and demonstrable human

impact – the ones that would lend

themselves best to video. Wherever

possible, these stories were told from

the customers' perspective, not that

of the Bank. This was important for

two reasons. Firstly, it placed

customers and their needs at the

heart of the story, demonstrating 46

CHAL

LENG

E

After a period when high street banks haven’t been top of the general public’s Christmas card list, Barclays wanted to demonstrate a change of approach, one born of a very real desire to regain the public’s trust and preference.

Barclays asked Red Bee Media to produce branded content for a new marketing initiative called 'Your Bank'. This initiative invites consumers to help influence changes to everyday banking. Your Bank includes an online platform to gather and share ideas to improve Barclays products, services and overall banking experience.

The development of Your Bank presented as much of a challenge as an opportunity. Namely, how do you make people stick around voluntarily to explore a website dedicated to everyday banking issues – not normally a high interest category? And how could Barclays show that it was and is acting on the ideas suggested? The branded content on the Your Bank website therefore needed to both enthrall and inform.

SOLU

TION

Your Bank

Barclays' determination to put customers

first in all of its thinking. And secondly, it

made the stories more instantly relatable

to the audience.

Your Bank launched with a series of

these stories in the format of online films,

some showcasing initiatives that

Barclays had already implemented to

make everyday banking better as a result

of its customers’ feedback, others

demonstrating Barclays’ commitment to

listening to and understanding its

customers. The first batch of films

included:

• Blind stand-up comedian Chris

McCausland introducing Barclays’ new

audio cash machines for blind and

partially sighted people. Chris gives us

some insight of his previous difficulties

with talking machines.

• An animated story of how a

customer and a Barclays Personal

Banker created a new type of high

visibility debit card for visually impaired

customers.

• The experiences of Barney, a

Barclays Branch Manager, who spends

an uncomfortable day in an “age suit”

that simulates the physical restrictions

and difficulties of being elderly or infirm,

to research branch accessibility for older

customers.

• The story of Ken Bellringer, injured

in Afghanistan, now on placement with

47

Barclays as part of its AFTER programme

for ex-military personnel.

• John Dennerly, a country park

manager in Scotland who is deaf,

introducing Barclays’ new sign video

service.

• The story of Sam, an older

customer empowered to get online

through a joint initiative between Age UK

and Barclays.

• And a series of films featuring

Barclays “Ideation” workshops with

customers to generate ideas for making

everyday banking better.

The online videos were placed within the

integrated Your Bank online platform

(customised and managed by Dare) and

on the Barclays YouTube channel. The

launch was supported by print, outdoor

and digital advertising driving consumers

to the Your Bank website.

48

49

RESULTS Within the first three months of launch:• 449,000 interactions • 283,000 video views

• 26,900 poll votes• 3,693 ideas submitted by consumers

"The Your Bank branded

video content is playing a

key role in persuading the

public that their ideas count

and that it's worthwhile to

submit them. The high level

of interaction and idea

submission is an indicative

measure of audience

engagement for Barclays,

which can only help them

improve customer service

for the future."

Michael Reeves,

Business Development Director,

Red Bee Media

Thanks to Your Bank and its branded

video content, Barclays is now able to

have an ongoing conversation with

customers – learning from them, listening

to them and demonstrating the changes

it’s making for them.

50

OUTC

OMES

"The 'Your Bank'

platform and its content

represents a very public

commitment to listening

to our customers and

showing how we are

going to act on change,

big and small, which can

make their lives easier."

Sara Bennison,

Managing Director,

Marketing Communications,

Barclays UK Retail Bank

"Offset savings account to current account when going overdrawn" - ellievin89

"Show the interest rate of all savings accounts

in online banking." - simonjones12345

"Enable Skype meetings with branch advisors." - Telegraph reader

"Create a Barclay's programme for schools to educate

children about money matters." - Mumsnetter

"Be able to withdraw different currencies from an ATM." - Parliament Street, York branch customer

Campaign : Dumb Ways to Die

Client : Metro Trains Melbourne

Agency : McCann

CASE

STU

DY

Images and data © Metro Trains Melbourne, Dumb Ways To Die™, all rights reserved.

Two insights propelled McCann’s

solution for the campaign: that young

people hate being told what to do;

and that if you get hit by a train,

you’ve probably done something

pretty dumb.

So the campaign strategy focussed

on turning a message about rail

safety that nobody wants to listen to

into a piece of entertainment people

actively seek out and share, that tells

the truth about rail accidents.

McCann created ‘Dumb Ways to Die’,

a branded content marketing

campaign consisting of a three-

minute song and video featuring 21

cartoon characters dying in really

52

CHAL

LENG

E

Every year there are needless deaths or accidents around

trains in Melbourne, Australia. And while rail accidents are

tragic, they are in most cases completely avoidable. This is

particularly true for young adults.

Metro Trains Melbourne challenged McCann Melbourne with

three primary objectives for a new marketing campaign:

1. Reduce train-related accidents in key accident areas by

10% over 12 months

2. Generate a stated commitment to be safe around trains

(40,000 pledges)

3. Generate campaign awareness of 25% among the core

target audience of young adultsSO

LUTI

ON

dumb ways – three of them in train-

related accidents.

McCann launched the song in the usual

way on iTunes, YouTube, radio and more.

The agency used both traditional media

(radio, TV, cinema, posters, press) and

social media (Soundcloud, Tumblr,

Instagram and Facebook) to drive traffic

to the music video on YouTube.

To extend the reach of the campaign

through social media and PR, they also

created dedicated forms of shareable

content across multiple channels,

including a karaoke version of the song,

limited-edition posters of the characters,

the ‘Little Book of Dumb Ways to Die’ for

schools and the Dumb Ways to Die

smartphone game app.

53

54

RESULTS 74 million+ video views on YouTubeWorldwide #1 app downloaded over 35 million timesSong charted on iTunes in 28 countries; sold over 100,000 copies1 million+ pledges to be safe around trains on the campaign website AU$60 million of earned media impressions

"We’ve got a campaign that’s

relied on content and with the

app we’re starting the move to

merchandising. I think the way

forward … is to steer away

from the advertising model

and create content and create

merchandising … We need to

keep creating shareable pieces

that people can seek out and

[that] have a worth beyond just

the marketing message."

John Mescall,

Executive Creative Director,

McCann Melbourne

From interview in AdAge

24/6/2103

Most awarded campaign ever in D&AD history.

Most awarded agency in the history of the

Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

Most awarded agency in the history of the Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity.

London International Awards Agency

of the Year 2013.

Most awarded campaign at the Webby Awards 2013.

3rd ranked global agency at One Show 2013. Selected among TED’s top 10 Ads Worth Spreading

2013. (The only Australian advertisement ever to

have been so recognised.)

Clio Awards 2013 top ranked Australian Agency.

Second ranked Australian agency

at Adfest 2013.

The ‘Dumb Ways To Die’ campaign became a global phenomenon and quickly

demonstrated a real impact on social behaviour. Far exceeding its objectives, it’s

one of Australia’s most successful public service campaigns.

As well as the results listed previously, there were hundreds of cover versions and

parodies viewed more than 20 million times themselves, campaign awareness

among the core target audience of 46% after only one month, and most importantly

a 10% reduction in near misses and accidents at level crossings and station

platforms over 12 months.

55

OUTC

OMES

Campaign : Summer D'Reem

Client : Unilever

Media Owner : ITV

CASE

STU

DY

Today, functional differences between

detergents are minimal. Personality is

the extra dimension that powerfully

and intimately connects brands with

consumers.

This insight led to a fitting solution:

extending Surf's multi-platform

sponsorship of The Only Way is Essex

(TOWIE) – the show with some of the

biggest and most influential

personalities on TV. The

entertainment show’s reach and the

buzz it generates represented an

excellent opportunity for Surf to get

its key audience listening – and

buying.

57

CHAL

LENG

E

In 2012, Unilever’s Surf laundry detergent found itself facing a challenge. Washing detergent is a low-interest category and Surf’s competitors were aligning themselves with the biggest event in the calendar – the 2012 Olympics. A big idea was needed for Surf to resonate in customers’ minds.

SOLU

TION

Summer D’Reem

To deepen and personify the TOWIE/Surf

relationship, Unilever extended its TOWIE

licence to launch a brand new Surf

fragrance called Summer D’Reem,

featuring cast favourite Joey Essex. The

launch included:

• TOWIE branding on Surf packs and

across in-store design

• Social media-driven discussion

from TOWIE’s fiercely loyal and active fan

base

• Joey Essex starring in unique viral

video content ‘Fresh Out of Essex’

• Additional Surf digital advertising to

support the launch

‘Fresh Out Of Essex’ was an online mini-

series of exclusive content that lived on

the official TOWIE website, devised to

feed fans’ constant demand for

everything TOWIE. Bumpers on ITV

mobile and ITV Player, plus roadblocks

on ITV.com consolidated this activity.

Unilever also knew that competitions

were key in engaging Surf’s target

audience, and who would say no to a

free, glamorous trip to ‘Marbs’ in Spain?

Certainly not TOWIE fans. 

58

59

RESU

LTS

• £1 million+ gross retail sales value across the summer• Talkability 51% (vs. 36% non-viewers)• Purchase intent 62% (vs. 51% non-viewers)• 1.3 million ‘Fresh Out of Essex’ video views across the year

• 61,501 visits to the Marbs competition entry page (297% vs. KPI)• 19.9 million monthly total video requests and 18 million page

views online during the campaign

'Summer D’Reem' was a very successful

branded content marketing campaign with a

massive influence on viewer response.

Surf’s TOWIE sponsorship awareness grew to

77% (22% above the norm) by the end of the

campaign. The campaign was viewed as

especially effective in terms of persuasion,

with 62% of viewers likely to say it made them

think differently about Surf and made them

more likely to consider that Surf’s image was

more positive.

60

OUTC

OMES

"Sponsoring TOWIE was a

great chance to build brand

awareness and demonstrate

we are a fun brand with a point

of difference. The new

fragrance launch, aligned with

TOWIE, further helped extend

the sponsorship into retail,

leading to great business

results that helped meet our

objectives."

Katy Holder,

Surf Brand Manager,

Unilever

Campaign : Live Test Series: The Epic Split

Client : Volvo Trucks

Agency : Forsman & Bodenfors

CASE

STU

DY

The solution to both the targeting and

budgeting challenges was to embrace

the new media landscape.

Forsman & Bodenfors’ idea adhered

to Volvo Trucks’ communications

strategy in which innovation plays a

key role. The agency devised an

online marketing campaign using

branded video content presented on

Volvo Trucks’ YouTube channel.

Called the ‘Live Test Series’, the

campaign consists of a group of

online films, each showcasing a

different new Volvo truck feature

being put through its paces in a live

test.

62

CHAL

LENG

E

The trucking industry is a traditional business-to-business

environment in which it’s quite a challenge to introduce a radically new

communication approach.

In addition, the target group of truck purchasers is scattered and

difficult to reach. There are many influencers around each buyer,

ranging from drivers, family and friends to trade press journalists.

Volvo Trucks and their Swedish independent agency partner Forsman

& Bodenfors knew that the most obvious way to reach their core

target group would be a ‘catch-all’ broadcast marketing approach. But

‘reaching’ doesn’t equate to ‘connecting’, plus there was no allowance

for the huge media budget needed to conduct a global advertising

campaign to launch their new truck models. SO

LUTI

ON

Live Test Series: The Epic Split

However, this was not going to be any

ordinary product review; the live

experiments had to test the chosen

features in informative, astonishing and

entertaining ways, designed to focus on

the trucks and catch the attention of the

widest possible target audience. The aim

of this creative strategy was to generate

viral hits and a subsequent wave of (free)

media publicity, effectively driving

positive word of mouth about the film

content that was relevant to both

trucking and non-trucking audiences.

63

'Pyramids in the Wild'

True to this strategy, the first five online

films include one in which two trucks

race towards a tunnel while a woman

walks across a wire between them and

another in which a truck takes part in a

bull run. The former film generated nine

million views.

The sixth film in the Live Test Series –

‘The Epic Split’ – is an even better

example of the power of this strategy,

with the added twist of a celebrity

participant whose existing fanbase

helped drive word of mouth.

The starting point for ‘The Epic Split’

came from talking to Volvo’s technicians

about the film’s chosen feature: Volvo

Dynamic Steering. This system combines

conventional hydraulic powered steering

with an electric motor fitted to the truck’s

steering gear. The electric motor receives

2,000 signals per second from the truck’s

sensors, allowing for more precise

steering and a more relaxed and

ergonomically designed experience for

truck drivers.

To demonstrate this stability and

precision, the creative team worked

closely with film director Andreas Nilsson

to come up with the idea of a spectacular

stunt: actor Jean-Claude Van Damme

slowly performs a split while standing on

the side mirrors between two Volvo FM

trucks – that are driving backwards at 15

miles/25 kms per hour as they move

apart!

Filmed in one astounding 76-second take

after three days’ practice at a Spanish

airfield, the film was designed to work on

two levels: most viewers are expected to

think “Wow, Jean-Claude Van Damme”,

but the core target audience is expected

to think “Wow, two trucks are able to be

driven in reverse like this”.

64

65

RESULTSWithin the first three months of its launch in November 2013,

‘The Epic Split’ achieved:

• 70 million+ views (10 million within the first 48 hours)

• 8 million+ shares

• Most shared video in the world within week one

• Most watched automotive ad ever on YouTube

• 20,000+ editorials globally online, in print and on TV (inc.

general press and all major automotive and trucking press)

• 5 million+ shares

• #6 in YouTube’s Top Ten Trending 2013, a list that draws from

all YouTube content across all categories, including babies and

music videos that tend to generate the highest engagement

• Earned media value of €126 million

"The media landscape is

changing. We have different

media consumption habits

today than a couple of years

ago. That’s why, starting with

the Live Test Series, we’re

investing in this cost-efficient

way of reaching out to millions

of people via online branded

content marketing."

Anders Vilhelmsson, PR Manager, Volvo Trucks

The Live Test Series has not used any traditional paid media – YouTube

is its only media channel. The relevance and power of the branded

content itself has kickstarted organic distribution, editorial coverage,

wider interactions and an upsurge in awareness of the Volvo Trucks

brand and product messages, both online and via the Volvo Trucks

global dealer network.

The Series has already won the Grand Prix award for Branded Content

& Entertainment at Eurobest 2013. And, in the ultimate evidence that

‘The Epic Split’ film has entered a wider cultural consciousness, it has

already inspired a raft of consumer-generated spoof versions, some of

which have racked up 50 million views themselves.

Volvo Trucks will continue to release more Live Test Series stunt films,

paving the way for future advertising and sales campaigns in local

markets.

66

OUTC

OMES

Campaign : Vs the Northern Lights

Client : Sony

Agency : DigitasLBi

CASE

STU

DY

DigitasLBi developed ‘Xperia Vs…’,

an online branded content

programme that aimed to extend the

target audience’s awareness of the

new Sony Xperia Z and to encourage

them to find out more about the

phone.

The initiative consists of a series of

online video films in which

ambassadors from the creative

industries put features of the new

phone to the test in interesting ways.

For ‘Xperia Vs the Northern Lights’,

the first group of chosen

ambassadors – members of the

bands OK Go and Pyyramids, and the

photographer Martien Mulder –

68

CHAL

LENG

E

Sony is a household name when it comes to consumer electronics, however it’s a challenger brand in the relentlessly competitive smartphone market.

In order to be among the top three brands people consider when choosing a phone, it’s essential to spread the word online. This is where people research ahead of purchase, and where brands earn the right to be viewed as a credible option.

