Branded entertainment
Encyclopedia
Branded entertainment, also known as branded content
or advertainment
, is an entertainment-based vehicle that is funded by and complementary to a brand's marketing strategy. The purpose of a branded entertainment program is to give a brand the opportunity to communicate its image to its target audience in an original way, by creating positive links between the brand and the program. These projects are often the result of a content partnership
between brands, producers and broadcasters.
Anything you do outside of work, money spent on activities outside "necessary" is entertainment. When you have internet access from home, but you go to the local coffee/internet cafe to surf the web, that's branded entertainment. For example, people don't go to a coffee shop and sit for 2 hours just to drink coffee, they go to a coffee shop to enjoy the jazz, the people, and the coffee.
Branded Entertainment is the "sexy" new approach to connecting with your consumer-- "Two decades ago there was a fear that TV commercials would be less relevant as VCRs became ubiquitous. Today, right now, the issue is the fact, not the fear,".
s". As advertisers began to shift to thirty second commercials, the practice began to fade until the late 1990s. Today they have become the way for advertisers to let their messages come across in a "not so commercial" way, e.g. product placement or Advertiser funded programming
.
Although branded entertainment had a slight decrease in 2009, PQ Media predicts a steady increase in 2010 and beyond. The recent increase in branded entertainment is one of the consequences of the fragmentation of media and the decline in the power of the traditional 30-second TV spot. Traditional forms of advertising have become less and less effective in reaching consumers fragmented over hundreds of channels and with the introduction of new methods of delivering programming, such as internet streaming and digital video recording devices such as TiVo
. Advertisers are going back to the branded entertainment methods of the early television industry to increase the exposure their advertising gets and to create stronger ties between the program and their product.
Branded Entertainment is not simply product advertising or product placement - branded entertainment is a piece of entertainment that perfectly aligns with the brand attributes, and is a reflection of the advertiser's brand personality. A piece of branded entertainment for Jack Daniels, for example, doesn't need to feature a bottle of Jack Daniels it merely has to fit within the entertainment preferences of its audience, to stick the experience of the entertainment to the brand, then it could be distributed on the Jack Daniels site - making it branded entertainment.
On a larger scale , the movie industry have embraced this new medium wholeheartedly , most recently with movies such as "Transformers". This has proven to be very well thought out effective Brand Integration. There are many people who say they are experts in branded content and while the Americas in particular are highly developed in this the UK and Europe lag behind - companies in the UK are often able to provide part of the solution but not all - in order to create effective Branded Entertainment a company must offer all the attributes of marketing agency and program maker - there are very few companies that offer this.
The difference between basic product placement and branded entertainment are the people behind the projects. If done incorrectly, "branded entertainment" is considered blatant product placement. But, if executed correctly, branded entertainment can be the most powerful tool in advertising. A good example of product placement is in Lady Gaga's 9.5-minute video for Telephone, which includes 10 product placements and generated more than 4 million views in its first 24 hours, as well as her video for Bad Romance, which also includes multiple placements and has been viewed over 230 million times . Producers must emphasize and understand the balance between entertainment and brand. First, obviously, the brand and the type of entertainment has to match. Entertainment ranges from podcasts to visitor centers and sometimes theme park rides. It has to designed in a way that attracts the consumer, not some giant logo in the corner of your TV while you're trying to watch a show.
Branded Entertainment is awarded annually in Los Angeles at One Show Entertainment where a panel of experts in the field select the year's most effective and innovative campaigns in events, gaming, film, music and tv.
. An animated team of super heroes “The Defenders of the Game” (DOTG), is an on and offline original branded entertainment platform that featured the franchise and players as animated superheroes defending baseball from the evil Umperor. The campaign was created and launched in 2007 as a marketing platform that connects the franchise and spirit of the game, to what was deemed a high yield consumer by the MLB
; the typical family nucleus of mom, dad and 2.5 kids. It featured players such as All-Star Carl Crawford
, James Shields, Scott Kazmir
, Carlos Peña
and B.J. Upton
, as well as team coach Joe Maddon
, and team special advisor, Don Zimmer
.
