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Branded Video Content - The Future of Marketing

10th February 2023

Introduction

Branded content is often seen as the future of marketing because it aligns well with the evolving preferences and behaviors of consumers in a digital world.  As people become more skeptical of traditional ads and seek out content that is informative, entertaining, or otherwise of value, branded content provides a way for companies to connect with them in a meaningful and memorable way.  In this article we will outline some of the reasons why branded content is seen as the future of marketing.  

What Is Branded Video Content?

Branded video content is a form of marketing that involves creating and distributing content that is directly tied to a company's brand to promote its values, products, or services. Branded video content focuses on storytelling, engaging the audience, and creating an emotional connection.

Brand videos can be created by companies themselves, or in partnership with influencers, video production companies, or advertising agencies. The most effective branded video content is relevant to the target audience, aligns with the brand's values and messaging, and is distributed through the channels where the audience is most active.

These videos are often designed to entertain, educate, or inspire viewers while subtly integrating the brand's message.

What Are Traditional Advertising Videos?

Traditional advertising videos, on the other hand, follow a more straightforward and promotional approach. These videos typically emphasize product features, benefits, and persuasive techniques to convince the target audience to make a purchase. They often rely on direct selling and may incorporate elements such as celebrity endorsements, catchy jingles, or compelling visuals to grab attention.

Purpose and Goals

The purpose of branded video production is to create a deeper connection between the brand and the audience. By leveraging storytelling techniques, brands aim to evoke emotions, establish trust, and build long-term relationships with consumers. On the other hand, the primary goal of traditional advertising videos is to generate immediate sales or conversions by highlighting product features and persuading viewers to take a specific action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a service.

Target Audience

Branded video content is usually tailored to resonate with a specific target audience. Through careful research and understanding of the target market, brands create videos that align with their audience's interests, values, and preferences. Traditional advertising videos, on the other hand, often have a broader target audience and aim to reach a mass market. These videos focus on delivering a persuasive message that appeals to a wide range of potential customers.

Content Creation and Production Process

When it comes to creating high quality branded videos, the emphasis is on creativity and storytelling. Brands collaborate with content creators, such as filmmakers or video production companies, to develop captivating narratives that align with their brand identity. On the contrary, traditional advertising videos typically follow a more structured production process, with a clear focus on delivering key marketing messages and showcasing product features and typically work with large creative agencies.

Storytelling Approach

One of the key distinctions between branded video content and traditional advertising videos lies in their storytelling approach. Brand storytelling videos often employ a narrative-driven approach, using characters, plot development, and emotional arcs to engage the audience. These videos focus on creating a memorable experience and establishing an emotional connection with viewers. Traditional advertising videos, on the other hand, tend to rely on more direct messaging, showcasing product features, and highlighting the benefits of the offering.

Brand Integration and Promotion

Creative brand videos seamlessly integrate the brand's message, values, or products within the storyline. The promotion is often subtle and does not overpower the narrative. By contrast, traditional advertising videos typically place a heavy emphasis on overt product promotion. These videos aim to highlight the features and benefits of the brand's offerings explicitly, often using persuasive tactics to drive immediate sales.

Distribution Channels

Brand video production companies leverage a variety of distribution channels to reach the target audience effectively. These can include social media platforms, video-sharing websites, brand websites, or even collaborations with influencers or content creators. The goal is to maximise visibility, engagement, and shareability among the target audience. Traditional advertising videos, on the other hand, predominantly rely on traditional media channels such as television, radio, or print advertisements, although they may also utilise digital platforms for wider reach.

Measuring Success

The metrics used to measure the success of branded video content differ from those of traditional advertising videos. Brand video marketing content focuses on engagement metrics such as views, likes, comments, shares, and brand sentiment. Brands analyse these metrics to gauge audience interest, brand perception, and the impact of storytelling on consumer behavior. Traditional advertising videos, on the other hand, often prioritise metrics like reach, frequency, and conversion rates to determine the effectiveness of their campaigns in driving immediate sales or generating leads.

Benefits of Branded Video Content

Branded video content offers several advantages over traditional advertising videos. Let's explore some of the key benefits that make branded video content a powerful marketing tool:

  1. Establishing Emotional Connection: Branded video content allows businesses and brands to establish a deeper emotional connection with their audience. By leveraging storytelling techniques, relatable narratives, and compelling visuals, branded videos evoke emotions and create a memorable experience for viewers. This emotional connection can lead to increased brand loyalty, customer trust, and long-term relationships.