Supporting the introduction of the new Sony Xperia Z smartphone, DigitasLBi was tasked with creating an initiative to keep building product awareness post-launch – specifically online among the curious-minded, technology-loving target audience.

The key challenge was to stand out from the existing plethora of online branded content in a way that was true to Sony’s philosophy: inspiring wonder and emotional response through technology. And all with minimal paid media support.

SOLU

TION

Xperia Vs The Northern Lights

travelled to northern Sweden to capture the

sights and sounds of the Northern Lights

(Aurora Borealis).

They used Sony Xperia Z smartphones and

tablets to capture their inspiration, and then

used the Xperia Z's one-touch connectivity

feature to bring their work together, resulting

in a four-minute track ‘From Under Other

Stars’.

DigitasLBi also created a series of in-depth,

making-of films demonstrating the process

and the technology involved.

Designed to appeal to the motivations of

consumers with an interest in what’s new

and exciting, along with a love of

technology and its possibilities, the full

series of films from the trip was hosted on

Sony Mobile's YouTube channel.

69

'Making Of (From Under Other Stars)'

‘Damian Kulash and the sound of outer space'

'Pyyramids in the Wild'

'Photographer Martien Mulder on ice'

70

RESULTSWithin a week of release:

• #1 most shared video on Facebook and Twitter in last 24 hours - UK

• #3 most viewed YouTube video in last 24 hours - UK

• #1 most popular YouTube video in 'Entertainment' - UK

• #1 most popular YouTube video in 'All Categories' - UK

Within seven months:

• 500,000+ unique views

• 1,000 new Sony YouTube channel subscribers

"The 'Xperia Vs' series is essentially a product demonstration on steroids. It's a chance for us to put the device to the test in truly surprising ways, and see if it survives to tell the story.

Tech always forms the backbone to these stories, and in this instance we put the Xperia in the hands of musicians and photographers and sent them to the Arctic Circle. 

Their mission? To create a one-of-a-kind audiovisual experience, using only the features of the phone, especially connectivity.

A soundtrack to the Northern Lights was born. The result was a stunning, shareable piece of branded content and was supported by an innovation tale that spoke directly to our tech-curious audience."

Simon Attwater, Group Creative Director, DigitasLBi

With little paid media support, the Sony Xperia Vs

Northern Lights online videos spread the message of the

new smartphone to a vast new audience.

By understanding the audience, creating a strategy that

spoke to their interests, and developing branded content

that was new and innovative, DigitasLBi produced a

campaign that exceeded expectations.

71

OUTC

OMES

Campaign : Natural Love

Client : PepsiCo Lyubimy

Agency : Fuse Russia

CASE

STU

DY

Fuse Russia decided to bring ‘Natural

Love’ from real life to the TV screen.

The agency created a cross-media

marketing campaign that used social

media to invite people to tell their

real-life love stories by writing in to

campaign pages on two Russian

social networks (vk.com and ok.ru)

and on STS TV channel’s website.

73

CHAL

LENG

E

PepsiCo’s Lyubimy (meaning ‘beloved’) is one of the biggest fruit juice

brands in Russia. Its marketing activity focuses on the message

“beloved because it’s natural”, and stories about love lie at the heart

of every communication.

The most popular content among the brand’s target market – women

aged 25-45 with average income – are TV shows and series about love.

However, these portrayals of love are perceived by the audience to be

artificial, not real.

PepsiCo challenged its agency partner Fuse Russia to find a way to

link Lyubimy juice with unquestionably real, natural love stories.

SOLU

TION

Natural Love

The 50 stories that received the most

‘likes’ online were turned into

professionally shot video clips. Edited

versions then appeared on STS, the

biggest family TV channel in Russia,

while the full versions were made

available to view online.

The people who submitted the best

three love stories – one happy couple

and two sad single people – won a

romantic trip to France.

74

'Pyramids in the Wild'

75 RES

ULTS

The campaign became the talk of Russia:• 2,000+ story submissions• 4.6 million active users on the campaign web pages (twice

the previous biggest national Internet campaign)• 6.5 million online views• 200,000+ ‘likes’

• 3-4 times above market average conversion indices for

online registration and subsequent actions

“Thanks to Natural Love and STS channel.”

“Thanks Lyubimy.”

“So cute!”

The ‘Natural Love’ branded content marketing campaign provided cut-through of the Lyubimy brand’s key message to the target audience, and converted online love into consumer love: the number of people who stated that their most often bought juice brand is Lyubimy rose by 20% during the campaign period.

76 O

UTCO

MEs

"We were challenged by

PepsiCo to find a new way to

cut through to the Lyubimy

core market on TV. We used

branded co-created content to

give millions of people the

ultimate real-life, natural love

stories they already craved."

Anton Efimov, Managing Director, Fuse Russia

Campaign : The Beauty Inside

Client : Intel & Toshiba

Agency : Pereira & O'Dell

CASE

STU

DY

Pereira & O'Dell realised that all

young people go through a journey of

self-discovery and use technology as

a key tool for this exploration and

expression.

The agency came up with the idea of

co-creating a film about the universal

search for self-knowledge and

acceptance, using contemporary

Hollywood stars (Topher Grace, Mary

Elizabeth Winstead and Matthew Gray

Gubler) and social media to involve as

many people in the target audience

as possible.

They devised a love story with the

intriguing premise that the main

character, Alex, wakes up every day

78

CHAL

LENG

E

Following the success of the 2011 thriller 'The

Inside Experience', award-winning agency

Pereira & O'Dell was asked to create a second

branded content film for Intel and Toshiba. This

film needed to feature the Toshiba Ultrabook

laptop and refresh the 'Intel Inside' branding,

introducing both Intel and Toshiba as

innovative technology brands to a new

generation of 18- to 34-year-old millennial

consumers.

SOLU

TION

as a different person on the outside but

the same person on the inside – and s/he

has fallen in love with someone who can

never see him/her as the same person.

Alex makes a daily video diary of this

experience on a Toshiba Ultrabook that

goes everywhere with the character as a

vital and natural accessory.

The 45-minute film included gaps for

consumer-generated content. Facebook

was then used to invite people to

audition to be an Alex by submitting their

own video diary, putting themselves in

Alex's shoes to share the experience.

From over 4,000 auditions on Facebook,

26 Alexes were cast in the film. They

included fans from all over the world,

including Japan, France, German, Italy,

Philippines, Canada and Spain. An

additional 50+ Alexes were featured on

the Facebook timeline.

The final film was divided into six weekly

episodes and presented on Facebook

and YouTube running over an eight-week

period.

79

80

RESULTS 70 million views in eight weeks26 million social interactions

97% YouTube approval rating66% and 40% brand perception lift for Intel and Toshiba respectively among Facebook users

300% sales increase

"Branded content is becoming

an increasingly important

part of Intel and Toshiba's

strategy to reach out to a

younger audience. They can

see that people enjoy making

branded content part of their

lives – it draws people in

naturally with a deeper

message they can identify with

on an emotional level"

PJ Pereira,

Chief Creative Officer,

Pereira & O'Dell

"We are all Alex in one way or another, and he is all of us" - Larissa B

"This is beautiful, poetic and powerful...."

- Pamela V

"I can’t wait for next Thursday!" - Leah M

'The Beauty Inside' was the most-shared branded video during the campaign

period. It won an Emmy for Outstanding New Approach to A Daytime Series,

and three Grand Prix awards – including one for Branded Content – at Cannes

Lions 2013.

The campaign inspired hundreds of thousands of fans to give and request love

advice and discuss their own sense of identity, while celebrating the principle

that - with humans and computers alike - it's what's inside that matters most.

The campaign also started to create a relationship between the client brands

and the audience that will grow over time. In fact, Pereira & O'Dell has already

created the next social film instalment for Intel and Toshiba, a horror story

called 'The Power Inside'.

81

OUTC

OMES

Campaign : In Search of Real Food

Client : Hellmann’s

Agency : OgilvyEntertainment

CLA

SSIC

CAS

E ST

UDY

FIGURE 16.1

With the insight that people wanted to

say no to over-processed food yet

had time, cost and taste

considerations when it came to

making meals, Ogilvy devised a

pioneering marketing initiative called

‘In Search of Real Food’.

Part of the project involved traditional

print and TV advertising that used real

people to deliver Hellmann’s point of

view on food made from natural,

simple ingredients that are good for

you.

In tandem with this strand of the

campaign, Ogilvy created a

Hellmann’s-sponsored ‘In Search of

Real Food’ microsite hosted by media

83

CHAL

LENG

E

Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise was first made for

a mass market in 1913 and is now America’s

favourite mayonnaise.

Hellmann’s asked their agency partner Ogilvy

to develop a summer marketing initiative that

would explain the product’s ingredients and

range of uses in an attention-grabbing way,

and reinforce Hellmann’s positioning as the

epitome of simple, honest, real food.

SOLU

TION

partner Yahoo! Food. This creative

platform was designed to drive consumer

conversations about real food, using

interactive branded content, co-created

content and a variety of fun community

features.

In order to draw people in to join the

conversation and keep them coming

back to the site, Ogilvy created a 12-

episode branded content web series

presenting celebrity chef Dave Lieberman

on a weekly road trip through America in

search of real people making real food –

from the proprietors of a Mexican food

cart in SoHo, New York creating a pulled

pork taco, to a bighearted lady’s regular

fundraising Friday Fish Fry in New

Orleans. Each episode was split into four

three- to four-minute chapters for easy

web consumption.

84

"The challenge with branded

content is to maintain the

authenticity of the production

while maximising the potential

for the brand. This show

offered incredibly rich content,

allowing multiple channels for

consumer engagement. By

teaming with Rock Shrimp

Productions and Dave

Lieberman as our host, we had

a ready-made fan base that

was looking for the 'real food'

point-of-view that Hellmann's

as sponsor is all about."

Doug Scott,

President, OgilvyEntertainment

Beyond watching the weekly video

content, ‘In Search of Real Food’ website

visitors could:

• continue the real food conversation

by reading Dave’s blog (including his

recipes) and posting comments.

• share their own ideas and recipes

on the Real Food group page.

• ask and/or answer questions using

a Yahoo! widget embedded in the site.

• look for real food restaurants in

their neighbourhood using a local dining

guide widget pre-programmed with real

food locations.

To promote the web series to consumers,

Ogilvy used web banners in which

excerpts of the show were embedded, TV

and print ads, and creative on Hellmann’s

jar tops. There was also coverage on US

TV news channels, inviting people to star

in the show by making their own ‘real

food’ cookery videos.

85

"’In Search of Real Food’ was a

programming concept that

captured the fast changes

taking place within the food

industry – the emphasis on

local-grown and real foods – as

well as the changes within the

entertainment industry.

Finding new ways to reach

consumers using interactivity,

this show set a new standard

for consumer engagement."

Bobby Flay,

Celebrity chef; Executive Producer,

Rock Shrimp Productions

86

RESULTS The ‘In Search of Real Food’ initiative tapped into cultural conversation and delivered:• 1 million unique visitors to the campaign website• 5,000 Real Food community members

"We've always been about

what's simple and real.

Whether it's the quality

ingredients in our jar or the

real experiences people have

with others when they share

food made with our

Mayonnaise. This effort

leveraged the technology

available to have a

conversation about that with

consumers, offering recipe

ideas and a point-of-view

about food that kept the brand

relevant to moms and built

affinity to new and younger

users"

Brian Orlando,

Senior Brand Manager,

Hellmann's

This groundbreaking project teamed branded content with traditional

advertising, forged an innovative media partnership with Yahoo!, and

capitalised on celebrity connections for Hellmann’s.

Consumers shared and commented on the branded content via YouTube

and social media networks, and even created their own real food videos.

This activity resulted in the spread of the conversation about real food

(and Hellmann’s’ association with it) far beyond the original campaign site.

Ultimately, the integrated mix of traditional advertising and branded

content enabled Ogilvy to convey positive brand messages about

Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise, while provoking a dialogue with consumers

about real food.

87

OUTC

OMES

“How do I make my ad go viral?”

Of all the questions, this is the one we’re

asked most often from brands and

agencies wanting to promote online

video content via social media – aka

social video marketing.

They care about going viral with good

reason (aside from ticking the viral video

campaign box on their CVs). The number

of video shares of branded content has

rocketed over the last eight years. In

By David Waterhouse

Global Head of Content and PR at marketing technology platform Unruly

RES

EARC

H Stop trying to make your ads go viralTop tips for social video success

2013, the top three ads attracted 11.6

million shares combined – almost 50

times more than the top three ads in 2006

(244,395 shares combined). There are

now more than 500,000 shares of

branded videos online every 24 hours.

But what makes people share video

content? And what steps can a brand

take to improve its chances of attracting

more shares?

For starters, there’s a lot more than to it

than featuring cute babies, talking dogs

and cats that looks like Shakespeare.

We worked extensively with

Dr. Karen Nelson-Field,

Senior Research Associate

at the Ehrenberg-Bass

Institute for Marketing

Science, on her latest

project. It consists of

original research from more than two

years of work, five different data sets

including Unruly’s own data, around 1000

videos and nine individual studies. The

research findings are presented in the

2013 book ‘Viral Marketing: The Science

of Sharing’, and they support the

development of simple formulae for

advertisers to follow when they want to

increase their social video marketing

success.

Here are Unruly’s top tips:

1. Stop Chasing Viral Success – Focus

on Social Video Success

It became possible in the early 2000s to

track views of online video clips

accurately using the video technology

itself. These were the days before social

media when the only distribution

channels were email and a handful of

specialist humour websites. Very early

brand-created viral video hits include

John West’s Grizzly Bear, Budweiser’s

Whassup and XBOX’s Champagne – an

ad that was banned on TV in the UK and

went on to win a Gold Lion at Cannes in

2002.

Slowly more advertisers started releasing

branded video content online in the

elusive search for consumer-driven,

exponentially increasing views. Further

boosted by the advent of social media

such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter,

this practice is now firmly part of

mainstream marketing.

89

However, uploading a branded video that

you think is funny, without any paid

distribution, in the hope of it attracting

cartloads of earned (free) media, is the

strategic equivalent of shoving your hand

in a haystack and expecting to pull out a

needle.

Just as technology and social media

have evolved, so too has online video.

These days, the word “viral” is simply

unhelpful. It suggests something that is

random, untargeted and out of control.

Videos that go viral are the exception, not

the rule, and that’s why seeking viral

success is a terrible tactic to focus on for

your brand.

Instead, advertisers should focus on a

marketing strategy that’s predictable,

repeatable and measurable: social video.

Open your company wish list and replace

“make a viral video” with “create and

distribute highly shareable content,

repeatedly and at scale”.

What exactly is social video?

According to the Internet Advertising

Bureau, it’s “a non-interruptive, user-

initiated video format sold on a cost-per-

engagement basis”. In other words, it’s

the perfect union of online video and

social media – content plus conversation.

There’s no need to force people to sit

through a badly edited TV commercial for

toilet cleaner before they watch the thing

they really want to watch. As we’ve seen

with recent campaigns by Dove and

Volvo Trucks, the social video ad is the

star! People choose to watch it. Viewers

have total control of the viewing

experience, including the ability to

comment, share, re-post, pause and

replay. After all, everyone likes to be the

one holding the remote.

Social video is fundamentally changing

the rules of advertising. Long gone are

the Mad Men days when all an advertiser

needed to do was buy the airtime, create

the spot, blast it out to a captive

audience, and raise a glass of Scotch for

a job well done. Today consumers pick

and choose what they watch with a fickle

flick of their DVR remote.

