The Age of Branded Content

Andrew Canter, CEO, BCMAUtrecht, 30th January 2014

www.thebcma.info@thebcma

Agenda

• About the BCMA

• Market Overview

• Measuring Effectiveness

• Academic Study

• What Does The Future Look Like?

BCMA (Branded Content Marketing Association) 

LEADERSHIPSERIES

Branded Content: Past

Branded Content: Market Overview

Source: Advertising Association

£4 Billion 

Branded Content: Present

Branded Content: Present

Branded Content: Present

Branded Content: Market Overview

In good company…

In good company…

Be inspired…

Measuring the effectiveness of branded content

• There are two parts to the contentmonitor:

CREATIVE POWER Ipsos MediaCT Content Evaluator

MEDIA/COMMS PLANNING

Pointlogic Commspoint™ system

• Contentmonitor gives an in‐depth insight into:

1. How your branded content campaign is performing against key brand metrics, allowing you to determine the ROI 

2. Which elements of the campaign are performing the most strongly in meeting the campaign objectives

3. What you could do differently to support the campaign more strongly to optimise its ROI

Measuring the effectiveness of branded content

CREATIVE POWER Ipsos MediaCT Content Evaluator

Case Study: BBC World News and Standard Chartered Bank

Ideas That Changed The World (ITCTW) is a six part series running on BBC World News and BBC Knowledge

Six world‐changing ideas are championed by an expert

The series is supported by a micro‐site and on‐air trails

We spoke to 1216 BBC World News viewers aged 25 or over in Hong Kong (311), India (302), Singapore (302) and Indonesia (301)

Branded content can be more effective than TV spots alone…

17

30%

35%

39%

40%

45%

Control

TV spot only

Microsite only

ITCTW show / bumpers

ITCTW show and TVspot

Branded content can be more effective than a traditional TV spot in driving spontaneous awareness

% mentioning Standard Chartered Bank (unprompted)

SC1a Can you identify the names of up to five banking and investment services providers that come to your mind?  These could be domestic or international institutions. Sample = c.200 BBC viewers aged 25+ per cell

Significant uplifts vs Control cell for SCB are marked     

Combining branded content with traditional advertising can be more powerful…

19

The branded show has very strong cut through, with over twice as many people mentioning the SCB brand after seeing it compared to the TV spot

% who mention seeing the brand from the reel (unprompted)

23%

53%

43%

30%

52%

23%

55%

TV spot only

ITCTW show only

TV spot and ITCTW show

Rolex

Emirates Airline

Country Inns

Vale

From the control reel

Significant differences are highlighted with a *

*

*

Q1a You may have noticed advertising or other mentions of brands in the short video we played you (the news clip plus some advertising) or on the website. Please write in below what brands, companies and products you remember seeing advertised or otherwise mentioned. Sample = c.200 BBC viewers aged 25+ per cell

What is the impact on the softer measures?…

Exposure to the full branded content campaign does a good job of giving them a more positive perception of the brand, compared to pre‐exposure

+12% ‘consistently comes out with relevant and new products and services’

+9% ‘is a credible bank’

+11% ‘strongly committed to giving something back to the community’

+12% ‘brings global financial knowledge and expertise to the local market’

SC7 Here are a number of statements that might be used to describe a banking and investment services provider, its people or the services it provides.  For each, please tell us how much the statement applies to Standard Chartered Bank and its banking and investment services. Sample = c.200 BBC viewers aged 25+ per cell

This part of the test involves a forced exposure of the test branded content/ad, followed by a series of questions where therespondent rates the branded content/ad on 10 different elements. Using an algorithm the responses to these elements are converted into a score for:

‐ Emotive Power (strength of subconscious feeling) 

‐ Cognitive Power (strength of conscious thinking)

EMOTIONALPERSUASION

(tends to build a brand)

RATIONALPERSUASION

(tends to impart a message but has less impact on long term 

brand building)

Cognitive Power®

Emotive Po

wer

®

NEITHER(tends to be less efficient overall)

EMOTIONAL & RATIONAL PERSUASION(tends to build a brand and 

impart information)

