Branded Entertainment Operation: Brand Integration

The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) recently reported that branded entertainment has been gaining ground the past few years common and effective strategy for U.S. companies. Nearly two-thirds of marketers plan to take part in branded entertainment projects in 2012.

The integration of a product into entertainment is not a new concept; we have been exposed to product placement for years. What differentiates branded entertainment from product placement, is the ability to engage the public on a more penetrating, emotional level versus a superficial flash of a logo. Branded entertainment allows brands to transition from simply being a content sponsor to the role of content creator, conveying the brand’s culture and inspiriting emotions that ultimately drive consumer behavior.

Generating brand awareness in entertainment is no longer a matter of how long or how often a brand can flash its logo. Branded entertainment is a means by which organic acknowledgement of a brand’s identity is cultivated. Entertainment properties that can be utilized by brands include sports venues, television shows, movies, video games, music, and, most importantly, the Internet.

Branded web series campaigns are now a more than a half-billion dollar business. In the past five years alone, the number of client-side marketers utilizing internet films has doubled from 15% to 35%, and over the same period, companies participating in Internet branded entertainment increased from 28% to 55%. Notable examples of successful entertainment branding include:

Burberry launched its Burberry acoustic series, which highlights some of Britain’s latest emerging musicians, while reinforcing the brand’s fresh, younger image. The Burberry Facebook page links to over twenty videos showcasing live performances by these impressive new talents.

The Lady Dior saga, a series of four high-quality mini movies ranging from 6-12 minutes, gained popularity through use of Twitter, selected blogs, and the star-power of Marion Cotillard, which resulted in the Dior website seeing as many hits in one month as it normally would in six months total. The films too, were referenced on one million sites worldwide.

The Absolut Vodka brand produced a vintage style short film called Lemon Drop featuring Ali Larter and Martin Kove. Clips of the film were used in some TV spots, however the Absolut Facebook page allowed fans the ability to not only watch the movie, but they could also download the movie poster and access the “Lemon Drop” cocktail recipe.

Until recently, brands have generally stayed away from branded entertainment. Even with the success of several well-known campaigns, there is little research in regards to effective and correct measuring of the overall impact and efficacy of branded entertainment. This however, should not serve as a major deterrent in considering the viability of this branding strategy. What may not necessarily be accounted for in quantified reports still has a very evident presence amongst entertainment properties, a presence that is unlikely to diminish anytime soon. Branded entertainment enables viewers to visualize the brand while making new associations that ultimately promote brand adoption, in a way that regular advertising or product placement cannot.