Integrating brands into content is an age old marketing tool. But in an evolving
digital landscape, traditional forms of advertising may not have the same impact
as they used to.
Soaking content in a brand can be off putting according to Dorothy Ghettuba,
CEO of Kenyan-based production company, Spielworks Media Ltd. Speaking at
the DISCOP Africa conference in Johannesburg, Ghettuba, along with a panel of
industry marketing experts, debated the new practice of branded entertainment.
“We are changing as an industry and we have to be able to learn, unlearn and
relearn. From a production perspective, we encourage brands to buy real estate
in content that isn’t obvious or in people’s faces,’ said Ghuttuba, who believes
the era of the 30-second ad break, may be reaching its sell by date.
Becoming PVR resistant
“Brands want to sell products and commercial advertising against other
mediums. TV is still the most successful way of doing this. The most revenue is
generated from TV commercials and the responsibility lies with creators to make
adverts more entertaining and appealing,’ said Fahmeeda Cassim-Surtee,
Marketing Sales Director for DStv, South Africa.
“Creatively produced commercials, like the Santam advert that featured a waiter
subtly changing his clothes in the background of the commercial, are exciting and
engaging enough that viewers will want to rewind and take another look,’
commented Cassim-Surtee.
She referenced, as another example, the interactive BMW TV ad which sped up
15 seconds of footage, which featured the new M5 model and encouraged
viewers to rewind and watch again in slow motion with their PVR remote.
Aligning values
Charlotte Frost, Marketing Director for Copper Monkey, a consultancy that
specialises in brokering promotionally driven marketing partnerships between
brands and movies, says a supportive marketing campaign is key to successful
brand exposure.
Frost has a valuable perspective, having managed partnerships with brands on
various movies including Die Hard 4.0, Star Wars, Ice Age, Avatar and more
recently South African animated feature film, Khumba.
“Brands are looking for a return on investment through sales, advertising and
brand awareness and this has to align with the values of a particular
production,’ said Frost.
Risuna Mayimele, Marketing Manager at the SABC agreed, highlighting a
campaign that was implemented on local soapie, Generations.
“Within the show we featured a couple that visited an HIV clinic, a prevalent
issue in South Africa. In this instance by using integrity and socially responsible
product placement it lead to positive behavioural developments in society,’ she
commented.
Holistic marketing
Mayimele maintained that there are methods of tackling second screen watching
and many avenues to give clients added value for their brands. “We can take
advantage of new platforms when it comes to product placement, for example
Bonang Matheba, a presenter on Top Billing, has 500 000 followers on Twitter.
When a brand is featured on the show, it gets tweeted to another audience of
followers as well.
“It’s not a homogenous thing, where there is only one way to do it,’ concludes
Mayimele.