‐100

‐80

‐60

‐40

20

40

60

80

100

‐100 ‐80 ‐60 ‐40 ‐20 20 40 60 80 100

‐20

The CEP™ Test

-100.00

-80.00

-60.00

-40.00

-20.00

0.00

20.00

40.00

60.00

80.00

100.00

-100.00 -80.00 -60.00 -40.00 -20.00 0.00 20.00 40.00 60.00 80.00 100.00Em

otive Po

wer

The TV spot  has the most emotive power, whilst the branded show has more cognitive power…

Cognitive Power

SCB TV & ITCTW show 

SCB TV spot only 

ITCTW show only Average for all consumer ads

...when combined, the show and TV spot are more powerful than the spot alone

Contentmonitor is valued and used by many brands, channels and agencies 

Key Insights from contentmonitor

More effective than TV 

spots alone

More effective than TV 

spots alone

Combined branded 

content can be more powerful

Combined branded 

content can be more powerful

Informative and emotive Informative and emotive 

Reactions are more positive

Reactions are more positive

Maximum impact if 

original and interesting

Maximum impact if 

original and interesting

Promotion has a 

powerful impact

Promotion has a 

powerful impact

Must be fully 

integrated

Must be fully 

integrated

Helps brands to stand out

Helps brands to stand out

It’s extremely powerful

It’s extremely powerful

Contentmonitor: New for 2014

Non-verbal

response

Using facial coding we can measure the

reaction to the content, second

by second

Contentmonitor: New for 2014

1

2

3

Using a webcam, extract key feature points on the face (“landmarks”)

Analysis of movement, shape and texture of each pixel as they watch content

Infer emotional and mental states to feed analytical models

BCMA Academic Study: Defining Branded Content for the Digital Age

A collaboration between Academia and Industry Developing a clearer understanding of a new key marketing concept Little academic work in the area of branded content Define branded content in the digital age The study is being conducted by Oxford Brookes University and global research partner Ipsos

Methodology

Material analysed:

Industry/ practitioner publications (100+) Academic literature: books and journals (30+) Blogs (20+) Case studies (10+)

Background to study

Branded Content means different things to different people, which …

1. … causes confusion and misunderstanding

and

2.  … hinders its progress as an important marketing concept

Confused?

“… the concept of branded content is fundamentally flawed.”

David Martin, Forbes, 2011

“… 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

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

Amar Trivedi, Social Media Strategist, 2012

“A BMW Motorcycle Story” by Bill Costello

Why does branded content matter?

“As advertisers increasingly look for ways to avoid being ‘turned off’,content can be defined as the stuff audiences choose to engage with

rather than being forced to experience through disruption orincentivisation …”

Ben Kerr, Creative Director, Drum, 2012

“Content, in all its shapes and forms, is core to everything we do as Marketers.”Econsultancy, 2013

39% of digital marketing professionals nominated 

Content Marketing as one of their top priorities in 2013.

“The future of the marketing department is half marketing, and half publishing.”Joe Pulizzi, Founder, Content Marketing Institute, 2012

Marketing organisations need to ‘think and act like media companies.’

5. All‐encompassing Perspective

The 5 Key Perspectives on Branded Content

3. Integrated TMO Perspective4. Stakeholder Perspective2. Digital TMO 

Perspective1. Traditional TMO 

Perspective

Digital Age

Pre‐Digital Age1. Traditional TMO Perspective

Traditional Perspective

(Pre-Digital Age)

New Perspectives in the Digital Media Age

Perspective 1 Perspective 2 Perspective 3 Perspective 4

Traditional TMO Digital TMO Integrated TMO Stakeholder

Defining FeatureBranded Content is

CONTROLLED by the TMO (trade mark owner)

Branded Content is INITIATED by the TMO

(trade mark owner) digitally

Branded Content is INITIATED by the TMO

(trade mark owner) digitally or non-digitally

Branded Content is INITIATED by the BRAND'S

STAKEHOLDER

Initiation TMO initiated TMO initiated TMO initiated Brand stakeholder initiated

Funding Usually TMO Usually TMO Usually TMO Various

TMO's Level of Control over Content

HighHigh to low

(initiated UGC competition versus tweet)