So rather than releasing a video and

keeping your fingers crossed that it will

go viral, try focusing on optimising the

'shareability' of your video content and

distribution strategy.

2. Make it emotional

Marketers hoping to attract significant

earned media should think less about

creative appeal and more about

emotional appeal. Videos that elicit

strong emotions – positive or negative –

from an audience are twice as likely to be

shared as those that elicit a weak

emotional response.

‘Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing’

explains that professional video creators

may be aiming to create hilarious,

exhilarating and inspiring material,

90

however the vast majority are falling

short. In fact, 70% of all commercial

videos provoke only “low-arousal”

emotional reactions.

3. Be positive

Video content that draws a strong,

positive emotional response is 30% more

likely to be shared than content that

elicits strong negative emotions.

Strong negative emotions, such as anger

or shock, can prompt viewers to share

your content, but you risk alienating your

consumers. Focussing on positive

emotions is a much safer bet. 

4. Feature personal triumphs

It’s a myth that featuring a cute cat will

make your video go viral. Such creative

devices are ineffective, unless your

content also elicits strong emotions from

its audience.

However, there are some underused

creative devices that are more likely to

attract large amounts of sharing. One is

personal triumph, as used for example in

P&G’s 'Best Job' from the 2012 Olympics.

5. Big up your brand

Using poorly branded advertising is like

throwing away your marketing budget.

According to Dr. Nelson-Field’s research,

there’s no relationship between how

much sharing across social media a

video achieves and the level of branding

it uses. Nor does overt branding reduce a

video’s emotional impact.

So when you consider that the average

social video has one third of the branding

of the average TV commercial, there’s a

huge opportunity for marketers to

promote their brands via social video

marketing.

6. Exhilaration can make a lasting

impression

Eliciting a strong, positive emotional

reaction will not only boost your content’s

shareability, but also help your audience

to remember you – often for years to

come.

Which positive emotion is most likely to

cut through the clutter and help viewers

recall your message?

At the individual emotion level,

exhilaration is the most successful,

followed by hilarity. However, exhilaration

is an emotion that has been largely

ignored as a creative hook by brands

over the years, as bemoaned by Dr.

Nelson-Field.

In 2013, that started to change. We saw

more examples of brands, such as

GoPro, Ford, Red Bull and Volvo Trucks,

embracing exhilaration and using it as the

main focus of their video campaigns.

91

This highlights the importance of brands

making shareable content for a reason.

It’s not just about racking up a huge

number of views among potential

customers. It’s about being remembered,

favoured and bought in the process.

Throughout 2014, the trend of eliciting

top-performing emotional reactions in

social video content will only get stronger

as the world’s gaze falls upon Brazil for

the FIFA World Cup. When we trained

Unruly’s algorithmic tool to predict viral

success in the Brazilian market, we

discovered that exhilaration was the most

effective emotional trigger in the Latin

American country – more effective than

humour which is the most popular

emotional sharing trigger in the US and

UK.

7. Don’t under-invest in distribution and

over-invest in creativity

It’s all very well being the best violinist in

the world, but if you’re playing in your

bathroom, no one will hear you.

The same goes with creating video

content. Even if you have the most

shareable video in the world, if you start

with a small viewer base, the total shares

and views will typically be small. 

Investing in seeding your campaign

across a variety of platforms will make it

easier to deliver good sharing metrics

over a shorter period of time.

8. Quality reach is key

Reach is important, but it needs to be

quality reach in order to maintain and

increase your video views and shares. 

There’s no point in simply placing your

videos on your company’s Facebook or

Twitter profiles – you’re already preaching

to the converted. Besides, Facebook and

Twitter brand profiles are inefficient at

providing vast reach to consumers.

To build the market share of your brand,

reach out to light and medium buyers

outside of your own social media

channels.

Find out all about Unruly and their global

social video testing, distribution, sharing

and analytics services.

Watch this video of Dr. Karen Nelson-

Field discussing key findings from ‘Viral

Marketing: The Science of Sharing’.

92

Overview

Little research has been conducted to

date in the area of branded content, in

spite of the rising use of this key

marketing concept, and the estimated US

$4bn value of the branded content

market.

As part of the Branded Content

Marketing Association’s (BCMA’s)

strategy to establish academic

understanding as well as champion best

practice and share learning, it has

commissioned a study entitled ‘Defining

Branded Content for the Digital Age’.

Conducted by Oxford Brookes University

and the BCMA’s global research partner

Ipsos MORI, this study has two main

purposes:

1. Identify and understand the

different conceptualisations people use

when talking about branded content

2. Develop a definition that helps to

clarify the concept for a broad range of

stakeholders and therefore supports the

progress of branded content marketing

practice

By Bjoern Asmussen, Andrew Canter, Andrew Butler and Dr. Nicolette Michels

RES

EARC

H Towards the future of branded content‘Defining Branded Content for the Digital Age’, Findings of the Research Project, Phase One

The first phase of the study – a literature

review of practitioner and academic

publications – has resulted in the

development of a new definition of

branded content and the uncovering of

emerging themes that will help

organisations to harness the power of

branded content. These initial findings

are presented in this chapter.

Why does branded content matter?Organisations creating branded content

is nothing new, however the

advancement of technology, particularly

the evolution of social media, has made

the process of content creation and

dissemination much easier – even for

end-consumers.

Likewise, the consumption of branded

content has changed dramatically and

continues to do so. Today, consumers

have an unprecedented freedom of

choice when it comes to what they want

to read, watch, or listen to.

The best way for an organisation to get

through to its target audience and receive

positive attention in this challenging

environment is therefore by creating great

content. How? The study revealed four

key strategies that organisations use to

produce successful branded content: the

content is either entertaining, informative,

educational, or something that serves a

function (e.g. the branded content could

be an app that the target audience can

94

RES

EARC

H TE

AM

Bjoern Asmussen,

Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Oxford Brookes University Business School

Bjoern leads the Branded Content Research Team at Oxford Brookes University, which includes Andrew Butler and Dr. Nicolette Michels.

Sarah Gale,

Senior Director, Ipsos MORI, Media, Content and Technology Division

“We’re delighted with the first phase of the

results. One of the other elements of the

study is that we’ve developed a new

methodology for brands to plan effectively

for branded content, using it as a core part

of their marketing strategy.”

Andrew Canter,

CEO, BCMA

“Content, in all its shapes and forms, is core to everything we do as marketers.”

Econsultancy, 2013

download to make their life easier). The

research also showed that these content

strategies can be combined.

The initial findings of the study indicate

so far that organisations are using

branded content mainly to meet two

objectives: to create a positive brand

meaning or image, and to engage with

certain stakeholders. So it’s not

predominantly about a quick win with a

campaign or promotion – it’s more about

developing deeper engagement and

long-term relationships.

The BCMA and Ipsos MORI have noticed

an increasing emphasis on the use of

branded content among marketers, with

many major organisations integrating it

now as a core element in their marketing

strategies. This observation is supported

by a survey conducted by Econsultancy

in which 39% of digital marketing

professionals nominated content

marketing as one of their top priorities in

2013.

We now live in a world in which virtually

every digitally literate individual can

become a branded content creator and

distributor on an unprecedented scale,

and this is a considerable paradigm shift,

not only for marketers and their

organisations but also for media

companies.

95

“The future of the marketing department is half marketing and half publishing.”

Joe Palazzo,

Founder, Content Marketing Institute, 2012

How are people talking about and using branded content?

96

“The concept of branded content is fundamentally flawed.”

David Martin, Forbes, 2011

“The term ‘content’ seems a bit of a broad stroke owing to its multi-dimensional nature.”

Amar Trivedi, Social Media Strategist, 2012

“There is a significant amount of confusion and controversy out there around what content is, what it does and how to use it.”

Robin Thornton, Shaman Marketing, 2013

“‘Content’ is such a broad and fuzzy term that it tends to make any discussion of it broad and fuzzy as well.”

Cindy Gallop, If We Ran The World, 2013

Branded content comes in numerous

different forms, such as native

advertising, branded entertainment,

advertiser funded programming, viral

videos, and many more. It is therefore no

surprise that the term ‘branded content’

means different things to different

people, leading to misunderstandings

and confusion.

The first phase of the study has

concluded so far that people talk about

branded content in five different ways.

These are categorised as:

1) The Traditional Trademark Owner

(TMO) Perspective

This perspective was originally

developed in the pre-digital age when

branded content was usually controlled

by the trademark owner of the brand,

who financed the production of the

content.

Since it was the pre-digital age, the

content was most likely to be

communicated via traditional media

channels, such as TV, radio and print. For

example, in the 1950s and 1960s,

companies such as Procter & Gamble not

only sponsored soap operas, but also

paid for the entire production of TV

shows, aiming to create some positive

brand associations in the target

audience’s mind.

This perspective, where the trademark

owner of the brand is in control of the

created content, is still used nowadays.

Some organisations produce and

distribute branded content without the

help of sophisticated digital media

technologies. For example, in 2013

McDonald’s produced millions of books

in the UK to replace the toys that

accompanied its Happy Meals for

children. In terms of volume, McDonald’s

has subsequently become one of the

UK’s leading book publishers and

distributors, while the branded content

activity aims to add educational values to

its brand image.

2) The Digital TMO Perspective

This second perspective refers to

branded content initiated by the

trademark owner of the brand and

distributed on digital channels. The

trademark owning organisation behind

the brand is initially in control of the

digital channel and the content they

choose to publish or broadcast, however

it is not in control of what happens to the

content after release – for example, the

amount of views online, or viewer

comments that are made about a

branded content video and published on

the YouTube website.

97

One business-to-business example of

this kind of digital branded content is

from Corning, a US industrial glass

manufacturer. The company produced a

corporate communications video that has

fired the imaginations of people from all

walks of life, well outside their core target

audience, generating over 23 million

views of the original version alone. This is

just one example that shows that

branded content can be useful not only

for business-to-consumer lifestyle

marketing, but also in bringing seemingly

dull information to life.

3) The Integrated TMO Perspective

According to the first stage of the study

findings, the most popular perspective

when it comes to branded content

among practitioners in the marketing

industry appears to be the integrative use

of traditional, non-digital channels with

digital channels for the dissemination of

branded content.

This content is usually initiated (and

funded) by the brand’s trademark owner,

however the owner’s level of control over

the content varies. If you pay for the

production of a TV show, for example,

you can assume that you will basically be

in control of everything within it. But if

you send a tweet, you have hardly any

control over how people will retweet that

content – they can put a new spin on it,

place it in a different context and even

sabotage your message completely.

4) The Stakeholder Perspective

This new branded content perspective

that has emerged in the digital age is one

that many marketers and organisations

have ignored so far.

It describes branded content that is

initiated (and in some cases even funded)

by someone who doesn’t work for or with

the trademark owner of the brand – it

doesn’t have to be a consumer, it could

be a competitor, a pressure group, or any

other external stakeholder.

An example of this kind of branded

content is the memorial video ‘A BMW

Motorcycle Story’ by Bill Costello. It tells

the story of Bill painstakingly restoring

his dead father’s classic motorcycle. Bill

posted his video onto YouTube and it has

generated over half a million views. BMW

had no control over and nothing to do

with this content, but it still created

positive brand associations and has

become a cult video among many

motorcycle fans.

Of course, any stakeholder can also

create content that generates negative

perceptions of a brand. Greenpeace, for

example, is renowned for creating

98

content that doesn’t portray brands in a

positive light.

Another example of consumer-generated,

negative branded content is the 2009

music video and song by Dave Carroll in

protest at United Airlines’ customer

service. ‘United breaks guitars’ generated

about 3 million views on YouTube within

one week, United Airlines’ share value

dipped reportedly about 10% (equating

to US$180million) and there was

substantial reputational damage to the

brand after the story was reported across

US news channels.

Even experienced crisis communications

professionals can do little to control

negative branded content in the digital

age, as BP found out. After the explosion

and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010,

somebody created a fake BP PR Twitter

account that attracted three times as

many followers as the official BP America

account.

This loss of control over branded content

is an aspect of social media that

organisations have to learn to live with. It

supports the need for organisations to

instil good practices, good customer

service and communications across their

entire business.

5) The All-Encompassing Perspective

The study’s literature review points to the

idea that concentrating on what an

organisation can control in terms of

branded content is not good enough any

more in the digital and social media age.

The findings therefore expound a fifth

perspective on branded content that

aims to enable people to understand it in

its entirety: the all-encompassing

viewpoint that combines both the TMO-

controlled traditional and TMO-initiated

digital aspects, as well as external

stakeholders contributing to the creation

and dissemination of branded content.

Forming a single, comprehensive definition of branded contentPhase One of the study has encapsulated

the initial findings about how people talk

about branded content, resulting in the

development of a preliminary, all-

encompassing definition of branded content:

Branded content is any content that can be associated with a brand in the eye of the beholder.

Note the intentionally subjective element of

this definition. You might see a video on

YouTube and think, “This has nothing to do

with my brand”. But if, for instance, a few

thousand people associate it, for whatever

reason, with your company then you have

some stakeholder content affecting your

organisation’s brand, positively or negatively,

whether or not you realise it. Hence branded

content is ‘any content that can be

associated with a brand in the eye of the

beholder’.

99

During the next phase of the study, which

involves expert interviews, this holistic

definition will be further examined and,

depending on the outcome, changed or

refined with the aim to determine how

branded content should be

conceptualised in the digital age.

Additional insight into emerging branded content trendsBesides the study’s findings of how

people talk about branded content and

the proposal of a new definition of

branded content, five key insights about

emerging trends in branded content have

been revealed:

1. Branded content can build

sustainable brand differentiation

The creation of great branded content

can be difficult and challenging, but it’s

worthwhile because it enables

organisations to differentiate themselves

for a longer-term effect, not just for a

short-term campaign. If you have, for

example, some product innovation

advantage, your competitors can often

copy it very quickly. However, if you

create powerful content and meanings

that are very close to your brand, you

have the opportunity to drive sustainable

brand differentiation.

2. There are many more controllers of

branded content in the digital age

New technologies and media have

opened up widely the creation and

dissemination of branded content to all-

comers – consumers, competitors,

pressure groups, and many others – not

just to the trademark owner of the brand.

3. Consumer power over branded

content is growing

Interruptive marketing with no perceived

value is increasingly ignored or avoided

by consumers.

4. Organisations need to transform the

way they communicate

There is an art to creating a sustainable

brand narrative and connecting it with the

right audience(s) in the right place at the

right time.

5. Organisations need to be better

organised and coordinated

To be able to implement your branded

content strategy successfully, you need

resources, processes, structures and

coherence across all channels, which is

particularly challenging in an international

or even global context.

These insights can be used to develop

branded content strategies as part of a

methodology to harness the power of

branded content.

Phase Two of the study is under way and

its findings will be published in late 2014. Further details of the study as it progresses

can be found here.

100

When looking at emerging trends and

insights into branded content marketing

in Russia, we need to remember that

advertising in Russia is relatively young.

The very first TV ads, from multi-national

FMCG giants, were aired in 1989.

Nevertheless, during the past 25 years

the Russian advertising market has

became relatively mature, very

fragmented (there are hundreds of media

owners) and one of the most cluttered in

Europe.

This maturity and saturation helps explain

why the number of people who like and

trust traditional advertising has started to

decline year on year, according to TNS

M’Index annual study.

