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More and more brands are getting into the content game. And yes, some of that content is generated for so-called “native advertising” buys on existing platforms. But brands are also creating content to distribute themselves, including blogs, articles, videos, newsletters, webinars, mobile apps, infographics, podcasts and even books. In a story about the rise of branded content, PBS MediaShift’s Terri Thornton references a recent survey from MarketingProfs and the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) that shows 86 percent of companies serving consumers and 92 percent of “business to business” companies now use content marketing. Those surveyed said they spend between 28 and 33 percent of their budgets on content and more than 50 percent plan to increase that spend next year. The most recent – and most visible – example is that of the Pepsi YouTube video of race car driver Jeff Gordon joyriding with a terrified salesman on a test drive. The video grabbed 33 million views last month. At the recent Ad:Tech conference in San Francisco, Susan Wojcicki, a senior VP at Google, pointed to the video as an example of the opportunities – and dedication – marketers have to producing their own content. Others experimenting with branded content include GE, Dove (see Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” video, which has gone viral) and Microsoft, which as Thornton points out, built a Tumblr page with videos and infographics in an attempt to bring younger users to its Internet Explorer 9. But even as it becomes more popular, branded content isn’t going to replace advertising and isn’t going to cut publishers out of the picture. Even with social media and Tumblr and YouTube, brands still need those who create and distribute content the best. Shane Snow, CCO at Contently, writes in an AdAge piece, “I don’t want to spend decades building trust and credibility as a publisher, but I’d like to earn those things in the long term. I’m not sure it’s possible to have that cake and eat it without teaming with a big publisher.” He goes on, “That’s why I believe the answer to the initial question in this article, ‘to own or to sponsor’ [content] is ‘both.’” And at PaidContent Live, Kyle Monson of the Knock Twice ad agency put it this way: “Media partners give us credibility we can’t get on our own.” And as sponsored content on BuzzFeed, Forbes, Gawker and other sites gets more popular, it may even create demand for what publishers do best: create content. Fortune, for instance, is launching Fortune TOC - Trusted Original Content, which will create original editorial content exclusively for marketers to distribute on their own platforms. The price tag? Adweek reports that the publisher has plans ranging from $250,000 to $1 million. Capital One has already signed up. |
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