High to low (TV ad versus tweet) Virtually none

Main Objectives

Intended to create positive brand meanings and/ or manifestations amongst

consumers

Intended to create positive brand meanings and/ or manifestations amongst

stakeholders

Intended to create positive brand meanings and/ or manifestations amongst

stakeholders

Various

Intended to connect and/ or engage with consumers

Intended to connect and/ or engage with certain

stakeholders

Intended to connect and/ or engage with certain

stakeholdersVarious

Branded Content Strategy to achieve the objective

A) Entertaining B) Informative C) Educational

A) Entertaining B) Informative C) Educational

D) Serves a function

A) Entertaining B) Informative C) Educational

D) Serves a function

Potentially no strategy involved

Push versus Pull Predominantely Push Predominantely Pull varies Predominantely Pull

Disruption versus Engagement

Predominantely Disruption Predominantely Engagement Predominantely Engagement Predominantely

Engagement

Channel/ PlatformsTraditional/ non-digital

channels of communication such as TV, Print and Radio

Digital channels/ platforms potentially across all channels

Predominantly digital channels/ platforms

The Integrated Trade Mark Owner Perspective on Branded Content

Defining Feature Branded Content is INITIATED by the TMO (trade mark owner) digitally or non-digitally

TMO's Level of Control over Content

High to low (TV programme versus tweet)

Funding Usually TMO

Main ObjectivesIntended to create positive brand meanings and/or manifestations amongst stakeholders Intended to connect/engage with certain stakeholders

Branded Content Strategy to achieve the objective

A) Entertaining B) Informative C) Educational D) Serves a function

Push versus Pull Varies

Disruption versus Engagement Predominantly Engagement

Channel/ Platforms Potentially across all channels

“A Day Made of Glass” – a B2B example

Branded Content comes in many different shapes and formats

Branded Content

Product Placement

SponsorshipAdvertiserFunded

Programming

Branded Entertainment

Etc.

NativeAdvertising

A World where any Consumer can become a Branded Content Creator 

“Greatest BMW Ad In History Is Not By BMW”Abe Sauer, BrandChannel, 2011

“It is the greatest brand‐building commercial    of all time …”

It doesn’t stop there…

It doesn’t stop there…

The Challenge

5. All‐encompassing Perspective

4. Stakeholder Perspective

A wider integration appears to be crucial to understand the Branded Content phenomenon as a whole

3. Integrated TMO Perspective

1. Traditional TMO Perspective

2. Digital TMO Perspective

Digital Age

The All‐Encompassing Perspective: A new definition ofbranded content for the digital age

“Branded content is any content that can be associated with a 

brand in the eye of the beholder.”

Summary & Key Learning from Study

1. DIFFERENTIATION: “The future of communications belongs to branded content. Not easy, or cheap. But it is … effective at driving sustainable brand differentiation.” (Emily Tan, Campaign Asia‐Pacific 2012)

2. IT’S A NEW WORLD: Everyone can now become a Branded Content creator and distributor. (Marc Mathieu, Senior Vice‐President of Marketing at Unilever, 2013)

3. GROWING CONSUMER POWER: Audiences are at least to some extent able to filter traditional advertising out from their lives. (Michael Serazio, Assistant Professor of Communication, Fairfield University, 2011) 

4. THE NEED FOR TRANSFORMATION: “In an era where every brand is a publisher and a content creator, you have to have a point of view and a compelling voice. You have to know how to tell a story” (Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer, MarketingProfs, 2013)

5. THE NEED TO GET ORGANISED: To be able to implement successfully your Branded Content strategy you need resources, processes, structures and coherence across all channels which is particularly challenging in an international or even global context

Branded Content: Future

Branded Content: Future

Branded Content: Future

Source: Accenture Report ‐ Turbulence for the CMO: Charting a path for the seamless customer experience

Branded Content: Future

Source: AOL – Content is the fuel of the social web

Branded Content: Future

Branded Content: What Does The Future Look Like?

Branded Content: Future?

Source: Neill Blomkamp ‐ Tetra Vaal 

Thank You

Andrew Canter, CEO, BCMAacanter@thebcma.info

www.thebcma.info@thebcma