Another example of Branded Entertainment is BMW's The Hire which featured a series of eight short films produced specifically for the Internet in 2001 and 2002. "The Hire" featured among other famous actors, Clive Owen
as the driver and celebrity directors such as Guy Ritchie
, Tony & Ridley [Scott| Scott], Alejandro González Iñárritu
and John Woo
and John Frankenheimer
. These movie shorts were viewed over 100 Million times.
A example of true branded entertainment is "City Hunters
", an animated TV series for AXE Body Spray. The series premiered throughout Latin America on October 2006 on the FOX network. It was co-produced by Unilever for the AXE brand. It is a male-targeted series that integrates the AXE brand into the storyline. The animated series follows the antics of an aging Casanova, Dr. Lynch, and Axel (a reference to AXE), the young man Doctor is training in the art of seducing women. The series was created by Catmandu Branded Entertainment, a branded entertainment firm in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The characters were developed by Italian illustrator Milo Manara
. The series, also has an on-line component.
Hottest Mom in America, a reality television
series that auditions American women vying for the title of "Hottest Mom", is one of the first entries by a pharmaceutical company into Branded Entertainment. The show from Buzznation studios is backed by a single sponsor Medicis Pharmaceutical
, the makers of the Restylane
cosmetic injection treatment.
Office products retailer Staples and its entertainment marketing agency Davie Brown Entertainment worked with the producers of NBC's popular show "The Office" to integrate the MailMate shredder into the theme of the November 16, 2006, episode. Amid impending layoffs, one of the show’s key characters showcases his value to the company through his role as a “master shredder,” using his newest tool: The MailMate shredder from Staples.
David Goetzel, a media and marketing writer for Media Daily News, described the integration as follows:
In Portugal, the global home improvement retailer Leroy Merlin
has been working since 2005 with Briskman Entertainment, the producers of SIC Mulher's popular TV make-over show "Querido, mudei a casa!" to integrate their wide range of product in the renovation projects. In just 2 years, sales of Leroy Merlin, rose by 72%, and the brand boosted across Portugal becoming leader in its segment.
Several companies have emerged that are making the connection between programming and advertisers for branded entertainment more accessible.
survey on branded entertainment:
Madison+Vine: Branded Entertainment Survey, http://www.ana.net/michome2/miccontent/305 ANA Advertising Financial Management Conference, 05/03/05.
(survey respondents are marketers and members of the ANA)
Madison+Vine: Branded Entertainment Survey, http://www.ana.net/michome2/miccontent/305 ANA Advertising Financial Management Conference, 05/03/05.
Branded content
Branded content is a relatively new form of advertising medium that blurs conventional distinctions between what constitutes advertising and what constitutes entertainment. Branded content is essentially a fusion of the two into one product intended to be distributed as entertainment content,...
or advertainment
Advertainment
Advertainment is a portmanteau of the words advertising and entertainment.It was first used in 1999 by Patrizia Musso, an Italian professor of brand communication....
, is an entertainment-based vehicle that is funded by and complementary to a brand's marketing strategy. The purpose of a branded entertainment program is to give a brand the opportunity to communicate its image to its target audience in an original way, by creating positive links between the brand and the program. These projects are often the result of a content partnership
Content partnership
A Content Partnership is a new term describing a joint venture between brands, broadcasters, publishers and producers to create original audio visual programming across any media platform...
between brands, producers and broadcasters.
Anything you do outside of work, money spent on activities outside "necessary" is entertainment. When you have internet access from home, but you go to the local coffee/internet cafe to surf the web, that's branded entertainment. For example, people don't go to a coffee shop and sit for 2 hours just to drink coffee, they go to a coffee shop to enjoy the jazz, the people, and the coffee.
Branded Entertainment is the "sexy" new approach to connecting with your consumer-- "Two decades ago there was a fear that TV commercials would be less relevant as VCRs became ubiquitous. Today, right now, the issue is the fact, not the fear,".
