7 Examples of Great Branded Content

Branded content has become a popular marketing strategy that focuses on creating content that resonates with the audience’s interests rather than directly promoting a product. This form of marketing is designed to entertain, educate, or evoke emotions in the audience, leading to a stronger connection with the brand. While branded content may seem unrelated to the brand at first glance, it serves a crucial purpose in building positive brand affinity and shared values with the audience.

Take the example of the Michelin guide, which initially seems unrelated to Michelin tires. However, by showcasing unique restaurants and culinary experiences, the Michelin guide creates an emotional connection with food enthusiasts, showcasing the brand’s commitment to quality and excellence.

Branded content differs from traditional advertising, content marketing, and product placement. While content marketing aims to spark brand interest, advertising focuses on direct sales, and product placement involves subtle marketing, branded content prioritizes entertainment and emotional engagement. By dialing down persuasion and focusing on entertainment, branded content can captivate audiences and increase brand awareness.

There are several reasons why creating branded content is worth considering. Firstly, it helps brands stand out in a competitive market by focusing on the audience rather than self-promotion. Secondly, branded content builds positive associations and improves brand sentiment among viewers. Additionally, branded content allows brands to showcase their human side and connect with audiences on a personal level.

One of the key benefits of branded content is its ability to reach new audiences through engaging formats and channels. By creating entertaining and relatable content, brands can attract new viewers and improve brand recall. Moreover, branded content can help justify price increases by weaving the brand into compelling narratives that resonate with consumers.

When measuring the success of branded content, brands should focus on audience perception metrics such as brand awareness, recall, sentiment, and loyalty. Tracking mentions, monitoring traffic uplift, checking keyword growth, and analyzing backlinks are essential for evaluating the impact of branded content campaigns.

In conclusion, branded content is a powerful marketing tool that can help brands connect with audiences on a deeper level. By creating engaging and authentic content that aligns with audience interests, brands can build strong relationships, increase brand visibility, and drive customer loyalty.

### FAQs:

1. What is branded content?
Branded content is mass-appeal media or entertainment content that is either sponsored, commissioned, or created by a company. It focuses on entertaining, educating, or evoking emotions in the audience rather than directly promoting a product.

2. How does branded content differ from traditional advertising?
Branded content prioritizes entertainment and emotional engagement over direct sales pitches. It aims to build positive brand affinity and shared values with the audience, rather than focusing solely on promoting products.

3. Why is branded content worth creating?
Branded content helps brands stand out in a competitive market, build positive associations with viewers, showcase their human side, reach new audiences, and justify price increases by weaving the brand into compelling narratives.

4. How can the success of branded content be measured?
The success of branded content can be measured through audience perception metrics such as brand awareness, recall, sentiment, and loyalty. Tracking mentions, monitoring traffic uplift, checking keyword growth, and analyzing backlinks are essential for evaluating the impact of branded content campaigns.

5. What are some examples of successful branded content campaigns?
Successful branded content campaigns include Thoropass’ Scam Hunters podcast, Loewe’s Decades of Confusion short film, Hallmark and NFL’s holiday movies collaboration, Paddle’s documentary series, Tide’s #TideTackles campaign, Sky and Dogs Trust’s Bonfire Night pop-up TV channel, and Ahrefs’ White Haired SEO book and SEO The Board Game™️.