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BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
CONTENTS
FOREWORDINTRODUCTION
CASESTUDIES
Duck Tape ‘Race of Gentlemen’
Tenthwave
Carphone Warehouse ‘Smarter World’
Adjust Your Set
Chivas Regal ‘MASHTUN’
Somethin' Else
Terra ‘Penetras de Luxo’
Wanted Agency and ASAS da Imaginação
Unilever Dove ‘Real Beauty Sketches’
Ogilvy
Barclays ‘Your Bank’
Red Bee Media
Metro Trains Melbourne ‘Dumb Ways to Die’
McCann
Unilever Surf TOWIE ‘Summer D’Reem’
ITV
Volvo Trucks ‘The Epic Split’
Forsman & Bodenfors
Sony Xperia ‘Vs The Northern Lights’
DigitasLBi
PepsiCo Lyubimy ‘Natural Love’
Fuse Russia
Intel+Toshiba ‘The Beauty Inside’
Pereira & O’Dell
Unilever Hellmann’s ‘In Search of Real Food’
Ogilvy RESEARCHMARKETREPORTSTHEFUTURE
ABOUTTHEBOOK
10 Years of the BCMA
Alison Knight
Looking Forward to the
Next 10 Years
Andrew Canter
Stop Trying to Make Your Ads Go Viral:
Top Tips for Video Success
Unruly
Defining Branded Content for the Digital
Age: Phase One Findings
Ipsos MORI & Oxford Brookes
Russia
Anton Efimov
Brazil
Patrícia Weiss
Expert Predictions Report
Justin Kirby
Contributors
Producers
Feedback
Copyright 2014. This book may not be
reproduced in whole or in part without
the written permission of the publishers
(BCMA, DMC, New Media Works) and
the relevant copyright owner. Please
contact online@dmc.co.uk in the first
instance to request such permission. All
trademarks and registered trademarks
acknowledged. All rights reserved.
CLIENTVIEW
Eurostar
Nick Mercer
FOREWORD Back in the early 2000s, I worked with a
number of companies who were advising
brands to use different ways of
communicating with their audiences,
often substituting and in some instances
replacing more traditional advertising
routes.
It struck me that it seemed a good idea to
try to bring together these interested
parties and promote a new form of
communication based on bringing
consumers and brands together by
invitation, not interruption, in an
entertaining and engaging way through
branded content.
The number of interested parties wanting
a forum for discussion, sharing of ideas,
setting industry standards and
development of best practice steadily
increased and the Branded Content
Marketing Association or BCMA was
officially launched in October 2003.
The BCMA’s primary objective was to act
as a catalyst in breaking the existing
barriers between content providers,
advertisers, agencies and platforms. It
was formed to offer support, advice,
share ideas, to develop best practice,
share learning and to promote the
adoption of branded content as a
marketing medium by communicating its
strengths to the wider market.
Alison Knight
Founder,
BCMA
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Over the last 10 years, the BCMA has
established itself as the leading
organisation for branded content. We
have created a proprietary measurement
tool, contentmonitor, giving us valuable
insight into what makes branded content
effective. We have opened dedicated
BCMA chapters in the USA, Russia and
most recently South America and
Scandinavia.
We were delighted with the response to
our first ebook showcasing great
examples of branded content, which was
published in early 2013.
Due to its success – and with special
thanks to Tenthwave, Somethin’ Else,
Ipsos MORI, Adjust Your Set, DMC and
New Media Works for their help with
editing, production, distribution and
promotion – we have pleasure in
publishing this, our second ebook. We
envisage this being an annual publication
showcasing the very best of branded
content.
We also publish the ‘BCMA Weekly
Digest’ that brings together all branded
content news and stories from around the
world. Our Insight Series of events brings
together leading experts in the field of
branded content to share their views on
the current and future trends. And our
recently developed Leadership Series
showcases the latest developments
affecting the industry.
Contained within this ebook are all things
branded content, including the best
recent case studies, a report on emerging
markets, expert predictions on future
trends and an in-depth analysis of the
first phase of the Oxford Brooke’s
University and Ipsos MORI Academic
Study which sets out to develop a clearer
understanding of this key marketing
concept and define branded content in
the digital age.
