Are you from a marketing background and watched the recently released film ‘Lootcase’? If you have, then you must ‘not’ have missed the powerful integration of National Geographic in the story of the film. And the film was seen driving subscription for the channel towards the end.
But wait. The same infotainment television brand went unnoticed in Sushant Singh Rajput’s ‘Dil Bechara’. That’s the nature of branded content as it mostly carries the risk of getting unnoticed or annoying consumers in contrast with a pureplay content marketing initiative, which mostly has guaranteed results because it is done to inform or educate consumers.
Still, most of the brands in India are seen taking the branded content route in the name of their content play, which is just another form of advertising created by the world of paid media.
Branded content is about ensuring the visibility of your product or service a bit differently, say in a more entertaining way than just straight advertising. Most of the marketers, even after beginning with the idea of content marketing, fall for a branded content piece for quick results. There is no need or want to build a relationship through content.
Just slapping a logo onto something, or making an integration just for the brand’s sake without any larger narrative or natural partnership, rarely works.
Content marketing always focuses on the needs and pain points of the audience first. The goal is to build a loyal audience and, then, leverage that loyalty to drive a business goal. Of course, the amount of success depends on the context, quality and distribution of the content.
Look around and you will find how brands are increasing their focus on content in search of alternative ways to reach out to their consumer who tends to conveniently skip advertising. Come any special occasion and almost every brand is ready with their piece of branded content. The latest occasion was Teacher’s Day where all the brands were seen connecting their brand with the occasion via various branded content pieces. That is obviously not content marketing, irrespective of the fact whether the brand’s presence is on the face or not.
Without discouraging branded content, brands need to have a clear distinction and should not sell branded content in the name of content marketing. And this is what the inaugural BuzzInContent Awards 2020 will do across all categories. The two different streams will not be competing together. (After some delay due to the coronavirus outbreak, BuzzInContent Awards 2020 is going online and will be held in the last week of November this year.)
While the Awards will honour all kinds of content initiatives by brands, it will certainly highlight the distinction between content marketing and branded content initiatives.
Content marketing, if given the right amount of time and patience, works. It’s not easy, but it creates a real asset for the organisation. Commitment and a focus on the audience (not the product) make all the difference.
Pure-play content initiatives also are on the rise in India but branded content has grown faster on the back of desire for faster results. Is branded content adding to a brand’s loyalty? Obviously not. Brands must pick a branded content piece to associate with only when they find as amazing connect as ‘NatGeo in Lootcase’. Else, spend their precious time, energy and hard-earned money on earning love and loyalty through content marketing.
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Commentary: Do not sell your branded content in the name of content marketing
Instead, spend your precious time, energy and hard-earned money on earning love and loyalty through content marketing
Image courtesy: Marketoonist by Tom Fishburne
Are you from a marketing background and watched the recently released film ‘Lootcase’? If you have, then you must ‘not’ have missed the powerful integration of National Geographic in the story of the film. And the film was seen driving subscription for the channel towards the end.
But wait. The same infotainment television brand went unnoticed in Sushant Singh Rajput’s ‘Dil Bechara’. That’s the nature of branded content as it mostly carries the risk of getting unnoticed or annoying consumers in contrast with a pureplay content marketing initiative, which mostly has guaranteed results because it is done to inform or educate consumers.
Still, most of the brands in India are seen taking the branded content route in the name of their content play, which is just another form of advertising created by the world of paid media.
Branded content is about ensuring the visibility of your product or service a bit differently, say in a more entertaining way than just straight advertising. Most of the marketers, even after beginning with the idea of content marketing, fall for a branded content piece for quick results. There is no need or want to build a relationship through content.
Just slapping a logo onto something, or making an integration just for the brand’s sake without any larger narrative or natural partnership, rarely works.
Content marketing always focuses on the needs and pain points of the audience first. The goal is to build a loyal audience and, then, leverage that loyalty to drive a business goal. Of course, the amount of success depends on the context, quality and distribution of the content.
Look around and you will find how brands are increasing their focus on content in search of alternative ways to reach out to their consumer who tends to conveniently skip advertising. Come any special occasion and almost every brand is ready with their piece of branded content. The latest occasion was Teacher’s Day where all the brands were seen connecting their brand with the occasion via various branded content pieces. That is obviously not content marketing, irrespective of the fact whether the brand’s presence is on the face or not.
Without discouraging branded content, brands need to have a clear distinction and should not sell branded content in the name of content marketing. And this is what the inaugural BuzzInContent Awards 2020 will do across all categories. The two different streams will not be competing together. (After some delay due to the coronavirus outbreak, BuzzInContent Awards 2020 is going online and will be held in the last week of November this year.)
While the Awards will honour all kinds of content initiatives by brands, it will certainly highlight the distinction between content marketing and branded content initiatives.
Content marketing, if given the right amount of time and patience, works. It’s not easy, but it creates a real asset for the organisation. Commitment and a focus on the audience (not the product) make all the difference.
Pure-play content initiatives also are on the rise in India but branded content has grown faster on the back of desire for faster results. Is branded content adding to a brand’s loyalty? Obviously not. Brands must pick a branded content piece to associate with only when they find as amazing connect as ‘NatGeo in Lootcase’. Else, spend their precious time, energy and hard-earned money on earning love and loyalty through content marketing.