It was clear from the MIPCOM conference session Best of Branded Content: What Works and Why? that marketers recognised that they could no longer operate separately from the TV industry.
Presenting a string of case studies, leading advertiser and agency executives demonstrated that besides their traditional roles of selling products and services to consumers, they also managed to cover a wide range of skills from content creation and programme sales to channel distribution.
Advertising agencies now need to develop original ideas and invest in content in order to achieve their clients’ objectives. As an example of this, he described how a recent Dove campaign for Unilever, the Hollywood actress Felicity Huffman was digitally inserted into classic sitcoms to create original webisodes to promote the brand.
Mark Boyd head of branded content at BBH demonstrated that there was no single type of branded content. He showcased the best-of-class examples, ranging from the Audi TV channel to Red Bull’s TV production and event-creation activities in the field of light aircraft racing.
Barry Soloff, global advertising and marketing communications manager for Duracell Global Business Management Group showed a Duracell-funded science series called Explorations which is built upon BBC Motion Galley footage. The series which plays in 145 countries includes a platform for local promotions.