We look forward to our next ten years
with great excitement and we hope you
are inspired to join us on this amazing
journey.
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INTRODUCTION
We generally look back to look forward
and predict the emerging trends, but the
explosion of social media and the rapid
development of technology has impacted
positively on branded content and given
us a glimpse of what the future may hold
for brands. 2013 was the year that
branded content marketing came of age.
The recent content revolution can be
traced back to a seminal moment in 2001
when BMW decided to take its US$30
million advertising budget and spend it
on producing five ‘mini’ feature films
working with luminary directors and
producers, such as Ang Lee, Guy Richie,
John Woo, Ridley and Tony Scott. The
star-studded line-up of actors included
Andrew Canter

CEO

BCMA
Looking Forward to the
Next 10 Years“2013 has been an incredibly
exciting year with some
amazing campaigns from
major brands. We’ve seen the
growth of social media and the
Internet as a real driver, and I
think that brands that adopt
strategies that embrace
branded content to its full
impact will maximise ROI.”
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Clive Owen, Madonna, Don Cheadle,
Mickey Rourke, Gary Oldman and Forest
Whitaker.
BMW Films’ ‘The Hire’ series season one
featured ‘Ambush’, ‘Chosen’, ‘The
Follow’, ‘Star’, and ‘Powder Keg’. The
brand followed this up with three more
films for season two: ‘Hostage’, ‘Ticker’,
and ‘Beat the Devil’.
Already ahead of the curve, BMW then
created BMW Audiobooks in 2006, which
were given to customers to play in their
new cars, but were not deemed to be a
great success. However, we often learn
more from things that don’t work than
from things that do, so BMW should be
congratulated for their vision and
foresight.
We can surmise that this influenced the
decision of the likes of Audi (2005) and
more recently Renault (2009) to launch
dedicated channels to showcase their
brands. We have also seen Jaguar
producing the 2013 film, ‘Desire’, starring
Damian Lewis. It was created in
collaboration with Ridley Scott
Associates (RSA) and features music
from Lana Del Rey.
The masters of branded content, Red
Bull have created some incredible
content over the past few years,
culminating in the Stratos project that
saw Felix Baumgartner freefall from
space. Who would have thought that a
brand would be bold and confident
enough to spend millions on achieving
this? Money well spent? It certainly gives
a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Red
Bull gives you wings”.
Mobile telecommunications brands have
been extremely active in the branded
content market in the last decade. We
have seen Orange create the music show
‘Playlist’ with Initial (Endemol), broadcast
on ITV in 2005. A year later T-Mobile
decided to follow suit and co-produced a
show with Channel 4 called
‘Transmission’, and Vodafone’s music
show TBA ran on E4 from 2006, produced
by Endemol.
Drinks brands have relied heavily on
branded content, with great examples
from Bacardi’s B-Live events in
partnership with Groove Armada. A
drinks brand as a record label? Also,
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established brands such as Johnnie
Walker have created a rich vein of
content based on the history of the
brand.
Other brands like Chivas Regal have
invested heavily in content creation with
two films based on real friendships
directed by multi-award-winning Joachim
Back: ‘Here’s to Big Bear’ and ‘Here’s to
Twinkle’.
We also witnessed a huge change in
attitude to content as brands such as
Heineken reportedly increased their
branded content marketing budget from
under 5% to 25% over the course of 18
months. This culminated in their highly
acclaimed 2011 ‘Open Your World’
campaign that was created to engage in
areas that were at the centre of their core
consumer’s life, i.e. music, football,
nightlife and social media. With this
campaign, they recognise the legend in
all of their drinkers, those who know their
way around and recognise a fine beer
when they taste one. In ‘The Entrance’,
the film’s hero demonstrates his
‘legendary-ness’ by making the ultimate
party entrance.
This was followed by their high-profile
involvement in the James Bond movie
‘Skyfall’, which caused a great stir among
Bond fans as beer replaced his Martini
and generated huge coverage for the
brand. It was a notable example of how
brand integration can be subtle but
effective, notwithstanding the £45 million
investment.