  2. Increased Virality and Organic Reach: One of the unique advantages of branded video content is its potential to go viral. When a branded video resonates with viewers, they are more likely to share it with their social networks, leading to increased organic reach and exposure for the brand. Viral videos can generate significant buzz, attracting attention from a wider audience beyond the brand's existing customer base.

  3. Differentiation from Competitors: Branded video content allows brands to differentiate themselves from competitors in a crowded advertising landscape. By adopting a storytelling approach and showcasing their unique brand identity, values, and personality, brands can stand out and create a distinct identity in the minds of consumers. This differentiation can contribute to brand recognition, recall, and preference.

  4. Enhanced Engagement and Audience Retention: Branded videos are often designed to captivate and engage viewers from start to finish. The storytelling format, combined with visually appealing elements and compelling narratives, keeps viewers invested and interested in the content. This enhanced engagement and audience retention can result in longer viewing times, increased brand exposure, and a higher likelihood of viewers taking desired actions.

  5. Versatility and Adaptability: Branded video content offers versatility and adaptability across various platforms and formats. Brands can create videos tailored to specific social media channels, websites, or digital advertising campaigns. From short-form videos optimised for social media to longer-form videos for websites or branded content partnerships, the versatility of branded video content allows brands to reach their target audience effectively in different contexts.

  6. Improved SEO and Online Visibility: Branded video content can significantly contribute to a brand's online visibility and search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Videos are highly engaging and shareable, making them more likely to be linked to, embedded, and shared on various websites and social media platforms. This increased online presence and backlinking can positively impact a brand's SEO rankings, driving organic traffic and improving its visibility in search engine results.

By harnessing the power of storytelling, emotional connection, and viral potential, branded video content offers unique advantages that go beyond traditional advertising videos. Embracing this approach can help brands forge stronger connections with their audience, increase brand awareness, and achieve their marketing goals.

Limitations of Traditional Advertising Videos

While traditional advertising videos have been a staple in marketing for decades, they come with inherent limitations that marketers need to consider. Understanding these limitations can help brands make informed decisions about their video marketing strategies. Here are some key drawbacks of traditional advertising videos:

  1. Interruptive or Intrusive Nature: One of the primary drawbacks of traditional advertising videos is their tendency to be interruptive or intrusive. These videos often appear during commercial breaks or as pre-roll ads before online videos, disrupting the viewer's desired content consumption. This interruptive nature can potentially alienate viewers who are seeking more engaging and relevant content, leading to ad avoidance or ad-blocking behaviors.

  2. Attention Span Challenges: Traditional advertising videos face challenges in capturing and maintaining audience attention in an era of shortened attention spans and ad fatigue. Viewers are constantly exposed to an abundance of advertisements across various platforms, leading to decreased receptiveness. Traditional advertising videos, often limited to a specific time frame, may struggle to convey a compelling message or fully engage viewers within the limited time available.

  3. Perceived Lack of Authenticity: In comparison to branded video content, traditional advertising videos may be perceived as less authentic or relatable. Viewers are increasingly seeking content that feels genuine, transparent, and aligns with their values. Traditional advertising, which is often focused on persuasive messaging and product promotion, may be seen as more sales-oriented and less authentic. This can hinder its effectiveness in establishing trust and building long-term relationships with the audience.

  4. Limited Targeting and Personalization: Traditional advertising videos often have limited targeting and personalization capabilities. They are generally broadcasted to a broad audience, making it challenging to tailor the message to specific demographics or individual preferences. This lack of personalisation can result in less relevance and resonance with the intended target audience, reducing the overall impact of the advertising campaign.

  5. Difficulty in Measuring ROI: Measuring the return on investment (ROI) of traditional advertising videos can be more challenging compared to branded video content. Tracking and quantifying the direct impact of traditional advertising videos on brand awareness, customer engagement, and conversion rates can be complex. This limitation makes it harder to evaluate the effectiveness of traditional advertising campaigns and optimise them for better results.

By recognising these limitations, marketers can make informed decisions about their video marketing strategies. Incorporating branded video content alongside traditional advertising videos can help overcome some of these challenges by providing more engaging, authentic, and targeted experiences for viewers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, brand video marketing and traditional advertising videos have distinct approaches, goals, and effects on the audience. Branded video content focuses on storytelling, emotional connection, and subtle brand integration to engage viewers, build trust, and establish long-term relationships. It aims to create a memorable experience and evoke positive brand sentiment. On the other hand, traditional advertising videos prioritise direct product promotion, persuasive messaging, and immediate sales generation.