By Anton Efimov

Head of BCMA Russia and Managing Director of Fuse Russia

m

ARKE

T RE

PORT

RussiaFUSE RUSSIA

Meanwhile, Russia is fertile ground for

new communication technologies:

- 93% of Russians own a mobile

phone (30% smartphone)

- 85% (52 million) have a social

network account, the 5th highest figure in

the world. The top Russian social

network is VKontakte, the European

leader by average monthly time-spend –

more than 7 hours per user

- 35% of Russians are exposed to a

‘second screen’ i.e. actively use PC and/

or smartphone while watching TV

- 51% of Russians prefer spending

leisure time on a PC, rather than

watching TV

Whereas Russians are open to new

technologies, their preferred content

formats are well established. These

consist of both local and international

material.

Humour generally has a special place in

the life and culture of Russians. 81% of

the population considers a sense of

humour as one of the most important

character traits.

Not surprisingly then, the most popular

TV content format (with a 62% rating) is

humour. Domestic comedy shows

dominate, the most popular being KVN –

now more than 50 years old and the de

facto proving ground for budding

comedians before they move on to the

increasingly popular new stand-up

shows.

The second most popular (53%) content

format, talent, is led by a locally adapted

version of The Voice. Then comes DIY

(47%), including programmes about

cooking, house repairs and beauty/

grooming that are mostly adapted from

international franchises. Finally, we have

TV games content (40%) among which

102

the most popular shows are local quiz

‘What?Where?When?’ and international

franchises ‘Who Wants to be a

Millionaire?’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’.

Notably, the Russian hosts of all these

shows are strong opinion leaders and are

heavily featured by advertisers in

marketing initiatives.

While humorous content is perennially

popular, it’s experiencing a boom

nowadays thanks to the rise of stand-up

comedy programmes and the new

pseudo-reality shows – series featuring

the ordinary daily lives of extraordinary

people, which are shot on amateur

cameras.

There has also been considerable public

interest in sport-related content recently.

In particular, feature movies and series

about sports people (both up-and-

coming and legendary) have generated

great interest among Russian audiences.

This could be explained by a general

national sports boom, thanks to

numerous world-class sporting events

being hosted in Russia – Universiada

2013, Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, FIFA

World Cup 2018 and others.

Another notable factor influencing

Russia’s branded content marketing

activity is the very close association

between leading TV channels and

production houses, something that’s

seldom found in other countries.

For example, the majority of content on

the biggest Russian TV channel, Pervy, is

shot by Red Square production house;

TNT channel (the major entertainment

network for young adults) by Comedy

Club Production; STS (the leading family

entertainment channel) by Yellow, Black

and White production house.

This partnership between TV channels

and production houses provides a very

wide scope of opportunities for

integrated branded content marketing

initiatives, created by content

professionals in a seamless and

engaging way for audiences.

TV programme sponsors, predominantly

FMCG and mobile communications

companies, are most active in exploiting

these branded content marketing

opportunities. For example, Syoss hair

care brand provided professional stylists

on ‘The Voice’ and presented extra

content features, such as contestants

experiencing the brand’s products, to

achieve deep brand integration in a

recent branded content marketing

campaign.

103

In another instance, Russia’s leading

telecommunications group MTS has

previously aligned itself with the ‘What?

Where?When?’ quiz show and KVN

comedy programme, as well as

broadcasting its own programme, ‘The

Game’, which was closely tied in with live

MTS marketing activity as it aired.

A more multifaceted example of a recent

successful Russian branded content

marketing campaign is that of Baltika #3

beer. The brand wanted to be strongly

associated with football, gain mass

coverage, yet stay within new advertising

regulations under which beer is not

allowed to be integrated into sports

competitions, nor advertised on TV

before 11pm.

With the insight that beer consumption

related to football also takes place away

from matches, when discussing them

with friends, the Baltika #3 campaign

featured several strands of activation:

• A Baltika #3 branded ‘3 news about

football’ scoring tool within the ‘Football

night” programme on major TV channel

NTV, where experts discuss the main

football news.

• Similar rubrics on top football

websites, where fans discuss the main

football news with each other and with

experts in chat forums.

• The top three news items were

selected by audience votes then became

discussion topics on TV and fed into the

content creation for Baltika #3 ads online

and on TV.

This legally compliant, cross-media,

integrated branded content marketing

campaign firmly associated Baltika #3

with football and resulted in a 10%

increase in sales, a 20% increase in loyal

customers and a 4 point increase in

market share.

104

In summation, the use of branded

content marketing in Russia is growing

and there are several major factors

contributing to this growth:

1. A negative attitude to traditional

interruptive advertising that’s worsening

year on year.

2. A fertile market for personal

communication technologies and social

media.

3. Industry partnerships through which

both content producers and media

agencies can enrich their expertise in

integrated branded content marketing

campaigns, and provide advertisers and

TV audiences with engaging new

solutions – including cross-media ones

that may comprise content on TV,

Internet, radio, in-store and other

communication channels.

4. Finally, the first robust research

studies analysing the efficiency of

branded content marketing

communication channels have recently

been completed.

Please contact Fuse Russia to request a

copy of their latest branded content

marketing information for the Russian

market.

105

At this point in time, Brazil is in

‘hypermediatic’ mode, driven by an

overabundance of information, images,

platforms, excessive brand offerings, a

huge variety of products, screens,

restaurants, music, movies and facts that

can be found anywhere in the world at

any time.

Never before have consumers had so

much on tap, combined with the will to

choose and consume whatever interests

them, as often as they like, anywhere

they want. And of course, sharing this

content and letting the world know

about it.

By Patrícia Weiss

Chairman & Founder BCMA South America; CSO, Wanted Agency; SVP Strategic Consultant for Branded Content, Branded Entertainment & Transmedia Storytelling Asas da Imaginação Brazil

m

ARKE

T RE

PORT

107

A transformation in content creation and distribution

"Both are rare gems in Brazil: great

quality content and companies that

have mastered branding. And usually,

when both of them meet, there isn't

enough money on the table to get this

effort in front of a massive audience." 

Domênico Massareto,

Chief Creative Officer,

Agency ID/TBWA Brazil

"50 years ago, South American

households had access to only two TV

channels, with only one TV programme

produced by a major player, so

advertisers promoted their products

without any problem.

Fast forward to the '80s and there were

65 TV channels, AM radio gave way to

FM, the production of content

remained in the hands of the major

players, but there was so much

content to produce that independent

producers such as Endemol and

Fremantle started to emerge.

Nowadays, this story is being written

all over again. Since the arrival of the

digital era, entertainment content has

multiplied a thousandfold on the web,

tablets, phones and smart TV. The big

question is: where will the money

come from to produce so much

content? Advertisers." 

Rodrigo Figueroa Reyes,

Founder & CEO,

FiRe Advertainment, Argentina

Brazilian consumers are profoundly

changing the way they relate to media

and content. They are now co-authors

and can produce their own content

singlehandedly within a model of

participatory culture. They are in a hurry

and want to know about everything on

the spot, live, interacting, and in real

time.

The audience in Brazil is directly involved

in the circulation of content, at the same

time as the reality of the broadcast

system and the centralised media

(distribution of content) still reigns in the

country. This means that the ‘stickiness’

logic still dominates, facing the powerful

rise of a ‘spreadability’ logic model. The

largest share of media spending in Brazil

is dedicated to traditional advertising

media based on impact, especially for TV

and the Internet. But on the other hand,

we are living intensely in the ‘Social

Conversation Era’ where the circulation

of media content is also a big reality.

108

Brazil in the social era• Population: 190.7 million

• Internet users: 105 million

• Internet coverage: c.20 million more domestic users were connected in the past two years, reaching a total of 76.62 million in 2013 – a 32% rise.

• Mobile connection: 56% use Internet via smartphones and tablets; 52 million people access the web via mobile phones.

• Brazil has 142.7million mobile phone users – c.71% of the total population.

• Second screen: almost 7 in 10 Brazilians use TV and smartphones at the same time (Ipsos research for Google Brazil, August 2013).

• 63 million Brazilians use at least two screens daily (TV + computer); 30 million use three screens (TV + computer + smartphone). For 75% of users, the main smartphone feature used is to access social media.

• Social media: Facebook Brazil has 76 million users. Brazilians use Facebook more often than Indians, making Brazil the second country in the world in daily access, only behind the USA.

• Brazil has the second largest teenage population on Facebook: 12.2 million users aged 13-17 years old. But they are seeking agility and private conversations, so migrating to apps such as Whatsapp and Snapchat.

Sources: IBGE, Ibope.

New media coexist with traditional media

in Brazil. In such a dispersive

environment, the audience is looking for

ideas and content that’s entertaining and

effective in engaging their minds. If the

content is not relevant, shareable and

appealing enough, it isn’t spread in non-

linear conversation.

Worldwide, we are experiencing a

fundamental transformation from an

intrusion-based marketing model

economy into an invitation-based model.

The importance of brand storytellingWhile the narratives of the contemporary

world are collapsing, storytelling is

becoming increasingly essential. The

traditional business model of advertising

in Brazil, and TV commercials that still

present the brand as the protagonist or

hero to push products to the consumer

(except the ones that do entertain), will

suffer a collapse, because impact does

not necessarily also mean engagement.

This profound change is evident and

challenging to marketers.

The most viewed online ad campaign in

the world in 2013, Dove ‘Real Beauty

Sketches’, was created by Ogilvy Brazil.

It’s fundamentally a powerful creative

idea that united consumer insight with

the brand truth. A story was created to

connect with people and to be shared.

So, a fact is more likely to be

remembered if it’s anchored in a story.

And stories should be greater than

products. Anywhere.

Brazilian audiences are definitely hungry

for more stories. More fiction and less

reality. More entertainment and less

interruption. And more reality shows and

live programmes that enable their full

participation and interactivity. (Yes, Event

TV is a trend, too).

A country with a tradition and passion for

soap operas has enough space in its

heart to become a fan of both

international and Brazilian series. The

number of productions is increasing by

the minute. Shows are being produced by

independent national production

companies that already work in

advertising, on feature and short films,

reality shows, documentaries, web

series, etc. – for example, O2 Films,

BossaNovaFilms, Zeppelin, Mixer,

Conspiração, Sentimental, Hungry Man

and more.

These production companies are well

placed to meet the demand for content

coming from major advertising agencies,

including digital content agency LiveAD

(for example ‘Nike SP-Rio’ awarded in the

Branded Content category at Cannes

2012 and ‘Mil Casmurros’ for Globo TV),

as well as specialist branded content

agencies such as New Content (‘Battle of

the DJs’ Skyy vodka’), Mutato/JWT and

others.

109

110

The development of Brazil’s branded content market

"Branded content will only become a

protagonist in Brazil when the market

realises that TV, web and mobile devices

talk to and complement each other, and

that the difference between them comes

down to the screen size. Strengthening the

value of a brand through content produced

by it – not about it – is one of the most

efficient strategies for effective

communication with consumers." 

Daniel Bacchieri,

Head of Content Development,

Zeppelin Films

"Latin America has a huge potential for branded content.

First and foremost it has to do with vocation. Latinos are

social and have always loved to share with others.

In the last few decades, there has been significant

economic development that is still in progress. This has

enabled people to have computers and mobile phones,

which has driven lots of content development, sharing

and co-creation. Latinos are early adopters in

technology – they are always mirroring the United States

as their model.

It is not by chance that the most developed country in

terms of social media is Brazil. People in the region are

very active in creating stories and talking to each other.

Brands that best understand this behavior will profit

more from the conversations that are already happening

in various channels.

The biggest challenge in LatAm in general is developing

the infrastructure to enable people to connect and share.

Once this issue is fixed, there will be an exponential

growth in stories and as a result a lot of great content." 

Claudia Colaferro,

President, Latin America,

Dentsu Aegis Network

"Only a few companies in Brazil understand

how much content can be positive for their

brands in order to make their relationships

stronger with the consumer. Providing

information like recipes or tips for mums is

not enough. It does not build a

differentiated conversation with the

consumer. Companies need to find other

ways to talk with their clients, maybe

through documentaries, video games, etc.

Thus, there is a lot of work to do." 

André Pedroso,

Creative Director,

Publicis Red Lion

Brazil has arrived at an intersection of its

marketing, entertainment and advertising

industries, and is currently experiencing

something exciting: a revolution that’s

breaking the traditional mindset and

heading towards the inevitable

convergence of the advertising and

entertainment industries, regardless of

formats and platforms. Increasingly,

organisations are recognising the

predominance of branded content and

storytelling, and placing it at the heart of

their brand strategies.

In tandem with this migration, the

production of content is growing in Brazil.

In some cases, it’s growing intuitively, but

mostly, it’s growing because of the

demand for videos aiming to reach

consumers in social networks and on

YouTube. This represents the antiquated

expectations of marketers who still focus

on higher rates of likes, views and

volume, showing that we are still in a

transitional stage where the mindset of

buying traditional media remains focused

on impact, rather than on creating

conversations and relationships with

consumers based around brand stories.

However, branded content is slowly

breaking the barriers of TV and taking

over the Internet, which naturally enables

its distribution.

The strong trend to embrace visual

conversation – caused by Vine, Instagram

and then Facebook and Twitter –

triggered a greater focus of the

advertising market on developing social

strategies that include images and mainly

video production to involve and engage

consumers, provoking the sharing of

content.

The production of entertainment content

for cable TV has also grown considerably

in Brazil since Audiovisual Law 12.485

came into force in 2011. This law requires

more hours of independent and national

content to be exhibited in the TV

channels’ prime time periods, which will

contribute to the development of the

culture of the Brazilian entertainment

industry.

And finally, marketers in Brazil are

demanding more metrics, results

measurement tools and engagement.

They express a greater concern about

bringing together content strategy and

content marketing, resulting in the

development of better capabilities and

experience for planning holistic branded

content marketing initiatives.

For example, the publishing group Abril

has created a platform dedicated to

content marketing for two magazines,

Exame and Info, and it’s already

producing, with successful results, native

advertising projects for brands such as

Dell, GE and IBM.

111

ChallengeExame was asked to associate HSBC

Commercial Banking with relevant

content about international trade aimed

at a select audience of executives. HSBC

asked for a special ad format within the

magazine index (very unusual for a

Brazilian magazine).

SolutionA bespoke advertorial page with premium

content about the global economy and

international business was created and

appeared fortnightly in the printed

magazine. An exclusive space for HSBC

was also created in the index footer.

ResultsThis 2013 project generated a 2014

renewal with a larger investment. Many

other advertisers are now interested in

using the index footer space.

Advertorial recall research among readers

achieved:

- 80% stimulated recall rate

- 69% of readers consider the HSBC

advertising easy to understand

- The information is interesting for 64% of

them

- 82% agree "content matches the

magazine“

- 77% agree "It is an advertisement that

provides useful information“

- 60% agree it "generates more sympathy

for the brand that is advertising"

112

Exame +HSBC Commercial Banking CA

SE S

TUDY

ChallengeInfo was asked to show consumers how

the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor is

important for mobile device performance.

SolutionA custom channel called ‘Mundo Mobile’

was created and placed on the INFO

website. Its content consisted of editorial

news about smartphones and

technology, as well as infographics and

advertorials highlighting the Qualcomm

Snapdragon processor quality. The

infographics were also published inside

INFO’s printed magazine in July 2013 to

explain how the processor works in a

simple, graphic way.

Results- 1.3 million page views of ‘Mundo

Mobile’ from March to August 2013

Research among magazine readers who

saw the infographics revealed:

- 73% will pay more attention to the

brand of the processor when buying a

new smartphone

- The infographic ad format contributed

to the positive perception of this branded

content (85% found it to be more

attractive than an ordinary report)

113

Info + Qualcomm Snapdragon

CASE

STU

DY

I believe that 2014 will be the turning point

year for the Brazilian market, driving forward

the evolution of the use of branded content

by organisations as an essential strategic

tool, instead of simply a campaign tactic to

captivate, involve and engage consumers

that, as humans, are eager for stories.

