Branded Content | Glossary

When Apple joined the crowded streaming market in 2019 with the launch of its Apple TV+ service, the company did very little traditional promotion. Instead, Apple relied on advertising for its first original program, The Morning Show, which featured subtle references to Apple TV+ and Apple products.

As audiences gained interest in the show, they organically researched Apple TV+ and how they could subscribe and watch. Hollywood Branded said Apple’s efforts took “branded content to a new level” by creating “its own marketing machine.”

Dove is well-known for several successful branded content campaigns, all of which harness the power of user-generated content on social media. In particular, Dove’s 2019 “Show Us” campaign encouraged women proud of their unique features to post photos with the hashtag #showus. Dove received an overwhelmingly positive response.

The campaign generated massive amounts of influencer content that spread goodwill for the brand. Dove compiled some of the most popular responses for YouTube videos and print advertising, none of which promoted a specific product.

The digital payments network Zelle received overwhelming negative publicity in early 2022 when the U.S. Federal Trade Commission reported it had received more than 2.8 million fraud complaints about the service in the prior year, with losses of more than $5.8 billion. Shortly after that, Zelle teamed up with the media company Vox for a series of articles, videos, and social media posts known as The Science Behind Scams.

This branded content campaign helped educate Zelle users on how and why fraud occurs — and how they can keep their money safe. No part of the campaign specifically promoted Zelle or its services, but it did help repair some of the damage to its brand, and it was well-received by audiences and watchdogs.

The sandal company Birkenstock countered long-held public opinion that their products could be ugly, thanks to an effective branded content partnership with The New York Times in 2022. A three-part documentary series called Ugly For a Reason explores the nature of human feet and how Birkenstocks are designed for foot health over style.

Capitalizing on the credibility of The Times, Birkenstock called the campaign a serious “journalistic investigation into the foot.” Audiences enjoyed the documentary series, along with related social media posts featuring informative infographics and testimony from doctors and scientists.

Branded content strives for brand recognition by connecting organically with audiences. Whereas traditional marketing and advertising tend to focus on specific products and driving sales, branded content uses storytelling in various media to foster goodwill for a particular brand. It’s perhaps most effective when two brands that share the same values collaborate on a project. When it’s successful, both parties benefit from the arrangement.

As the examples above show, you can use any format or medium to deliver branded content. Some of the earliest branded content success stories resemble Dove’s use of social media, and campaigns that generate user-created content on social media are still effective. However, branded content can take the form of YouTube videos, documentaries, series of articles or blog posts, or just about any other form of content.

Branded content is successful when it least resembles traditional advertising or marketing campaigns, so it’s important not to have a “salesy” tone. The best way to accomplish this is to approach the creation of branded content as an artistic product, one that the audience would enjoy regardless of who created it.

Branded content should never be product-focused or even brand-focused. Think instead of what the consumer would like to see and let them organically build a relationship with the brand.

Many past social media campaigns successfully used influencers to promote goodwill for a brand. These campaigns were often very subtle and appeared organic, even though the influencer was paid to promote the product.

However, Meta and other social media companies now enforce strict rules about paid promotion, which require social media personalities to disclose advertising partnerships. This may take away from the organic feel of a branded content campaign. You should always read the social media platform’s guidelines for sponsored content before planning such a campaign.