6
“We’ve evolved from, “If [consumers]
might skip my ads then I’m going to try
and hide my ads in the content they’re
already consuming” to “Wait a minute, I
actually have stories that I can shape
and share with my audience that are
worthy of their time.” That is really a
huge transfer of thought from a world of
branded content being a tactic, to a
world of strategic, story-based
marketing where all forms of
communication have to be put through
the filter of “What do I have to say that
adds value to people’s lives and
conversations?””
Scott Donaton,
Global Chief Content Officer,
UM
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Branded content has always been at the
heart of Luxury brands, with great
examples coming from: Dunhill’s ‘The
Voice’ campaign, featuring distinguished
gentlemen who have achieved great
things in their chosen fields; Prada with
‘The Therapy’, a short movie directed by
Roman Polanski, starring Helena Bonham
Carter and Ben Kingsley; LVMH; Chanel,
producing the 30-minute film ‘The Tail of
a Fairy’, created by Karl Lagerfeld and
featuring Vogue cover girl Freja Beha
Erichsen; and Cartier with their incredibly
moving ‘Painted Love’ campaign,
featuring original music by French band,
Air.
The soft drinks sector has been
dominated by Coca Cola who have fully
committed to branded content with their
‘Content 2020’ vision. They believe this
will leverage the opportunities in the new
media landscape and transform one-way
storytelling into dynamic storytelling that
hopes to add value and significance to
people’s lives. Their ‘Move to the Beat’
campaign in 2012 formed part of their
Olympic Games association and
achieved great results.
We have also seen them diversify into
sub brands, such as Coke Zero for which
‘A Step from Zero’ was created with
excellent results. The campaign
consisted of launching a global social
media audition to define the next global
dance move. After hundreds of original
dance move submissions poured in from
all parts of the world – igniting thousands
of social media conversations – one guy
stood out with a tale of possibility that
just had to be told. Not only did his dance
move – the ‘Toe Tappy’ – take off, but
also he got the whole world dancing to it.
And who can forget the Coca Cola Polar
Bears that featured during the Superbowl
in 2012? Another great example of
branded content from a truly visionary
brand.
In sport, Nike have been the most active
brand creating content around specific
events, such as their city-based ‘Run’
series – for example, aligning ‘Run
London’ to the recent ‘My Time Is Now’
campaign.
Then there are the charities that have
used branded content effectively. Of note
is ‘Movember’ that has helped to raise
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£276 million over the past 10 years with
577 funded projects for men’s health in
21 countries, focused upon prostrate and
testicular cancer as well as mental health
issues. There is also Cancer Research
UK’s ‘Tesco Race for Life’, the UK’s
biggest women-only fundraising event,
which incorporates a 5km run for the
charity. It has raised almost £500 million
over the past two decades.
There are many more great examples of
brands using content effectively, which
can be viewed on the BCMA’s YouTube
channel. There are also examples of
where branded content has not worked
as well as planned. It is often the latter
campaigns we learn most from, and we
must ensure that changes are
implemented for subsequent activity to
ensure the best possible outcome.
At our most recent BCMA event, BC:
2023, we asked our experts to look 10
years into the future and give us their
views on what brands would be doing to
engage with their customers.
Eric Schwamberger, Partner at
Tenthwave, said that brands will stop
"disrupting what people are interested in"
and try to "become what people are
interested in", shifting marketing value
from brand impressions and message
frequency to brand engagement and
experiences.
His other prediction was that, as the first
‘Social Generation’ grows up,
transparency and sharing will become
8
“I think one of the most interesting
things about marketing today is just
how much being a globally connected
society has changed things. As more
people enter the job market and [join]
organisations that understand the value
of relevant content and being a good
social brand, and that value
relationships over impressions – as
these people are put in charge of
budgets, we are going to see more
attention paid to branded content and
content marketing. This is going to be
essential for these people to succeed,
because many brands will be competing
to win the hearts and minds of their
consumers. The successful agencies in
the next five years are going to become
obsessed with delivering branded
experiences that can create real bonds
with their customers.”