History and purpose
Branded entertainment started with the advent of television in the 1950s, and many programs were sponsored and tied to one specific sponsor, like the early "soap operaSoap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
s". As advertisers began to shift to thirty second commercials, the practice began to fade until the late 1990s. Today they have become the way for advertisers to let their messages come across in a "not so commercial" way, e.g. product placement or Advertiser funded programming
Advertiser funded programming
Advertiser Funded Programming is a recent term applied to a break away from the modern model of television funding in place since the early 1960s. Since that time, programmes have normally been funded by a broadcaster and they re-couped the money through selling advertising space around the content...
.
Although branded entertainment had a slight decrease in 2009, PQ Media predicts a steady increase in 2010 and beyond. The recent increase in branded entertainment is one of the consequences of the fragmentation of media and the decline in the power of the traditional 30-second TV spot. Traditional forms of advertising have become less and less effective in reaching consumers fragmented over hundreds of channels and with the introduction of new methods of delivering programming, such as internet streaming and digital video recording devices such as TiVo
TiVo
TiVo is a digital video recorder developed and marketed by TiVo, Inc. and introduced in 1999. TiVo provides an on-screen guide of scheduled broadcast programming television programs, whose features include "Season Pass" schedules which record every new episode of a series, and "WishList"...
. Advertisers are going back to the branded entertainment methods of the early television industry to increase the exposure their advertising gets and to create stronger ties between the program and their product.
Branded Entertainment is not simply product advertising or product placement - branded entertainment is a piece of entertainment that perfectly aligns with the brand attributes, and is a reflection of the advertiser's brand personality. A piece of branded entertainment for Jack Daniels, for example, doesn't need to feature a bottle of Jack Daniels it merely has to fit within the entertainment preferences of its audience, to stick the experience of the entertainment to the brand, then it could be distributed on the Jack Daniels site - making it branded entertainment.
On a larger scale , the movie industry have embraced this new medium wholeheartedly , most recently with movies such as "Transformers". This has proven to be very well thought out effective Brand Integration. There are many people who say they are experts in branded content and while the Americas in particular are highly developed in this the UK and Europe lag behind - companies in the UK are often able to provide part of the solution but not all - in order to create effective Branded Entertainment a company must offer all the attributes of marketing agency and program maker - there are very few companies that offer this.
The difference between basic product placement and branded entertainment are the people behind the projects. If done incorrectly, "branded entertainment" is considered blatant product placement. But, if executed correctly, branded entertainment can be the most powerful tool in advertising. A good example of product placement is in Lady Gaga's 9.5-minute video for Telephone, which includes 10 product placements and generated more than 4 million views in its first 24 hours, as well as her video for Bad Romance, which also includes multiple placements and has been viewed over 230 million times . Producers must emphasize and understand the balance between entertainment and brand. First, obviously, the brand and the type of entertainment has to match. Entertainment ranges from podcasts to visitor centers and sometimes theme park rides. It has to designed in a way that attracts the consumer, not some giant logo in the corner of your TV while you're trying to watch a show.
Branded Entertainment is awarded annually in Los Angeles at One Show Entertainment where a panel of experts in the field select the year's most effective and innovative campaigns in events, gaming, film, music and tv.
Advertiser funding
A successful example of branded entertainment is an advertising campaign developed by Onesum Agency for the Tampa Bay RaysTampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
. An animated team of super heroes “The Defenders of the Game” (DOTG), is an on and offline original branded entertainment platform that featured the franchise and players as animated superheroes defending baseball from the evil Umperor. The campaign was created and launched in 2007 as a marketing platform that connects the franchise and spirit of the game, to what was deemed a high yield consumer by the MLB
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
; the typical family nucleus of mom, dad and 2.5 kids. It featured players such as All-Star Carl Crawford
Carl Crawford
Carl Demonte Crawford is an American professional baseball outfielder who plays for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws left-handed...
, James Shields, Scott Kazmir
Scott Kazmir
Scott Edward Kazmir is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. Kazmir made his Major League debut with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2004 when he was only 20 years old and at one time held many of the franchise's career pitching records...