Anything and everything can happen in the

year of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Brands

will increase their investments, primarily in

media and social initiatives, maximising the

capitalisation of this moment and their

sponsorships.

And the outlook is also quite optimistic in

leveraging business for the second screen to

meet the potential of the market.

We will experience the increase of social

campaigns involving many kinds of public

participation via social media and with a

strong engagement angle.

The discussion about a less intrusive, more

consumer-relevant marketing approach is

growing in Brazil. This will result in marketing

communications with less impact but greater

audience involvement and conversation,

where the brand’s message flows within, not

just around, the content, and brands aim to

become accomplished storytellers.

114

The future of branded content marketing in Brazil

"What I have been predicting

for years in the field of

branded content is

happening today: brands

have started investing in

producing their own content

and are already part of the

entertainment industry. This

activity goes far beyond

being in the plot of a story;

it's about a million-dollar

business that will open the

door to a brand's assets:

proprietary products,

licenses, property rights –to

make money with its own

advertising. In short, the

paradigm shift in this

business is that advertising

is no longer an expenditure,

but an investment." 

Rodrigo Figueroa Reyes,

Founder & CEO,

FiRe Advertainment, Argentina

Last year, I asked a number of experts to

help me with some crystal ball gazing

that resulted in the Expert Predictions

chapter of the first edition of the Best of

Branded Content Marketing ebook.

This year I asked a far broader group of

marketing practitioners from around the

world what they expect to see change in

the next five years, and what they expect

will remain the same. The question was

prompted by comments made by the

analyst, author and founder of Altimeter

Group, Charlene Li, who’d pointed out

that despite the many different sites,

technologies and business models we

have today, “the fundamentals of

marketing have remained the same as

have the challenges.”

The question brought a seven-fold

increase in response with a mixture of

description, prescription and prediction.

Because the term ‘content’ straddles so

by Justin KirbyVP, Strategic Content MarketingTenthwave

The Future of Branded Content MarketingPlus Ça Change, Plus C'est La Même ChoseThe more things change, the more they remain the same

Exp

ert

Pred

icti

ons

Repo

rt

many marketing and other disciplines,

the responses highlighted the need for a

shared lexicon which we hope the

industry can move towards. The recently

BCMA commissioned research

undertaken by Oxford Brookes University,

in partnership with Ipsos MORI, which

has resulting in the following overarching

definition of branded content:

"Branded content is any content associated with a brand in the eye of the beholder”

This is helpful first step by describing

what branded content is generically, but

it doesn’t explain the ‘Why’ (in what is the

marketing problem it attempts to solve?),

nor ‘What’ the branded content specifics

might be for the different variations of

‘Whom’, ‘Where’ and ‘When’. There’s also

the important question of ‘How’ any

success might be measured.

We hope what follows, and the case

studies, will start to address some of

these issues. No-one has all of the

answers yet, but we also hope the

responses and points raised will also

provide a frame of reference for

marketers to better navigate a path

through the many challenges ahead.

116

REPORT INDEX AND SUMMARY

THE YIN YANG OF BRANDED CONTENT MARKETING

STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS

WHAT WILL CHANGEBranded Content At The Heart Of Every Marketing Strategy

New (Open And Collaborative) Agency Models Will Emerge

But New Skill Sets Will Be Required

The Rise And Rise Of Storytelling

More Platforms, Devices And Personalisation

Measurement, Analytics And The Rise Of Empathetic/Emotional Marketing

WHAT WON’T CHANGE

ABOUT THE REPORT

117

SECTION 1

The Yin Yang of Branded Content Marketing Jan Godsk of ideatakeway and Chairman, BCMA Scandinavia,

believes that branded content and content marketing may be

two different categories. He uses the term ‘branded content

marketing’ as we have done with the title of this ebook to point

out that it has brand on one side, marketing on the other, and

content in the middle.

Jan GodskChairman BCMA Scandinavia

“Talking about branded content

and content marketing, I think

it’s all about one word that

connects both, and that’s the

word content.”

Branded Content

On the brand side, Jan suggests we think

of this as being more irrational and

focused around our impressions, such as

whether we like a brand or share their

values. Branded content campaigns are

more likely to be conducted upstream as

part of an engagement approach rather

than to just drive awareness in the

traditional AIDA funnel. The term is often

associated with longer-form video-based

output from more creative advertising

disciplines where audiences are engaged

with entertainment-type content that

resonates emotionally. This helps shift

brand preferences and consumer

behaviours. In theory, the less USP-

focused you become, the more your

branded content will emotionally involve

people.

Content Marketing

On the marketing side, Jan proposes we

think about this as being based around

the product/service USP, with the content

being more rational and informative.

Content marketing campaigns are often

conducted downstream in what

McKinsey & Company call the customer

decision journey, with ROI more focused

on lead-generation and sales. Looking at

content marketing in this way helps

explain why some prefer the term ‘brand

publishing’, why it is often used within a

B2B context, its close connection to

Search Engine Optimisation, and the

formats most commonly used:

• Blogs• E-newsletters• Case studies• Press releases• ebooks• White papers• Infographics• Webinars• Podcasts

119

And Branded Entertainment?

The term ‘branded entertainment’ is used

by some to describe branded content

marketing campaigns where the product

is more integrated into the content. That’s

why the term is often used in connection

with formats such as advertiser funded

programming (AFP) that use more

traditional media like TV, radio and even

film and often overlap with product

placement and sponsorship.

This type of approach is evolving as we

have showcased with the Summer

D’Reem case study where Unilever’s Surf

brand borrowed the attributes from ITV’s

‘The only way is Essex’ (TOWIE) TV show

to extend their association with it by

creating exclusive, engaging and

entertaining content.

Branded Content And Content Marketing: Two Sides Of The Same Content Coin

The Yin Yang image is a simple way of

illustrating that the two approaches are

two sides of the same coin, but

seemingly based on different intent that

shapes the output, engagement and

distribution approaches.

As Mark Welland explains, it also shows

how other disciplines can be

accommodated as part of the mix.

120

Mark WellandFounderNew Media Works

“In the future, I’m sure, as

within most disciplines,

branded content marketing will

begin to fracture and divide

into more specialist areas. New

platforms and ways of

engaging will drive the process

on the back of services that

users wish to be a part of. This

will need new language to

describe the areas and will

hopefully lead to better ways of

describing the broader

discipline.”

SECTION 2

Strategic Considerations

Some of the response from experts focused less on

the future, and more on the strategic considerations

that brands need to be thinking about with regard to

branded content marketing. We’ve grouped these in

themes to provide a context for the predictions in

the following sections.

“I often hear the cry “We need

a social media strategy” when

what is really needed first is a

customer engagement strategy

based on content.”

Dave ChaffeyCEOSmart Insights

The 3 Circles of Branded Content

Marketing diagram on the right is a

helpful prompt to start thinking about

practice more holistically. The diagram

was inspired by the Three Pillars of

Connected Marketing model developed

by Idil Cakim, the analyst and author of

Implementing Word of Mouth Marketing.

As Dave Chaffey at Smart Insights

explains, content and social media

marketing have become the de facto way

of explaining customer engagement

approaches and so it’s “unfortunate” that

these are too often considered

separately. He says what is needed is a

“customer engagement strategy based

on content”. Idil’s model shows how

these can be unified.

I’ve adapted Idil’s model to provide a

prompt for thinking through the following

questions as part of developing a

branded content marketing strategy:

• What kind of branded content is

created (or co-created) by ‘Who’ and

for ‘Whom’?

• How is engagement managed?

• How is content distributed? (i.e.

‘Where’ in the converged landscape

of earned, owned and paid media,

and ‘When’ in the customer decision

journey?)

• How is the success of the different

parts and their sum measured?

These are also useful questions for

analysing the predictions in the following

sections, as are these strategic

considerations raised by contributors:122

THREE CIRCLES OF BRANDED CONTENT MARKETING

DISTRIBUTION

CONTENT(CO)CREATION

ENGAGEMENTMANAGEMENT

MEASUREMENT

We are media

Chris Gorell Barnes at Adjust Your Set

suggests that we’re also moving from a

world where mass media ruled to one

where the masses themselves are the

media: “People not only decide what,

when and where they want to consume

media, but also whether or not the

message is passed on.”

Your brand is a social construct that you no longer control

That’s why Bjoern Asmussen at Oxford

Brooks University thinks that marketers

will increasingly realise that brands “are

best understood as socially constructed

organisms”. They will consist of “all kinds

of brand meanings, brand manifestations

and brand stakeholders, such as

consumers, employees, competitors,

suppliers, pressure groups and the

media.”

so get yourself invited, don’t just buy your way in

Blended Republic’s Chris Sice thinks that

right now, “too many brands follow an

outdated ‘push’ content model. They

create content and look to ‘buy’

audiences.” Chris Gorell Barnes adds

that “if a brand wants to be a part of this

world they must be invited in – you can’t

buy your way in.”

or just try and catch the next big wave

Branded content is also “no longer about

client strategies or wanting to be in on

the next big wave” according to

Vodafone’s Melissa Hopkins. She says it

is now “simply a news provider, a

conversation piece, a portal for

stimulation, with a brand discreetly

behind it.” Melissa believes only the

brave brands understand this.

and ensure that your branded content marketing strategies are truly consumer-centric

Chris Gorell Barnes predicts that “the

brands that will thrive in this new world

will be those that put the needs of the

consumer at the heart of what they do.”

Max Garner at Aegis Media adds that

“authentic and constant consumer-

centric behaviour from a brand will

always be the best way to aid success in

our rapidly changing convergent media

world.” For Patricia Weiss of the BCMA’s

South American Chapter this means

creating branded content in all formats

and platforms that are personally relevant

for consumers, so that brands move from

a media-centric approach to one based

on human context where the “consumer

is the protagonist and hero of every

story.”

123

and that your branding is aligned with your branded content marketing strategy

Veteran advertiser turned brand

consultant Robert Bean explained that

what were once walls that companies

could control have now become windows

as a result of the digital explosion, and

anyone can see into an organisation from

any number of vantage points. As such it

“behoves brands or companies generally

to sharpen up their act and decide who

they are and what they’re about and be

true to themselves in a way that they’ve

never really had to before.” This means

branding needs to start from the inside

out, so that the people within the

business are aligned around what they

are trying to do and create a culture that

produces a commensurate product that

when managed properly results in a

commensurate reputation.

or you’ll get found out!

Put another way, Robert thinks digital is a

great way of exposing organisations that

are “disorganisations” for want of a

better term. Brands can no longer get

away with trying to project an image that

attempts to engineer a reputation. In

summary, brands cannot “fake” another

five years, believes Jan Godsk.

Welcome to the rise of the narrative brands

Robert Bean’s inside-out branding

approach is based on the alignment of a

brand’s culture, product or service, and

reputation around what he calls the

‘Single Organising Principle’. This

provides a clear sense of purpose of

what a brand does.

124

PERSONALRELEVANCE

DRIVINGPURPOSE

CULTURALCONTEXT

WHERE SOCIALSHOULD LIVE

THREE TENETS OF NARRATIVE BRANDS

Purposeful content and alignment are

themes that are raised in the following

section, as is the importance of

storytelling.

My colleagues at Tenthwave produced

the diagram above that is helpful for

thinking about how branding can be

aligned with a branded content marketing

strategy. It’s based around the idea that

the strongest social brands are described

as ‘narrative brands’, i.e. brand

storytelling that combines the following:

Driving Purpose

As Tenthwave’s Gretchen Ramsey

explains, a purpose is simply a tangible

reason for being a brand (why the brand

exists): “It's that flag in the ground, that

rally cry that everything ladders to and

that is visible and visceral throughout the

entire consumer experience.” For

example, Red Bull's purpose in simple

terms is ‘adventure’.

Cultural Context

A cultural context ensures that the brand

is culturally relevant. Gretchen believes

that in practice this means capturing

macro and micro cultural trends. A

branded content marketing strategy must

be developed with these cultural factors

in mind. Another way of looking at

cultural context was highlighted in a

comment made by the dotcom pioneer

Joe Kraus of Excite fame in a BBC

interview last year: “If the 20th century

was about dozens of markets of millions

of consumers, then the 21st century is

about millions of markets of dozens of

consumers.” Unruly’s Barney Worfolk-

Smith talks about interacting with people

through “fractured passion centres.” The

Duck Tape ‘Race of Gentlemen’

campaign is a good example of how a

brand got itself invited to a very culturally

relevant ‘fractured passion centre’.

Personal Relevance

As Patricia Weiss explains, if your

branded content is interesting for your

audience, “they will be interested in it.”

Being personally relevant is behind the

‘passion’ in the fractured passion centres

that Barney talks about. Gretchen

Ramsey believes personal relevance is at

a “nascent stage” but a feed customised

for the individual user could include

helpful personal visualised data (think

loyalty programming and smart CRM),

geo-context as well as social graph

integration. (see more on this theme in

the More Platforms, Devices &

Personalisation section.)

We hope that you find this introduction to

the following predictions both interesting

and useful. The ideas presented here

provide a backdrop to our contributors’

thoughts on what they expect to see

change in the next five years and what

they expect will remain the same.

125

SECTION 3

What Will Change

Branded content at the heart of every marketing strategy

As the CIPR’s Stephen Waddington explains, “Content is the drum beat of

engagement between a brand and its publics”. But the ability of content

“to draw people in naturally through entertaining, emotionally engaging

messaging” is why Pereira & O’Dell’s creative chief PJ Pereira believes that

“branded content will continue to feature in more and more client

strategies” helping to “develop deeper relationships with audiences”.

Publicis Slovenija’s Uroš Goričan also thinks we can expect brands to put

“more emphasis on branded content in their marketing strategy.”

Andrew CanterCEOBCMA

“We definitely feel the future

of branded content is very

exciting. And if 2013 was

anything to go by we’re

going to see a rapid increase

in the number of brands

using branded content as

the core of their marketing.”

imag

e ©

BBP

Med

ia / G

iusep

pe

Driven by digital and social

The BCMA’s Andrew Canter predicts that,

by 2019, branded content will be at the

heart of every campaign, driven by the

growth of digital technologies and social

media.

and stand-out examples

Romelle Swire’s Chris Smith predicts that

the stand-out branded content

campaigns we’ve seen during 2013 will

both increase industry awareness for the

approach and drive more examples.

Chris specifically mentioned work by

Amazon, Chipotle and Heineken, but

other examples cited by experts include

Red Bull ‘Stratos Mission to the Edge of

Space’, Coca-Cola’s ‘Small World

Machines’, and Banco Popular de Puerto

Rico’s ‘The Most Popular Song’ (also see

Jan Godsk and John McDermott).

and more standardised procedures

Branded Entertainment Online’s (BEO)

Sandra Freisinger-Heinl thinks that there

will always be those stand-out du jour

examples, but it’s “more standardised

procedures” that will encourage the

adoption of entertaining branded content

marketing approaches.  

Moving across the spectrum, to become less isolated and more integrated

MEC’s Chantal Rickards sees the next

five years as an exciting time with

content moving “across the spectrum”.

Sky MEDIA’s Jason Hughes thinks we’ll

see a greater joining of the dots over the

next five years between the linear and

non-linear world to a point where

“branded content campaigns transcend

TV, online, social, POS with the overall

activation far greater than the sum of its

parts.”

and not just an afterthought

Red Bee Media’s Michael Reeves thinks

we’re still at the point where branded

content is being commissioned in

isolation as an afterthought once the

more traditional marketing has been set.