Eric Schwamberger,
Partner,
Tenthwave
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part of a new global dynamic. The idea of
social media will move past a line item in
the marketing budget to an integrated
tactic of just about everything we do.
We have seen an unprecedented
increase in the level of branded content
over the past year, and, although the
process of producing great content has
improved, there is still much debate and
discussion about the best approach.
This was summed up in 2013 by Robin
Thornton of Shaman Marketing, who
said, “There is a significant amount of
confusion and controversy out there
around what content is, what it does and
how to use it.” This is backed up by
Cindy Gallop of IfWeRanTheWorld who
said, “Content is such a broad and fuzzy
term that it tends to make any discussion
of it broad and fuzzy as well.” These
quotes come from the literature review of
our current academic study, ‘Defining
Branded Content for the Digital Age’ –
see the Phase One results report here.
However, through the BCMA’s desire and
passion to drive forward creativity and
establish academic understanding,
champion best practice and share
learning, we truly believe that branded
content will continue to be an
increasingly important part of the
marketing mix.
This will maximise the return on
investment for those brands adopting a
strategy that fully embraces the power of
content.
9
“I don’t think brands are taking
enough risks in the content space.
[They are] looking at what they
bought from a mass media
perspective and trying to replicate
that in the realm of digital. I also
believe that the content produced by
brands is primarily passive and linear.
I don’t think it takes advantage of
advanced platforms like Xbox One. I
don’t think it has a high level of
consumer engagement. I don’t think
it is transmedia in the truest sense of
delivering different content
experiences, be they entertainment
or utility based. So I think there is
tremendous growth opportunity.”
Doug Scott,
President,
OgilvyEntertainment
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10
“The branded content segment is
developing and becoming more
popular among advertisers in Russia.
Top TV programmes of general
interest and top sport events are
already branded. Further growth will
follow the segmentation of content
delivery channels (Internet and digital
TV) and technologies that analyse
audience preferences. Audiences will
require more and more specific-
interest content that will be produced
in partnership with advertisers.”
Anton Efimov,
Managing Director,
Fuse Russia
“In the Age of Social Conversation, the period of interruption-based advertising is diminishing and is
being replaced by engagement-based advertising in most parts of the South American region.
In Brazil, 2013 has been the year of the video, due to the social visual culture evolution. Naturally,
marketers are planning to increase social video ad placements, leveraging the production investments of
original content to create their own experience and conversation territory with the consumer - without
causing an impact on the traditional, and still predominant, investment in TV. 
Because we are an emerging market, in many cases, the content created is still centred on the brand and
is media-oriented, demanding stronger planning and creativity to develop more entertaining, efficient,
involving, storied and relevant branded content initiatives within the consumer’s context to provoke
shareability and relationship.
The big challenge for the Brazilian market is in maturing and expanding branded content strategies by
permeating other forms of connection between the brand and the consumer. When storytelling gets
incorporated in the centre of the brand strategy, it will triumph as a powerful, ‘meaning-conveyor’
marketing tool.
More examples of compelling stories that manage to get the attention of a dispersive audience will be
seen, informing and delivering value while entertaining. Marketers are getting serious about creating
great stories that spread brand meaning and help to humanise the brands – exactly now, when the most
important universal currency is the conversation.”
Patrícia Weiss,
SVP Strategic Consultant for Branded Content, Branded Entertainment and Transmedia Storytelling,
ASAS da Imaginação
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Campaign : The Race of Gentlemen
Client : ShurTech Duck Tape
Agency : Tenthwave Digital
CASESTUDY
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12
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First run over an Autumn weekend in 2012, the Race of
Gentlemen is an invitation-only series of races in which hand-
built, modified pre-World War II cars and motorcycles roar along
a 1/8-mile sandy straight on the beach at Wildwood, New Jersey.
The Race was conceived by a group of hot-rod enthusiasts from
the Oilers Car Club, which was established in the 1940s. The
Race invokes the bygone era when people built cars to push
their skills and their love of speed, using parts pulled from other
cars or fabricated by hand in their backyards and home garages.