, Carlos Peña
Carlos Peña
Carlos Felipe Peña is a Dominican professional baseball left-handed first baseman. He played previously with the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs.Although he was born in Santo Domingo and his family is from San Francisco de Macorís,...
and B.J. Upton
B. J. Upton
Melvin Emmanuel "B. J." Upton is a Major League Baseball center fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays. Upton is a graduate of Greenbrier Christian Academy....
, as well as team coach Joe Maddon
Joe Maddon
Joseph John Maddon is the Major League Baseball manager for the Tampa Bay Rays.He previously served as interim manager of the Anaheim Angels in both 1996 and 1999. He was also a long-time bench coach for the team.-Early life and career:Maddon attended Lafayette College, where he played baseball...
, and team special advisor, Don Zimmer
Don Zimmer
Donald William "Popeye" Zimmer is a former infielder, manager, and coach in Major League Baseball, currently serving as a senior advisor to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball organization...
.
Another example of Branded Entertainment is BMW's The Hire which featured a series of eight short films produced specifically for the Internet in 2001 and 2002. "The Hire" featured among other famous actors, Clive Owen
Clive Owen
Clive Owen is an English actor, who has worked on television, stage and film. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for portraying the lead in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991...
as the driver and celebrity directors such as Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
, Tony & Ridley [Scott| Scott], Alejandro González Iñárritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu
Alejandro González Iñárritu is a Mexican film director.González Iñárritu is the first Mexican director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and by the DGA of America for Best Director. He is also the first and only Mexican born director to have won the Prix de la mise en scene...
and John Woo
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
and John Frankenheimer
John Frankenheimer
John Michael Frankenheimer was an American film and television director known for social dramas and action/suspense films...
. These movie shorts were viewed over 100 Million times.
A example of true branded entertainment is "City Hunters
City Hunters
"City Hunters" is an animated TV series developed in Argentina that premiered throughout Latin Americaon October 2006 on the Fox network. The series, which blends traditional animation techniques with the latest generation of CGI, consists of nine 11-minute episodes."City Hunters" is a form of...
", an animated TV series for AXE Body Spray. The series premiered throughout Latin America on October 2006 on the FOX network. It was co-produced by Unilever for the AXE brand. It is a male-targeted series that integrates the AXE brand into the storyline. The animated series follows the antics of an aging Casanova, Dr. Lynch, and Axel (a reference to AXE), the young man Doctor is training in the art of seducing women. The series was created by Catmandu Branded Entertainment, a branded entertainment firm in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The characters were developed by Italian illustrator Milo Manara
Milo Manara
Maurilio Manara – known professionally as Milo Manara – is an Italian comic book writer and artist, best known for his erotic approach to the medium.-Career:...
. The series, also has an on-line component.
Hottest Mom in America, a reality television
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
series that auditions American women vying for the title of "Hottest Mom", is one of the first entries by a pharmaceutical company into Branded Entertainment. The show from Buzznation studios is backed by a single sponsor Medicis Pharmaceutical
Medicis Pharmaceutical
Medicis Pharmaceutical is a medical cosmetics company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was founded in 1988. Among their products are Solodyn and Ziana for treating acne, and Restylane and Dysport for treating facial wrinkles. As of September of 2011, the company has also sold it's rights to...
, the makers of the Restylane
Restylane
Restylane is the trade name for a range of injectable fillers with a specific formulation of non-animal sourced hyaluronic acid . Restylane was the first stabilized hyaluronic acid filler on the market and reportedly has been used in over 11 million treatments worldwide .In the United States,...
cosmetic injection treatment.
Product placement
The most common way to integrate brands into programming is by using product placement. Instead of simply using a product as a prop or background filler, the product will be woven into the plot or dialogue of the program. For this reason, the term brand integration is more commonly used. The objective is to create a link in the viewer between the program and their product. This is also a guaranteed way for their advertising to be seen, no matter what method the viewer chooses to watch the program in.Office products retailer Staples and its entertainment marketing agency Davie Brown Entertainment worked with the producers of NBC's popular show "The Office" to integrate the MailMate shredder into the theme of the November 16, 2006, episode. Amid impending layoffs, one of the show’s key characters showcases his value to the company through his role as a “master shredder,” using his newest tool: The MailMate shredder from Staples.