However, he thinks brands will learn to

plan branded content alongside other

disciplines in order to get the maximum

effect, so that it can lead to or become

the “central articulation of a brand or

communication idea.”

Becoming the communication norm across the organisation

Stephen Waddington believes the shift

will go further so that what he describes

as “content development” will move

beyond marketing communications to

“become the communication norm for all

operational areas of an organisation.”

but more risks still need to be taken

Jason Hughes expects “a tipping point

where the penny will drop around the real

value and power branded content

delivers way beyond traditional media

valuation”, so that it “becomes the norm

centrepiece of every campaign.”

127

NEW (OPEN AND COLLABORATIVE) AGENCY MODELS WILL EMERGE

The social media strategist Jadis Tillery

predicts that “collaboration will be the

name of the game” in the brave new

world of branded content. Compelling

stories can be created that evolve

“dynamically thanks to the consumer

shaping the story itself.” Somethin’ Else’s

Steve Ackerman thinks we’ll also see

“content strategists and content creators

coming together to form new agencies.”

Here are some other predictions along

similar lines:

Publishers as agencies

Patricia Weiss who heads up the BCMA’s

South American Chapter thinks native

advertising looks set to “become the

starlet in the blurred lines between ads

and content”. She sees publishers

becoming more agency-like, working

directly with brands through the creation

of in-house “branded content divisions,

paid media operations, brand strategy

units and digital production services.”

Agency-facilitated brand alliances with publishers

Forrester’s Ryan Skinner sees brands

regularly building “quasi-official alliances

with each other and publishers, usually

facilitated by an agency, to collectively

produce a compelling digital experience.”

More and different kinds of celebrity partnerships

Sean ‘Diddy’ Coombes’ recent JV with

Diageo suggests that celebrity talent

partnerships will continue to play a key

role in branded content. For Jadis Tillery

this is not just about “the loyal and

sizeable fan base they can mobilise for a

brand, but as dynamic content creators

and media owners in their own right.”

That said, United Agent’s Joanna Scarratt

thinks that a social media following is

becoming an increasingly important

factor, and as a result we’ll start seeing

new highly paid social superstars.128

“Native Advertising will become the

starlet in the blurred lines between

ads and content, by reinventing the

business of publishing and snatching

the emerging markets. A growing

number of publishers will create their

own branded content divisions, paid

media operations, brand strategy

units and digital production services,

in-house. More often, they will be

hiring publishers to create content on

their behalf.”

Patricia WeissChairman and FounderBCMA South America

New (open source) business models

Crispin Reed at UK Fusion Learning

thinks we’ll see “more and more

interesting collaborations between

brands when it comes to content

marketing.” He cites Google’s acquisition

of smart thermostat brand Nest as a way

they can enter the “home through a

different door.” The convergent home is

not a new idea, but for Crispin it’s an

indication of a more “imaginative coming

together of brands to deliver branded

content”. BCMA’s Chairman Morgan Holt

thinks that the combining of

micropayments and user content channel

technology platforms would be

interesting.

so that lines will continue to be blurred until there are none left

The strategist Sarah Farrugia predicts

that “those who really understand social

media and the importance of truth and

human connections will increasingly use

the multiplying and diverse channels in

more and more interesting ways - blurring

the lines until there are no lines

anymore.”

BUT NEW SKILLSETS WILL BE REQUIRED

As the online revolution outstrips

marketing knowledge, Joanna Scarratt at

United Agents thinks that no-one quite

yet knows how to exploit branded

content properly. She thinks that this is

because the “speed of the online

revolution, and development of platforms,

has outstripped marketing knowledge.”

new skill sets required

Mike Arauz at Undercurrent recently

wrote about The New Digital Strategist’s

Skill Set that’s moved from the T-shape of

having to know a little about a lot and a

lot about a little to the square-shape of

now having to know a lot about a lot.

129

“A platform (YouTube, for

example) could host brands

that were prepared to open

their assets to the general

public and see what people did

with them. This would give

creators license to rethink the

brand's meaning and create a

whole new presence for the

brand itself.”

Morgan HoltChairmanBCMA

to understand culture better

Gretchen Ramsey at Tenthwave mentions

how dramatically and quickly specialised

areas shift in digital, which is why she

thinks we have “a duty to understand

culture on a new level, as it’s intimately

tied with our ability to plan relevance.”

and social behaviour

OgilvyEntertainment’s Doug Scott thinks

that “agencies need to hire behavioural

economists and creative technologists as

well as individuals that truly understand

social interaction.” For him this goes

“well beyond the social media specialist.”

The dawn of the pi-shaped data storytellers?

In a recent interview by Renegade’s CEO

Drew Neisser with Econsultancy's CEO

Ashley Friedlein on PSFK, the pi-shaped

data storytelling marketer was discussed.

For Ashley the pi-shaped skillset isn’t

about expecting people to know about

everything (square) it’s more about

having a “wide breadth of skills and

knowledge across various marketing

disciplines, but crucially possessing both

left-brain and right-brain abilities”. As

Ashley goes on to explain, it’s about

being analytical and data-driven on one

hand, but also “understanding brands,

storytelling and experiential marketing.”

REAL TIME AND AGILE

Unruly’s COO Sarah Wood sees new

tools emerging that will help support the

macro-trend of real-time content

marketing and allow marketers to

become more ‘agile’. This is where

brands become “newsrooms for their

niche” and invest to support “content

discovery, content curation and content

creation” to compete for consumers’

mind share on social platforms.

or something more additive?

Digiday’s John McDermott hopes that

“brands will move away from their real-

time marketing obsession and create

130

“Agencies need to hire

behavioural economists and

creative technologists as well

as individuals that truly

understand social interaction.

This goes well beyond the

"social media specialist" who

claims to understand how to

evoke more tweets out of a

post.”

Doug ScottPresidentOgilvyEntertianment

something more substantive and lasting.”

He cites the “mesmerising” Volvo Trucks

‘Epic Split’ campaign with Jean-Claude

Van Damme as well as the “legitimately

helpful” Lowe’s ‘Fix in Six Vines’.

Evolving beyond real-time opportunism

Tenthwave’s Gretchen Ramsey points to

an “evolution from real-time opportunism

to the storytelling model”, but asks “how

many digital agencies are set up to

manage a meaningful narrative duty?”

She suggests what’s needed is a “new

model of strategic creative where teams

of (visual) storytellers lead brand tales,

not just ideas ‘with legs’.”

and being more creative, experimental and iterative

Being more agile doesn’t necessitate

working in real-time, or the setting-up of

newsrooms with staff and enabling

technology, it can simply mean being

iterative. For DigitasLBi’s creative head

honcho Chris Clarke, what is more

important than anything else is “creative

excellence, a fluid relationship with talent

and a willingness to experiment.” He

adds that brands can become “part of

culture rather than in the (ad) breaks

between culture”.

THE RISE AND RISE OF STORYTELLING

It's not really a prediction, but the

importance of storytelling was the most

consistent theme to emerge from expert

responses. As Mumbrella’s Sean

McKeown points out, “brands are already

seeing the value gained from this format

and will continue to invest more of their

marketing budgets in its development.”

More authentic, entertaining and engaging

Advertisers must find better ways to build

trust, as raised by Paul Bay at Citizenbay

in last year’s ebook. Paul pointed out that

the gap between promise and delivery is

131

“I hope — that brands will

move away from their real-time

marketing obsession and

create something more

substantive and lasting. The

Volvo Trucks/Jean Claude Van

Damme video is mesmerising

and the Lowe’s Fix in Six Vines

are legitimately helpful. Seems

a lot more additive than

tweeting nonsense during the

Super Bowl.”

John McDermott Staff Writer Digiday

still wide, and that’s why advertisers are

still less trusted than politicians. ISBA’s

Mario Yiannacou thinks that one way of

building trust is to ensure that messages

are completely clear whatever format

they’re in. Stan Joseph of Ochre Moving

Pictures suggests the creation of more

authentic and entertaining story-based

content “will continue to be the hallmark

of great branded content.”

and purposeful content

For Tony Chow at What's your Story Inc

in Singapore it’s all about the creation of

purposeful content, and he sees more

and more brands using story-based

branded content as a key engagement

tool.

that resonates emotionally

In last year’s ebook, Sarah Wood

explained that testing what works and

optimising the performance of branded

content isn't just about using data to

make decisions and refine campaigns in

real-time, it's also about emotions. She

predicted that the brands that succeed in

the future will be the ones creating

content that elicits a powerful emotional

response from their audience.

In longer and more digital formats MEC’s Chantal Rickards sees more

traditional formats like advertiser funded

programing (AFP) being on the wane, at

least in the UK. But she thinks “digital

continues to offer myriad opportunities,

especially where the content can travel

across many platforms and engage

viewers in clever, dynamic and engaging

ways.” She also thinks we’ll see more

brands becoming more adventurous and

funding longer-form content like movies

and feature documentaries.

and more involving, less interruptive

Patricia Weiss believes that audiences

will become even more intelligent and

sophisticated as their lives become

increasingly social in a “hypermediatic”

world, and that this is becoming “more

visual and involving, and less intrusive

and interruptive”.

original content funded and distributed by brands

Stan Joseph sees brands becoming

significant funders and distributors of

original content over the next five years,

taking “their place at the table alongside

broadcasters, distributors and IP

owners.” Joanna Scarratt also thinks the

landscape will change dramatically. She

sees brands becoming both

broadcasters and content makers. She

cites other platforms like Netflix’s funding

of ‘House of Cards’, as well as film

competition initiatives like Grolsch's ‘Film

Works’, or Bombay Sapphire's’

‘Imagination Series’.

132

Making good stories more important than ever to cut through the content clutter

Doug Scott thinks, “Great stories are

becoming critical. Right now I would say

that from an economic standpoint there

is an oversupply of content.”

But storytelling changes everything about how brands go to market

In my recent interview with UM’s Chief

Content officer Scott Donaton, he

explains how he thinks that brand

storytelling is a strategic, disciplined

approach to marketing that actually

changes everything about how brands go

to market.

MORE PLATFORMS, DEVICES AND PERSONALISATION

Experts discussed a whole host of new

platforms and devices that are either

already being used, or on the horizon,

including Google Glass with augmented

reality, other wearable tech, or perhaps

even the ports in our heads for faster

upload/download that Doug Kessler

predicts. Uroš Goričan thinks that these

will “enable brands to connect with

customers via content in an even more

exciting and creative way.”

It will become more personalised

Leo Burnett’s James Kirkham predicts

that in five years the content people

engage with will become more relevant

and tailored. He thinks that it won’t be

recognised as traditional advertising, but

“more as opt-in personalised content.”

Pulled not pushed, and more contextual

Doug Scott sees content being “pulled by

consumers based on their unique

preferences and habits.” ISBA’s Mario

Yiannacou also thinks targeting will make

a step change that will benefit brand

owners but also consumers by giving

them messages they want to receive.

133

“Brands are going to have to

change their processes and do

something marketers don’t like to

do and don’t do easily. They have

to change the skill sets of the

people they hire. They have to

change the time frames they work

on. They have to change the way

they allocate and think about

budgets. They have to change

their definition of creativity.”

Scott DonatonChief Content OfficerUM

Doug suggests that the tailored content

will be “contextually related to a brand's

key product and/or core message”. For

Max Garner at Aegis, context is also key,

and the linking of “the right content for

the right device juxtaposed with the right

type of brand to consumer interaction at

the right time.”

But as DigitasLBI’s Chris Clarke points

out, “more than anything, just as it is

now, brands will need to recognise that a

set of marketing messages plays very

poorly alongside the latest box set.”

Content shifts triggered by mobile, shared by the second screen, and expanded through smart displays

For Doug Scott these shifts will be

triggered by mobile (which he believes is

now the first screen), and then shared on

the living room screen, as well as being

expanded through public out-of-home

advertising (OOH) smart displays.

Patricia Weiss believes the endless

willingness of audiences to participate

live in networked culture will “expand the

non-linear conversation around the

content”, and drive SocialTV, second

screen and real-time marketing initiatives.

This will in turn increase the production

of ‘event TV’ programmes, especially

reality shows where “the audience fully

participates and feels like the true

winner.” Samantha Glynne at Publicis

Entertainment also thinks “TV will have a

resurgence and new forms of live and

social events will become popular.”

Eventually moving off screen to become part of our branded life

James Kirkham sees branded content

moving off screen to become things “like

making a branded gesture mnemonic to

access the brand”, e.g. “tracing out the

Heineken star when you walk into a bar

to access content or order a beer.” For

James this is about thinking of the future

less in terms of branded content and

134

“I think one of the most

important changes in the next

five years is going to come with

the maturation of the millennial

adult who is going to quickly

become the most powerful

consumer, literally ever.”

Eric SchwambergerPartnerTenthwave

more about “your branded life.” This may

be more relevant to some generations

than others, particularly with the

maturation of the millennial adult,

according to Tenthwave’s Eric

Schwamberger.

Optimisation will become the norm

Katy Howell at immediate future explains

that “social will increase the volume, but

also reduce the size: as audiences (and

mobile) demands bite-sized, digestible

and continuous content.” As such,

“optimisation of content will be the norm,

as brands look to justify content

investment.”

Putting distribution at the heart of any strategy

Blended Republic’s Chris Sice thinks

brands place too much emphasis on

creating content, but are often ignorant of

distribution and the “boundary-less

nature” of platforms like Facebook and

YouTube. He thinks this presents huge

opportunities and so in future distribution

thinking will be at the heart of their

strategy. He adds that brands need to

learn to act like media owners to attain

the desired ROI. Samantha Glynne at

Publicis Entertainment adds that as

“confidence grows in the qualitative role

of branded entertainment, brands will be

braver in trying all platforms and media.”

and developing their own media

Mumbrella’s Sean McKeown thinks that

although “social media will continue as

an important distribution platform,

brands will need to invest in platforms of

their own that provide greater connection

with audiences.” Jadis Tillery agrees we’ll

see brands “fully embrace the multimodal

nature of the social web” while also

becoming “owners in their own right.”

Blurring the lines between earned and owned media with the rise of “fractured passion centres” and content curation

Barney Worfolk-Smith of Unruly sees

brands interacting with people through

what he calls “fractured passion centres”

that is discussed in the Strategic

Considerations section. Barney’s idea

provides the basis for more opportunities

of co-creation between brands and their

fans. It will also potentially blur the lines

between earned and owned media if

brands start to curate their fan content in

the way that Unruly’s Sarah Wood

mentions.

This very much tallies with the content

ideas around cultural brands that Daniel

Bô at QualiQuanti discusses, and informs

the thinking behind Tenthwave’s ‘Race of

Gentlemen’ campaign.

With customer stories becoming more important than brand ones

In last year’s ebook, Citzenbay’s Paul Bay

discussed how the democratisation of

content would change the media content

model. Paul predicted that branded

content marketing would become less

about pushing content and more about

listening to your customers’ stories and

135

amplifying these. He pointed out that

storytelling implies that brands or their

agencies are still the authors of the

narrative. He thought this downplayed

the increasingly important role that the

customer narrative plays.

and the need for earned media planning

MRY’s David Berkowitz highlights how

earned media planning might need to

consider the most cost-effective and

value-added alternatives to investing in

fully technology-enabled newsrooms.