Branded video content benefits from its ability to resonate with a specific target audience, leverage creativity and storytelling, and gain organic reach through social sharing. It allows brands to differentiate themselves, build brand loyalty, and stand out in a competitive market. However, traditional advertising videos still play a significant role in reaching mass audiences, especially through traditional media channels.

As digital platforms and consumer preferences continue to evolve, branded video content is becoming increasingly popular for its effectiveness in capturing audience attention, creating brand affinity, and driving meaningful engagement. By embracing the power of storytelling and emotional connection, brands can elevate their marketing efforts and create impactful experiences that resonate with their target audience.

Do branded video content and traditional advertising videos require different production budgets?

The production budgets can vary based on the scale, complexity, and creative requirements of the videos. Branded video content may involve collaborations with content creators or production companies, which can impact the overall cost.

Can traditional advertising videos incorporate storytelling elements?

Yes, traditional advertising videos can incorporate storytelling elements to make them more engaging and memorable. However, the emphasis is often on delivering key marketing messages and promoting product features.

How can brands measure the effectiveness of branded video content?

Brands can measure the effectiveness of branded video content through metrics such as views, engagement, social shares, brand sentiment analysis, and the impact on brand perception and customer behavior.

Are branded video content and traditional advertising videos mutually exclusive?

No, they are not mutually exclusive. Brands can incorporate elements of both approaches in their marketing strategies, depending on their goals, target audience, and the nature of their offerings.

Are there industries or sectors where branded video content is more effective?

Branded video content can be effective across various industries and sectors. However, industries that rely heavily on emotional connection, lifestyle branding, or experiential marketing tend to benefit greatly from this approach.

  1. Fashion and Beauty: The fashion and beauty industry thrives on creating emotional connections and showcasing aspirational lifestyles. Branded video content allows these industries to tell compelling stories, demonstrate product usage, and evoke desire in viewers. Fashion and beauty brands often leverage video content to highlight their products in action, showcase runway shows, share behind-the-scenes glimpses, or provide makeup tutorials, creating engaging and visually appealing experiences for their target audience.

  2. Travel and Hospitality: The travel and hospitality industry heavily relies on experiential marketing. Branded video content enables hotels, resorts, and travel companies to transport viewers to captivating destinations, immerse them in unique experiences, and evoke a sense of wanderlust. Through visually stunning videos, travel brands can showcase the beauty of various locations, highlight local cultures, and inspire viewers to plan their next adventure.

  3. Food and Beverage: The food and beverage industry thrives on sensory experiences and visual appeal. Branded video content allows food and beverage brands to showcase their products in enticing and mouth-watering ways. From recipe tutorials to behind-the-scenes footage of culinary creations, video content can effectively convey the taste, quality, and enjoyment associated with food and beverages. It also provides an opportunity for brands to share their brand stories, values, and the passion behind their culinary creations.

  4. Automotive: The automotive industry often utilizes branded video content to showcase the performance, features, and design of vehicles. Videos allow automotive brands to create an immersive experience, demonstrate the driving experience, and evoke the thrill and excitement associated with their products. Automotive videos often incorporate scenic drives, advanced technology demonstrations, and captivating visuals to engage car enthusiasts and potential buyers.

  5. Sports and Fitness: Branded video content plays a significant role in the sports and fitness industry. Brands in this sector leverage videos to inspire and motivate viewers, highlight athletic achievements, and demonstrate the benefits of their products or services. Sports apparel brands, fitness equipment manufacturers, and athletic shoe companies often create video content featuring athletes in action, showcasing the performance-enhancing qualities of their products.

  6. Non-profit and Cause-based Organizations: Branded video content is particularly effective for non-profit organizations and cause-based initiatives. Videos allow these organizations to tell impactful stories, raise awareness about social or environmental issues, and evoke emotions in viewers. Through compelling narratives and visuals, non-profits can engage viewers, encourage support or donations, and promote their causes effectively.

While these industries tend to benefit greatly from branded video storytelling, it's important to note that other industries can also leverage this approach successfully. The key is to understand the target audience, tailor the content to their preferences, and create videos that resonate with their emotions and aspirations.