Branded Entertainment: where it came from and where it is going

Did you see the General Motors vehicles in the Transformers sequel or the futuristic Nokia cell phone in Star Trek?

If the summer has taught us one thing, it?s that branded entertainment is here to stay.

To many, the concept of branded entertainment is new. However, it made its first appearance in American television sets more than 50 years ago in the form of soap operas.

Crafty soap companies figured that the best way to sell their products is by marketing it through meaningful content.    

The soap opera was probably the first instance of branded entertainment in media. Of course, its delivery has changed with the times. Nowadays, the format is interactive giving it unlimited capacity.
Apart from television appearances, advertisers and brands can now reach consumers through a one-on-one experience with online properties. With more media platforms developing, branded entertainment has incredible potential.

?I see branded entertainment as scripted content that visually depicts the personality and core values of the brand through lifestyle triggers emblematic of the audience it serves,? said Gennefer Snowfield in a roundtable discussion posted on tubefilter news. ?It should communicate the essence of the brand in a way that is both entertaining and personally relevant to consumers. In that manner, viewers relate to the message through the personification of those brand traits rather than pushing empty features and benefits at them as you would in a traditional TV spot.?

In relation to branded entertainment, the roundtable participants also discussed product placement.  

?Smart product placement takes a product?s intended use and demographic and wraps them into a piece of content in a way that doesn?t smell tacked on,? said Warren Tomlin, president of Fuel Industries. ?The most important aspect is that it be a natural integration; the product needs to feel like a genuine part of the narrative. If you?re going to put a Volvo in a movie, it should have an opportunity to demonstrate its brand principles, such as keeping the hero of the movie alive in a crash.?

The participants were also asked where producers and advertisers can meet, the point they called ?the sweet spot.?

?The magic nexus for brands and content isn?t too hard to find, but achieving that perfect balance takes work,? says Tomlin. ?Could NBC?s Chuck work at an actual Best Buy instead of a ?Buy More?? Sure, but it only works for both parties if the brand is open to presenting itself in unusual contexts, and if the writers (and you?ll need good writers) are willing to frame their creative ideas in a way that keeps the brand?s position in mind. A sweet spot on one of our recent projects: Vans wanted to tap into the mobile market, so we built an iPhone skateboarding game with Vans products built into it, which actually made the experience a lot more authentic for players.?

For more on the roundtable thread, log on to tubefilter news.