Learn to make the most of wearable tech

When it comes to next-gen advertising,

Unruly’s COO Sarah Wood thinks brands

will need to navigate the opportunities

and challenges presented by not only

wearable technology, but also smart-

appliances.

and navigate through the Internet of things and hyper geo-location

Welcome to the world of the ‘Internet of

things’, and the possibility of hyper-geo-

located targeting. For example, Sarah

predicts “sausage ads as you open your

fridge, replaced by porridge oats ads if

your cholesterol reading is high, or an ad

for sunscreen displayed on your

smartwatch if the UV rays are high when

you open your front door. Relevance and

utility will be key to success.”

via mobile to an increasingly screen-less world

As Mumbrella’s Sean McKeown points

out, mobile will play an integral part in the

transition to “location-based marketing

and content distribution.” But Leo

Burnett’s James Kirkham predicts “an

increasingly screen-less world, less

about desktop computers and more

about an Internet of things.” James

thinks we need to be thinking “more

about how content will be engaged with

or interacted with wherever we are

whenever we want to.”

136

“Adapted, evolved content

tailored and personal to you -

just like we are recognised

through cookies - will instead be

you the user recognised through

talent talking to you, directly to

you as part of a pre-orchestrated

pre-determined image.”

James KirkhamGlobal Head: Social & MobileLeo Burnett

to interact with a brand construct

James Kirkham predicts a future where

the personalisation and tailoring of

content includes live conversation with a

brand construct.

Becoming more programmatic and marketing as service orientated

Doug Scott sees the evolving approach

to programmatic (and more algorithmic)

marketing “will engage consumers in an

ongoing dialogue with brands, providing

richer stories and greater insights -

ultimately leading to smarter data and

fuelling big emotional experiences.”

Drew Neisser at Renegade thinks “these

are the best of times for CMOs who

approach marketing as a service

opportunity rather than a messaging

one.” This customer-centric approach

“only gets better with the advent of big

data and programmatic media,” since it is

so much easier to provide personalised

and relevant content in real-time. 

and requiring a whole lot more computational power

Charlene Li points out that in five years’

time “we'll have the computational power

of IBM's Watson in a form factor that will

fit in our pocket - and we'll need it given

the explosion of data.”

to get back to where we started from

Meanwhile, older media such as radio

and book publishing have been going

through their own digital revolutions.

Folded Wing’s Karen Pearson highlights

“nine out of 10 people listen, engage and

interact with radio, and do so across an

ever-growing selection of digital

platforms.” This provides a whole host of

opportunities, especially as now

“listeners want to 'see' radio as much as

hear it,” which Karen points out offers

“additional exclusive visual content that

people can share with their friends”.

137

“9 out of 10 people listen,

engage and interact with radio,

and do so across an ever-

growing selection of digital

platforms. So branded audio

content of the future needs to

engage with audiences across a

wide variety of different

platforms, including DAB,

mobile, tablets, podcasts and

online platforms.”

Karen PearsonCEO and Founder Folded Wing

Brands have been slow to embrace the

ebooks publishing revolution, and

leverage distribution channels like

Amazon, iBookstore, or aggregators like

Smashwords, and social reading sites.

Enhanced media ebooks, like this one,

provide great opportunities to tailor

relevant branded content for platforms

like tablets in a format that can engage

people for longer periods.

MEASUREMENT, ANALYTICS AND THE RISE OF EMPATHETIC/EMOTIONAL MARKETING

There’s no shortage of industry measurement standard initiatives

The changing media landscape doesn’t

just have an impact on the way that

brands need to rethink the way they

conduct their marketing, but also how

they measure it, not least because of the

growing number of datapoints that are

now available and being used.  The

challenges this poses are highlighted by

the growing number of initiatives trying to

develop industry standards for social

media measurement.

We have also seen the emergence of

innovative new ways to measure branded

content, with the BCMA's proprietary

measurement tool, contentmonitor run by

Ipsos MORI, which demonstrates the

effectiveness of branded content. 

bringing rigour, but often driven by measurement tools

Kami Watson Huyse thinks these

initiatives, while bringing more rigour to

social media measurement, “will most

likely be driven instead (in the near term)

by the tools developed to do the

measurement.” This might put the cart

before the horse.

and so there’s a danger of measuring data for the sake of it

The CIPR’s Stephen Waddington thinks it

is easy to fall into the trap of measuring

things for the sake of it. For Stephen the

only real way of determining the value of

your investment is to measure outcomes,

“Everything else is a proxy at best, but

there are organisations, such as AMEC

with its Social Media Valid Framework

and Google with its Zero Moment of

Truth, that are doing some good work in

this area and helping us to grow up.”

rather than look at how the whole is greater than the sum of the parts

As Ian Wright at Tapestry Research

points out, “the fragmented media

landscape means that we’re faced with

this dual challenge of really

understanding at a micro-level how

individual channels or touchpoints are

working, but also at a holistic level, how

they all fit together.” This is a tough

challenge, but Ian believes “we’re getting

smarter at meeting it through a

combination of small-scale qualitative

insight, big data observation and survey-

based interpretation.”

138

More accountability and analysis required

Former Ipsos MORI Research Director

Stewart Thomson and others see a

growing demand “for rigorous

measurement of the impact of branded

content campaign elements on the goals

of the overall campaign. Essentially,

brand owners will demand to know if the

branded content pulled its weight and

justified their investment.”

Katy Howell also thinks we will see a

significant increase in the level of

analysis that will be expected,

particularly analysis “often in real-time

that identifies the content that travels on

trend, attracts attention and gets

shared.”

with new tools and skills getting more sophisticated

According to Uroš Goričan, we’re likely to

see more effort put into developing the

right set of tools to measure efficacy. And

here are some examples:

Improved semantic analysis

Minter Dial sees both listening tools and

skills getting more sophisticated,

particularly with regard to semantic

analysis.

Predictive modeling for a better sense of who wants what  

David Berkowitz sees brands employing

more sophisticated predictive models “to

determine what people want when they

want it.”

and understanding the value of what they share

But more importantly, David thinks

“brands will have a much better

understanding of the kinds of value of

what they share” as well as better sense

of what their audience wants and likes.

139

“One of the biggest differences

that we’re going to see is as we

get into more predictive fields

right. Brands and agencies trying

to predict what content people

are going to respond to and how

they’re going to respond. And

even predict which ways that

they’re going to want to respond

in turn.”

David BerkowitzCMOMRY

and the better targeting of ‘material’

Minter Dial predicts “better targeting of

the ‘material’ as marketers come to

understand better their audience and the

real influencers, and on which platforms

and devices they are congregating.”

and more creative scope for crafting messages

Mario Yiannacou thinks that deeper data

will also “make it easier to ‘dial in’ to

consumers’ frequencies, allowing more

creative scope for crafting messages.”

with emotional data becoming ubiquitous

As Sander Saar at AOL explains,

emotional data has already started to be

measured through facial recognition

software to understand emotions,

reactions, heart rate, gestures, etc, but

we have a long way to go. As

technologies advance, response could be

tracked live across different platforms

and devices, and mapped not just to a

particular demographic on a network, but

also to the available psychographic and

ultimately behavioural data.

and tracking through to purchase

Max Garner thinks “convergence means

that content and the point of transaction

are also moving closer than ever, so not

only do brands have to still inform,

entertain and delight with their content

but they also have to ensure that where

relevant a journey to purchase is easy,

smooth and importantly unforced should

the consumer so desire it.”

without requiring the capture of lead data

Ryan Skinner predicts that “businesses

will abandon the practice of capturing

lead data as enough non-personal

identifying data can be captured without

it.”

140

“The more that media can be

delivered on an individual basis

and therefore become

disaggregated, then that whole

way of thinking is going to be

challenged. It will become much

more about what people do than

what audience group they are in.

This changes everything in terms of

how media works and who should

be on the team to deliver and

evaluate it.”

Tim FoleyMDpointlogic

and valuing individuals based on purchase probabilities

Tim Foley at pointlogic thinks that market research will get turned on its head by the explosion of more data. He predicts we won’t be aggregating audiences around their demographics, but will instead be “valuing individuals based on purchase probabilities”; and as he points out “this changes everything in terms of how media works and who should be on the team to deliver and evaluate it.”

Brands will demand more bespoke metrics

More brands will want and be able to

develop bespoke metrics that are linked

to their specific brand challenges. This

will lead the industry into more

meaningful discussion than those

surrounding ‘working’ and ‘non-working’

dollars, and possibly away from the

preoccupation with reach-type metrics

that were designed for traditional mass

communications.

In the meantime, longer-term view may be required

The BCMA’s Andrew Canter accepts that

measuring the ROI for branded content

can be a challenge right now, but argues

that brands should take a longer-term

view and rethink what is being measured

and why. He sees branded content

marketing as an investment, that will

often pay back in the mid-long term

rather than having an immediate impact.

but you can start with a simple tracker survey

The analyst and author Idil Cakim

explains that “marketers can show the

value of branded content by keeping tabs

on how brand perceptions shift among

those exposed to such content.” She

points out that a “simple tracker survey

can provide this insight.” The key she

says is “to be disciplined about asking

consumer feedback and be ready to shift

gears depending on how such content

resonates with audiences.”

141

“Marketers can show the value

of branded content by keeping

tabs on how brand perceptions

shift among those exposed to

such content. A simple tracker

survey can provide this insight.

The key is to be disciplined

about asking consumer feedback

and be ready to shift gears

depending on how such content

resonates with audiences.”

Idil CakimAnalyst + authorImplementing Word of Mouth Marketing

SECTION 4

What Won't Change

Somewhat tellingly, experts have

significantly less to say about what they

think will remain the same in five years

than what they think will change. Here’s

the round-up of the responses:

It’ll still be all about relationships

Despite the brave new world of branded

content marketing that we’ve already

seen predicted, Altimeter Group’s

Charlene Li still thinks “marketing

fundamentals will remain the same,

namely that the relationship with

customers and clients will be built one

person at a time.”  We shouldn’t get

“blinded by the light of bright shiny

objects to ever, ever forget that

relationships are paramount.”

Strategy starts with the data

The BCMA’s Andrew Canter thinks that

what will still be of the utmost importance

is that “the strategy for any branded

content campaign is based on deep and

meaningful consumer insight strategies”,

and that means starting with the data.

Charlene LiFounderAltimeter Group

“We can’t be blinded by

the light of bright shiny

objects to ever, ever forget

that relationships are

paramount.”

But go beyond the desk to find real insight and opportunities

The advances in analytics and listening

platforms that have been predicted

suggest that it will still be the few that go

beyond desktop and dashboard. This

remains a missed opportunity for those

that don’t, because analytics might tell

you the ‘What’ and ‘Where’, but they

don’t tell you the ‘Why’. As Gretchen

Ramsey, VP, Strategy at Tenthwave,

points out, marketers must also give

people “what they don’t know they need”

and no amount of big data can deduce

that. What is needed is more

ethnographic-based, face-to-face

research to help foster empathy and

which leads to a deeper understand of

the customer.

and to help create content that resonates

Cutting through will always require

content to be distinctive, but as

mentioned by Bjoern Asmussen at

Oxford Brookes University, it also has to

“resonate with the targeted stakeholders’

needs, interests and/or passions.” As

Kemplewood’s Mark Wood points out, for

any form of branded content to work “it

has to be relevant, useful or entertaining.

Preferably all of those things.”

Brands will still be struggling to join all the dots

Uroš Goričan at Publicis Slovenija

mentions the continuing problem of

“developing strategies that are truly

aligned with the essence of the brand”

and maintain a common thread that runs

across all media. Perhaps, as Somethin’

Else’s Steve Ackerman predicts, the

brands who’ll succeed will be those that

are best able to define their personalities

as opposed to their marketing objectives.

People will still be sharing content, and caring more about themselves than brands

MRY’s David Berkowitz thinks the sharing

of content will continue, with branded 143

Drew RaymanManaging PartnerTenthwave

“Being customer-obsessed and

digging deeper allows brands to

out-innovate their competitors by

offering more authentic, relevant

and personal experiences.”

content being a “relatively small but a

relatively important part of the mix”

because “people care more about

themselves than they do brands.”

Where consumers go, brands will continue to follow

One thing that isn’t going to change is

the need for brands to connect with

people who buy their products and

services. At the same time, David

Berkowitz points out that people won’t

stop “shifting to new media properties

and platforms”, as we have seen with the

take up of Snapchat and Whatsapp.

particularly with video-based branded content

Leo Liang at Youku Tudou Inc in China

thinks that people will still enjoy more

user-generated content (UGC) and semi-

UGC content, but there will be more

possibilities for them “to watch, share

and even shoot videos at any time and

any place”.

This is a driver for the prediction from

Patricia Weiss of the BCMA’s South

American Chapter that branded video

content will continue as the main form of

branded content to reach audiences on

social media.

But old media habits will continue to die hard

Patricia Weiss also thinks traditional

advertising will still get the biggest share

of marketing budgets. She does,

however, think that advertising is likely to

become more entertaining and story-

based, even if it will still be used for the

most part to push products in the more

traditional way.

Pereira & O'Dell's chief creative officer PJ

Pereira reminds us that what also won't

change is “consumers' rejection of

irrelevant interruptive advertising.” But as

the strategist Sarah Farrugia points out,

this sadly won’t stop those who continue

“to blast branded content into the world

to bore/titillate people in ever more inane

ways.”

and we’re about to be deluged by more crap

In the digital domain, Forrester’s Ryan

Skinner still sees marketers obsessing

over Google and that the vast majority of

content marketing won’t be very good.

That’s more delicate than his former boss

Doug Kessler at Velocity Partners who

warns that as “every B2B brand turns to

content marketing, we're about to be hit

by a deluge of... “crap”.”

Experts will continue to disagree about what the future holds

Interestingly, the BCMA’s Chairman

Morgan Holt doesn’t imagine any

dramatic reinvention of the branded

content business model. He thinks “the

players know who they are, the value

they get from it, and how to work

together.” He also sees the model as

being “an extension of advertising”.

144

particularly whether we’ll figure out the secret of branded content success

Sandra Freisinger-Heinl from Branded

Entertainment Online (BEO) thinks we’re

currently living in a world of “branded

entertainment cocktails” with “a dash of

content, a splash of social media, a shot

of digital, laced with a pinch of music.”

However, Sandra predicts that on the

horizon is a basic formula available “to the

tastes of every single target group”. This is

similar to Joanna Scarratt’s prediction

about how the “art of branded content will

be as rigorously understood in terms of

effective consumer engagement as TV

commercials are now.”

That seems unlikely if, as Doug Scott at

OgilvyEntertainment predicts, “everything

we know today about branded content will

change; the only thing that will remain

constant is the desire for good stories.”

It’s a view supported by Michael Reeves at

Red Bee Media, who says there will be an

“essential need for branded content to

tell a gripping story, irrespective of the

gadgets and devices used to tell the

tale.” Tony Chow at What’s Your Story Inc

in Singapore, adds that what will also

remain “constant is the customer will

always be the hero of the story.”

So it looks like we’ll still have a lot of figuring out to do

In this book’s introduction, Doug Scott

talks about the branded content industry

being in an adolescent phase. But it

might be worth thinking about the

prediction by Frank PR’s Graham

Goodkind about a time not too far in the

future “where consumers get so savvy,

aware and cute, that the only way to

interact is via more and more

discontinuous thinking and disruptive

techniques.” Whatever the future holds, I

predict that there’s still going to be a lot

of figuring out to do.

145

Ryan SkinnerSenior Analyst – Content Marketing, Forrester Research

“Within the next five years the

world of content marketing will

be turned upside down, even if

businesses are still practicing it

(and to a greater degree than

today). Only 10-15% will regularly

practice content marketing really

well. And people still won’t be

really satisfied with the word

‘content’ or the expression

‘content marketing’.”

