It has been a while since my blog ‘Welcome in the storytelling marketing jungle’ was published. The purpose of this follow-up is to clarify the terms floating around these days and to open up a discussion. Should you have additional information, a better definition or a great case please feel free to drop them in the comments below.Thanks to those who have read the text below in advance for your useful feedback.
Branded Content
Branded content is a form of advertising medium that blurs conventional distinctions between what constitutes advertising and what constitutes editorial content.
Redbull is the brand that immediately pops up when it comes to branded content, just remember Stratos or the Canal Backflip. the content is so spectacular that the company doesn’t need to invest in distribution, coverage goes without saying. Everything is focused on the content. A Redbull sticker is enough to create global awareness thanks to the investments of the brand in extreme activities.
The LEGO Movie (2014)—a $200 million blockbuster—was actually a savvy piece of branded content. It has been named the nr.1 example of branded content. Although LEGO put out a manifesto declaring, “We are not making a commercial for the toys,” the brand was an integral part of the filmmaking process, reports Fast Company, and exerted extensive approval over the content.
Content marketing
Content marketing’s purpose is to attract and retain customers by consistently creating and curating relevant and valuable content with the intention of changing or enhancing consumer behavior. It is an ongoing process that is best integrated into your overall marketing strategy, and it focuses on owning media. This is no fixed starting point, since not all companies own media (not taking into account Facebook pages or twitter accounts).
Basically, content marketing is the art of communicating with your customers and prospects without selling. It is non-interruption marketing. Instead of pitching your products or services, you are delivering information that makes your buyer more intelligent. The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty.
Content marketing refers to a structural place for branded content in your marketing approach.
Brand publishing
Brand publishing goes beyond branded content, content marketing or storytelling. It could best be described as the sum of all these terms. The brand is not only into content but also in distribution (like Redbull streaming Baumgartner Stratos live). The company shifts towards a publisher.
Native content
Sponsored news stories — also known as native ads — are becoming a fixture of the web, yet it is not always so easy to tell when an article is sponsored according to criticasters (although most sponsored stories are marked). Remarkable is that when asking around I notice that especially youngsters don’t seem to care (‘so what, or in Dutch: boeiûh!’). Condition is that content is useful, worth reading. News stories do not only refer to websites with content comparable to the eight o’clock news, although sponsored content can be shown near matching news topics. Its especially interesting to use in combination with special interest news to be found on e.g. foodnews sites. Find the perfect content and target audience match, that ensures the content is valuable and relevant in the right context.
Storytelling
Telling stories has been done for centuries, the Michelin Guide (1900) is a well-known example. Wanna know more about the history? Check this video. Its all about using content for marketing. Most people are aware of cases where companies share their stories and marketing messages. Typical of most of these cases is being in control, one way communication. More of a recent day are storytelling cases using co-creation. The initiating company, in this case Canon, is facilitating.
Example: Project Imaginat10n
Please notice that Canon breaks with a tradition by inviting the public to join. Not Canon is the hero, but the public. Message on their site: “After our five Celebrity Directors began their filmic journeys, we then invited you to sit in the director’s chair”.
Example: GoPro Cams
GoPro ‘capture and share your world’ says it all: share your unique stories. And ‘this is your life. Be a hero’ stressing the type of videos most popular, ‘heroic’ personal reports. GoPro owners are brand ambassadors since they match the GoPro brand image. Also, they are walking advertisement for the popular brand, and by sharing their stories they are great distribution channels.
Example: Coca-Cola
Another brand working for over a decade with content is Coca-Cola. Content 2020 is an inspiring video about contagious content and dynamic storytelling.
Conclusion
Taking a look at the above we still live in a ‘storytelling marketing jungle’. But that is no worrying development, because what’s in a name? It is a signal that brand marketeers are open to new forms of advertising and marketing with consumer focus, which means not pushful, but relevant and valuable, in short: worth reading or viewing.
Credit header image: Flickr, Rafael April 2009, content.
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