Branded Entertainment: What is It and Why is It Popular?When entertainment is used as a tool to advertise to a market this is called branded entertainment. Branded content is also another term for this advertising method. Letting the brand communicate with its target market in a unique way is the purpose of branded entertainment. Using positive links between the brand and the platform is the way this is accomplished. These projects are formed when brands, producers and entertainers collaborate.
The popularity of television shows in the fifties lead to the beginnings of branded entertainment. The early soap operas would be sponsored by specific brands. The advent of half-a-minute ads on television caused branded content to be less utilized.
Thanks to the nineties, branded content started to become a sought after advertising tool again. Today branded content is the third most used advertising method. They allow advertisers to spread their message in a less intrusive manner. Branded content has made a shift from commercials that interfere with the market's attention to one that people will seek out. Because of how different this advertising method is compared to the traditional half-a-minute commercials, the psychological factor of this advertising model needs to be studied. The impact of the advertising on the market also needs to be studied. The ad budget of brands also shift because of branded content.
Traditional methods of advertising are no longer as useful in making an impact on the target audience. This is mainly because of the new ways entertainment is consumed such as by internet streaming and digital video recording devices. Brands can now communicate with their target market in a more creative way because of the internet and mobile phones. Brands have once again employed the television's early days of branded content. The audience sees the brand more and a better relationship is established between the brand and the program.
Product placement is the most used method to combine the brand with the entertainment vehicle. However, branded content is not as simple as placing a product on a television show. For the campaign to be successful the entertainment has to be in tune with the brand's personality. The product should be subtly woven into the plot or script of the program instead of just putting the product in the background as a prop. The subtle way of mixing the product and the entertainment channel is called brand integration. The main goal is to produce a relationship between the entertainment channel and the product in the eyes of the viewer.
It is the people involved who make the distinction between branded entertainment and mere product placement. Pronounced and intrusive placement of products is from flawed branded entertainment methods. If executed the right way, branded content can be one of the most useful advertising techniques. Producers need to find the right balance between the brand and the program. The entertainment employed has to be in line with the brand's image.
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