SECTION 5

About The ReportThis report into the future of branded content marketing will also be published as a standalone paper. It is part of an ongoing project that Justin Kirby started in 2002 when he set up an international discussion forum where hundreds of marketing practitioners and academics shared their knowledge, opinions and experiences of contemporary and emerging marketing and media trends over several years.

The forum activity led to the creation of the 2005 book 'Connected Marketing: The Viral, Buzz

and Word of Mouth Marketing Revolution’, and it informed Justin’s ongoing investigation into the future of branded content marketing in collaboration with industry experts, which he curates annually in partnership with the BCMA. The first annual report was published in 2013 in the pilot edition of the ‘Best of Branded Content Marketing’ with the full contributions curated at

Afluxstate.com.

Over 60 industry experts around the globe participated in the outreach from which this year’s report was compiled. You can read their full contributions and keep up with the ongoing report series at Afluxstate.com.

To participate in this series or send us your feedback about the predictions, please email Justin. ABO

UT T

HE R

EPOR

T

C

LIEN

T VI

EW

by Nick MercerCommercial DirectorEurostar

“Eurostar feels that branded

content will increasingly be at

the heart of communication

as the world digitalises.”

The role of branded content is to build much stronger

customer engagement and to do this it has to be built

on two key platforms. The first is that it has to be useful,

i.e. it is based on the right insights about things that

really matter to customers. The second is that it has to

be entertaining, as in a world of so many communication

messages we need to grab attention in a way that is fun

and stimulating.

We have really taken this approach to

heart. Our current brand campaign is

based on the insight that ‘stories begin

here’, which started on TV, cinema and

YouTube with commercials based on

bringing the power of our destinations

alive through telling stories about them.

This moved into its second phase where

customers are sharing their stories in

pictures and videos so that we have

added to the richness of the content. The

third phase which we are now embarking

on involves us creating a new set of

advertisements and videos that use

content provided to us by our customers,

so we are communicating their stories for

the benefit of new users.

A service business’s content also needs

to involve staff and their interactions with

customers, as this is how true

engagement occurs. We take events

such as Christmas, Valentine’s Day and

Chinese New Year to have real fun events

in our terminals where customers and

staff can interact together. We then

facilitate our customers sharing the

outputs through social media channels

with their friends and family. As an

example, at Christmas we used a

professional artist to create a piece of art

at St Pancras International that he drew

by asking customers who had checked-in

for their personal desires for Christmas.

We now have a visual record in one piece

of art of the collective stories and desires

of hundreds of customers. Each

individual story in the bigger picture has

the customer’s name. The piece has been

photographed and shared on Instagram

and Facebook thousands of times and is

a record of a fun journey and experience

with Eurostar.

148

149

Customer photo from Eurostar's 'Stories begin here’ campaign (London)

CON

TRIB

UTOR

S We’re very grateful to the following people for their contributions to this ebook’s content:

Alison Knight, Founder, BCMA

INTRODUCTIONScott Donaton, Global Chief Content Officer, UM

Anton Efimov, Managing Director, Fuse Russia

Eric Schwamberger, Partner, Tenthwave

Doug Scott, President, OgilvyEntertainment

Patrícia Weiss, SVP Strategic Consultant for

Branded Content, Branded Entertainment and Transmedia Storytelling at ASAS da Imaginação

CASE STUDIESDuck Tape ‘Race of Gentlemen’:Kate Daggett, Executive Creative Director,

Tenthwave

Jaime Hoerbelt, Social Media Director,

Tenthwave

Oilers Car Club members

Drew Rayman, Managing Partner, Tenthwave

David Rodgers, Senior Digital Marketing

Manager, ShurTech Brands

Mel Stultz, Oilers Car Club and founder of the

Race of Gentlemen

Benjamin Zeidler, Director, Research & Analytics,

Tenthwave

Carphone Warehouse ‘Smarter World’:Chris Gorell Barnes, CEO, Adjust Your Set™

Claire Hunter, PR & Marketing Manager, Adjust

Your Set

Gareth Jones, Head of Online Marketing,

Carphone Warehouse

Christopher Lockwood, Editorial & Publishing

Director, Adjust Your Set

Ianthe McLeod, Executive Assistant to CEO,

Adjust Your Set

Chivas Regal ‘MASHTUN’:Steve Ackerman, Managing Director, Somethin’

Else

Paul Bennun, Chief Creative Officer, Somethin’

Else

Jez Nelson, CEO, Somethin’ Else

James Slack, Global Brand Director, Chivas

Terra ‘Penetras de Luxo’:Patrícia Weiss, Chief Strategy Officer, Wanted

Agency and SVP Strategic Consultant for Branded Content, Branded Entertainment and Transmedia Storytelling at ASAS da Imaginaçaõ

Barclays ‘Your Bank’:Sara Bennison, Managing Director, Marketing

Communications, Barclays UK Retail Bank

Michael Reeves, Business Development Director,

Red Bee Media

Unilever Dove ‘Real Beauty Sketches’:Suellen Barreto, Comunicação Corporativa,

Ogilvy Brasil

Kimberly Bernhardt, Senior Vice President,

Edelman

Ricardo Honegger, Account Director, Ogilvy

Brasil

Stephane Orhan, Global Managing Partner,

Ogilvy & Mather

Anselmo Ramos, Creative Director, Ogilvy Brasil

Leo Ryan, Group Head of Social@Ogilvy, London

Intel+Toshiba ‘The Beauty Inside’:Molly Parsley, Director of Marketing and

Communications, Pereira & O'Dell

PJ Pereira, Chief Creative Officer, Pereira &

O'Dell

Metro Trains Melbourne ‘Dumb Ways to

Die’:Lucy Holdsworth, Executive Assistant, McCann

Melbourne

John Mescall, Executive Creative Director,

McCann Melbourne

Adrian Mills, Group Account Director, Clemenger

BBDO Melbourne

Lachlan Wittick, Account Executive, McCann

Melbourne

Unilever Surf TOWIE ‘Summer D’Reem’:Claire Heys, Director, Commercial Brand

Partnerships, Brand Extension Team, ITV plc

Adam Mitchell, Senior Sponsorship Activation

Manager, Commercial and Online, ITV plc

Katy Holder, Surf Brand Manager, Unilever

Sony Xperia ‘Vs The Northern Lights’:Simon Attwater, Group Creative Director,

DigitasLBi

Mike Clear, Head of Branded Content, DigitasLBi

Julia Conroy, PR & Marketing Director, UK,

DigitasLBi

Volvo Trucks ‘The Epic Split’:Britta Malmberg, Account Manager, Forsman &

Bodenfors

Cilla Pegelow, Account Manager, Forsman &

Bodenfors

Anders Vilhelmsson, PR Manager, Volvo Trucks

PepsiCo Lyubimy ‘Natural Love’:Anton Efimov, Managing Director, Fuse Russia

Ilya Rozhkov, Client Service Director, Fuse

Russia

Unilever Hellmann’s ‘In Search of Real

Food’:Bobby Flay, celebrity chef; Executive Producer,

Rock Shrimp Productions

Sarah Kostecki, OgilvyEntertainment

Brian Orlando, Senior Brand Manager,

Hellmann's

Lauren Rubinfeld, Manager, Group Marketing

and Communications, OgilvyEntertainment

Lindsay Stransman, Communication Designer,

OgilvyEntertainment

Doug Scott, President, OgilvyEntertainment

RESEARCH‘Stop Trying to Make Your Ads Go Viral:

Top Tips for Video Success’:Dr. Karen Nelson-Field, Senior Research

Associate, Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science

Cat Jones, Director of Product and Innovation,

Unruly

Louise Tullin, Marketing and Communications

Director, EMEA, Unruly

David Waterhouse, Global Head of Content and

PR, Unruly

‘Defining Branded Content for the Digital

Age: Phase One Findings’:Bjoern Asmussen, Senior Lecturer in Marketing,

Oxford Brookes University Business School

Andrew Butler, Oxford Brookes University

Sarah Gale, Senior Director, Ipsos MORI, Media,

Content and Technology Division

Dr Nicolette Michels, Oxford Brookes University

MARKET REPORTSRussia:Anton Efimov, Head of BCMA Russia; Managing

Director, Fuse Russia

Ilya Rozhkov, Client Service Director, Fuse

Russia

Brazil:Daniel Bacchieri, Head of Content Development,

Zeppelin Films

Claudia Colaferro, President, Latin America,

Dentsu Aegis Network

Viviane Palladino Donnamaria, Abril

151

Domênico Massareto, Chief Creative Officer,

Agency ID/TBWA Brazil

André Pedroso, Creative Director, Publicis Red

Lion

Rodrigo Figueroa Reyes, Founder & CEO, FiRe

Advertainment

Patrícia Weiss, Chairman & Founder, BCMA

South America; Chief Strategy Officer, Wanted Agency; and SVP Strategic Consultant for Branded Content, Branded Entertainment and Transmedia Storytelling at ASAS da Imaginaçaõ

EXPERT PREDICTIONS REPORTThe Future of Branded Content Marketing

Steve Ackerman, Managing Director, Somethin'

Else (UK)

Bjoern Asmussen, Senior Lecturer in Marketing,

Oxford Brookes University (UK)

Paul Bay, Founder, Citizenbay

Robert Bean, Founder, Robert Bean Branding

(UK)

David Berkowitz, Chief Marketing Officer, MRY

(USA)

Daniel Bô, CEO and founder of QualiQuanti, and

author of Brand Content, and Brand Culture (France)

Idil Cakim, analyst and author of Implementing

Word of Mouth (USA)

Andrew Canter, CEO, BCMA (UK)

Dave Chaffey, CEO, Smart Insights (UK)

Tony Chow, Media Consultant and Chief

Storyteller at What’s your Story Inc (Singapore)

Chris Clarke, Chief Creative Officer, at DigitasLBi

(UK)

Minter Dial, Professional Speaker, Consultant &

Coach and Brand & Digital Marketing Strategist (France/UK)

Scott Donaton, Chief Content Officer, UM (USA)

Sarah Farrugia, Thinker, Strategist, Progressive

at Sarah Farrugia & Company (UK)

Tim Foley, MD, pointlogic (UK)

Sandra Freisinger-Heinl, Journalist at Branded

Entertainment Online (BEO) and Managing Director at MA Media Agency (Germany)

Max Garner, Managing Partner at Aegis Media

(UK)

Samantha Glynne, Managing Partner at Publicis

Entertainment (UK)

Jan Godsk, Founder Ideatakeaway and

Chairman, BCMA Scandinavia (Denmark)

Graham Goodkind, Founder, Frank PR (UK)

Chris Gorell Barnes, CEO, Adjust Your Set™

(UK)

Uroš Goričan, Creative director at Publicis

Slovenija (Slovenia)

Morgan Holt, Chairman at the BCMA (UK)

Melissa Hopkins, Global Head of Brand

MarComms at Vodafone (UK)

Katy Howell, CEO, immediate future (UK)

Jason Hughes, Head of Branded Content &

Product Placement, Sky MEDIA (UK)

Stan Joseph, CEO, Ochre Moving Pictures

(South Africa)

Doug Kessler, Founder, Velocity Partners (UK)

James Kirkham, Global Head: Social & Mobile at

Leo Burnett (UK)

Charlene Li, co-author of the bestseller

Groundswell, author of the New York Times bestseller Open Leadership, and Founder of Altimeter Group (USA)

Leo Liang, Senior Director of National Business

Development, Youku Tudou Inc (China)

John McDermott, Author, Digiday (USA)

Sean McKeown, Commercial Director, Mumbrella

Asia (Singapore)

Doug Neisser, Founder & CEO at Renegade

(USA)

Karen Pearson, CEO and Founder of Folded

Wing (UK)

PJ Pereira, Chief Creative Officer, Pereira &

O'Dell (USA)

Gretchen Ramsey, VP, Strategy at Tenthwave

(USA)

152

Drew Rayman, Managing Parter, Tenthwave

(USA)

Crispin Reed, Managing Director, Fusion

Learning ((UK))

Michael Reeves, Business Development Director,

Red Bee Media (UK)

Chantel Rickards, Head of Programming/

Branded Content EMEA at MEC (UK)

Sander Saar, Product Manager, AOL (UK)

Joanna Scarratt, Head of Brand Partnership at

United Agents (UK)

Eric Schwamberger, Strategy Partner, Tenthwave

(USA)

Doug Scott, President, OgilvyEntertainment

(USA)

Chris Sice, Managing Director at Blended

Republic (UK)

Ryan Skinner, Senior Analyst - Content

Marketing, Forrester Research (UK)

Chris Smith, Business development director at

Romelle Swire (UK)

Stewart Thomson, ex-Research Director at Ipsos

MORI, Media CT Division (UK)

Jadis Tillery, Social Media Strategist and

Speaker (UK)

Stephen Waddington, CIPR President Elect,

Director of Ketchum Europe and author of Brand Anarchy and #BrandVandals (UK)

Kami Watson Huyse, CEO, Zoetica (USA)

Patricia Weiss, CSO, Wanted Agency; SVP

Strategic Consultant for Branded Content, Branded Entertainment and Transmedia Storytelling at ASAS da Imaginaçaõ (BRAZIL)

Mark Welland, Founder at New Media Works (UK)

Mark Wood, Partner at Krempelwood (UK)

Sarah Wood, COO, Unruly  (UK)

Barney Worfolk-Smith, Head of Creative

Solutions, Unruly (UK)

Ian Wright, Managing Director at Tapestry

Research (UK)

Mario Yiannacou, Media & Advertising Manager

at ISBA (UK)

Client View

Nick Mercer, Commercial Director at Eurostar

(UK)

153

All images and data are the property of their respective copyright owners. The publishers are not responsible for the content of third-party websites.

PRO

DUCE

RS

The BCMA

Launched in 2003, the Branded Content

Marketing Association (BCMA) is the

global trade body for branded content,

with members throughout Europe,

Australia, Asia/Pacific, Scandinavia,

South America, Russia and North

America.

It brings together and benefits a broad

spectrum of content creators and

owners, including organisations from the

advertising, brand development,

sponsorship, media, broadcasting,

digital, social media, programming and

entertainment industries.

The BCMA strives to promote best

practice, shared learning and grow the

branded content market to a wider

audience.

Digital Media Communications Ltd (DMC)

Founded in 1994, when the Internet was

just emerging into the mainstream, DMC

is a highly experienced digital marketing

communications consultancy that

specialises in using collaborative and

social marketing approaches. Co-

founders Justin Kirby and Greta

MacFarlane are responsible for the

strategic planning, project management,

editing, publishing and promotion of this

series of ebooks.

New Media Works

Former AKQA creative head and co-

founder Mark Welland established New

Media Works in 1998. He has over 20

years of interactive design experience,

including the creation of ebooks and

apps for local and global brands and e-

learning organisations. Mark is

responsible for the creative development,

design and production of this series of

ebooks.

FEE

DBAC

K Send Us Your FeedbackWe’re keen to learn what you think about the ideas and projects presented in this book, in

particular your views about the future of branded content marketing:

• Where did the Expert Predictions Report hit the mark?

• What goes against your own experience?

• Have you spotted any other trends?

Please let us know what you think by emailing justin@afluxtstate.com. Your feedback will

help inform our thinking and shape the next edition of the ‘Best of Branded Content

Marketing’.

If you'd like to submit your own case study to the BCMA for possible use in future editions

of this ebook series, please email the BCMA's CEO, Andrew Canter.