David Goetzel, a media and marketing writer for Media Daily News, described the integration as follows:
In the Nov. 16 episode, the character Kevin, a low-key but mischievous accountant at paper company Dunder-Mifflin, somewhat morosely says how little responsibility he has on the job. But, he adds: “They do let me shred the company documents, and that is really all I need, by the way Deskey is lame.”
He then ferociously begins using the MailMate – Staples says it offers “ferocious shredding power for identity theft protection” – while speaking to the audience at the same time (”The Office” is done in faux documentary fashion, where the characters often speak to the camera as if they’re being interviewed by a journalist.)
Barely able to restrain himself, Kevin (played by Brian Baumgartner) says: “This thing is so awesome! It will shred anything!”
On the show, the whole scene is funny and effective–and it fits in organically. After Kevin has shown the machine’s practical benefits, in keeping with the wonderfully twisted humor of “The Office,” he drops salad leaves into the MailMate.
Then, he pulls out the bottom refuse bin which has a full salad ready to eat. After pouring on dressing, a coworker enters and asks, “Where’d you get that salad?”
“Staples,” he says.
In Portugal, the global home improvement retailer Leroy Merlin
Leroy Merlin
Leroy Merlin is a French worldwide home-improvement and gardening retailer.Generally established on the outskirts of major town and cities, Leroy Merlin stores are large centers providing self-service and sales assisted services...
has been working since 2005 with Briskman Entertainment, the producers of SIC Mulher's popular TV make-over show "Querido, mudei a casa!" to integrate their wide range of product in the renovation projects. In just 2 years, sales of Leroy Merlin, rose by 72%, and the brand boosted across Portugal becoming leader in its segment.
Several companies have emerged that are making the connection between programming and advertisers for branded entertainment more accessible.
Studies
According to a recent Association of National AdvertisersAssociation of National Advertisers
The Association of National Advertisers is a representative body for the marketing community in the United States of America. ANA’s membership includes over 400 companies with 9,000 brands that collectively spend over one hundred billion dollars in marketing communications and advertising....
survey on branded entertainment:
Madison+Vine: Branded Entertainment Survey, http://www.ana.net/michome2/miccontent/305 ANA Advertising Financial Management Conference, 05/03/05.
- 80 percent agree B.E provides for alignment of brand with relevant content
- 72 percent believe B.E. has the ability to make stronger emotional connections with the consumer
- 72 percent believe B.E. builds brand affinity with a desired target group/demographic
- 55 percent say B.E. is effective in avoidance of traditional consumer clutter
- 48 percent says B.E. provides for protection from increased consumer control due to new technologies, i.e. TiVo
- 10 percent thinks B.E. is a trendy, sexy, communication tool
(survey respondents are marketers and members of the ANA)
Madison+Vine: Branded Entertainment Survey, http://www.ana.net/michome2/miccontent/305 ANA Advertising Financial Management Conference, 05/03/05.
"Entertainmented Brand" controversy
In 2011, Troy Hitch, creator of You Suck at PhotoshopYou Suck At Photoshop (web series)You Suck At Photoshop is a series of online Photoshop tutorials with adult-themed humor designed by Matt Bledsoe and Troy Hitch of the Big Fat Institute for Advanced Interactive Design; hosted at My Damn Channel...
and creative director at Proximity Branded Entertainment, started a separate "Entertainmented Brand" movement, urging that entertainment should be placed first and foremost, with the brand's roll being secondary to the viewer experience. Inspired by Hitch's falling out with Doug Worple, CEO of Barefoot Proximity, after co-authoring a whitepaper entitled "Branded Entertainment: Distributed Storytelling in a Digital World" during late 2010, the disagreement has since become a hotbed of debate resulting in threats to both parties and unexplained hackings of the Proximity Branded Entertainment website.