Branded Content, what is it?

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Nowadays, users are overwhelmed with ads and information at all times, to the point that many of them turn to solutions such as ad blockers. Faced with this situation, brands must look for new ways to connect with their audience, impact them creatively and transmit the values ​​they represent . Branded Content is a great solution for all these needs. In this cpa email marketing database post we will see what Branded Content is, what advantages it has for brands and some of the best examples in the history of advertising.

In this post we will talk about:

What is branded content?
Differences with content marketing
Advantages and disadvantages of branded content for brands
Examples of successful branded content
Red Bull
Victoria Secret
Co-branding
Digital co-branding
Types of co-branding
Product-based co-branding
Advantages of product-based co-branding
Disadvantages of product-based co-branding
Communication-based co-branding
Advantages of communication-based co-branding
Disadvantages of communication-based co-branding
Other types of co-branding
Same company co-branding
National to local co-branding
Joint venture co-branding
Multiple sponsor co-branding
What is Branded Content?
Branded Content is a marketing technique that involves creating content linked to a brand and allows consumers to establish a connection with it .

To take a closer look at this definition, let's further define the main characteristics of Branded Content:

• It focuses on the brand's values , not on its products or services. Although it can adopt the format of a classic video spot, it focuses more on the intangible qualities of the brand than on the specific characteristics of its offer.

• It seeks to generate conversation and awareness around the brand . Rather than seeking a direct sale or conversion, these contents attempt to impact the public and generate a conversation about the brand. Therefore, the key metrics for measuring the success of Branded Content tend to focus on awareness and the number of mentions.

• Generates added value for the user . We usually think of advertising as a "price to pay" to consume the content that really interests us, but branded content seeks to change this reality and creates content that users really want to consume. In general, this added value is presented in the form of entertainment.

• Appeals to emotions . The use of emotions to "persuade" dates back to the time of Aristotle, and is still an effective resource today. Branded content does not seek to use rational arguments about why a brand is better than the competition, but rather seeks to connect with the audience on a more intimate level.

• It makes use of storytelling . Essentially, what this type of content seeks is to tell a representative story of the brand to the viewer, with protagonists, as well as a beginning, a middle and an end.

• It can be presented through multiple formats and dissemination channels . Branded Content is a very flexible concept, so it can be adapted to many different formats: video, podcasts, interactive formats, video games, street actions, events... or even combine several of them to tell the brand's story. Similarly, there are also many different resources to disseminate it, from applications to social networks to the brand's website.

• Content can be co-created . It is very common for brands to collaborate with film directors or other renowned professionals to create their most prominent content. But the collaboration does not end there: it is also possible to call on users themselves to tell their stories about the brand and therefore engage with the brand's engagement while providing content. We already talked about User Generated Content in this post . (If you want to know about UGC success stories we also have this post )

Differences with content marketing
Content marketing is a broader concept. It is the entire strategy that encompasses all types of content created by the brand, while Branded Content would be a specific type of content.

Within a content marketing strategy, there is room for many types of non-branded content, for example, informative guides, tutorials or testimonials.