“My vision was for a race much like you would have seen in 1910
or ’20: people dressed up, with picnic baskets and good booze,
waiting to see a machine at its top speed pass before them on a
wide open beach,” said Mel Stultz of the Oilers Car Club and
founder of the Race of Gentlemen.
One of the spectators at the 2012 event was Brendan Kennedy –
now a Tenthwave Creative Director. Brendan went to Tenthwave
in summer 2013 and pitched the idea of partnering with a brand
to help raise the profile of the Race.
The agency loved the idea, but had just three weeks to find a
partner, conceive and produce a campaign that would be ready
to go live at the second annual Race in October 2013.
13
CHALLENGE
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When looking to engage a brand with a
cultural event, Tenthwave aims to satisfy
two important factors:
1. The event should be something that
people care about and are already talking
about, but there is an opportunity to
expand the conversation in some way.
2. The involvement of the brand must
be relevant and authentic to the event – a
brand can’t stomp all over an event and
take it over, they have to be genuine
participants with a right to be there, and
they have to participate in a way that’s
not only on-brand but also feels natural
to the consumers involved.
For their first challenge – finding a willing
and suitable brand partner – the agency
realised that a cult race series with a
niche target audience required the
support of a cult brand that’s relevant to
that niche and interested in building its
own profile within the same community.
One of Tenthwave’s clients, ShurTech’s
Duck Tape®, was an obvious and natural
fit.
Duck Tape was first used during World
War II, when US troops needed a strong,
flexible, durable, waterproof tape that
could seal canisters, secure cracked
windows, repair trucks and more. The
tape has been a staple in garages and
toolkits across America ever since.
Not surprisingly, drivers in the Race of
Gentlemen were already using Duck Tape
to build and patch up their cars, make
pre-race modifications and running
repairs – it was literally holding together
vital car parts.
14
SOLUTIO
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So both culturally and from a product
angle, Duck Tape was a perfect match for
the Race. The brand agreed to get
involved at short notice, trusting
Tenthwave to come up with a branded
content marketing idea that would
expand on Duck Tape’s existing goodwill
and authenticity among race-goers.
The agency had several other
considerations to take into account for
the conception and production of a
campaign.
First, they had to do something highly
effective for the Race and the brand with
a very short lead-time and without
spending a lot of money. In fact, there
was less than US$10,000 allocated for
media.
Hurricane Sandy had hit the beach the
year earlier, destroying some of the
historic beach huts and infrastructure. In
order to support the event, Tenthwave
would have to bring their own technical
communications equipment, such as
power and Internet connectivity, and get
Duck Tape involved from the ground up.
From a creative viewpoint, the energy
and passion of the historic motoring
event was matched by the amazing
natural beauty of the backdrop itself – the
beach with its sand and sea spray, the
crazy characters, the old jalopies and the
heritage buildings would all enable the
creation of great visual content.
15
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Tenthwave decided to create an
experiential, branded content marketing
pilot campaign, consisting of a mix of live
activities during the Race from 4-6
October 2013:
Live online broadcast
of races
Tenthwave created a campaign website
that included live streaming of race
footage from the beach, so that anyone
anywhere in the world could view the
races and the surrounding activity. Social
media, including Facebook, Instagram
and Twitter, was used to help drive traffic
to the live feed site before and during the
Race.
Live photographic
contest
Spectators were encouraged to take
photos during the Race weekend and
hashtag their photos with
#raceofgentlemen and #ducktape for a
chance to win US$500. Instagram was
the main social media platform for the
photos, however photos also appeared
on Duck Tape’s Facebook page where
the brand has more than 5.5 million fans.
The contest was promoted on the
campaign website via a live feed of the
Instagram shots, and it was promoted
live at the Race, where Duck Tape and
Tenthwave staff walked around chatting
with attendees and handing out cards
with directions on how to enter the
contest.
16
"This campaign worked
because it was cool and fun
and relevant for hotrod
enthusiasts. Whatever it is
that’s culturally relevant, we
want to bring that authenticity
and relevance to all the brands
we work with. This campaign is
just one excellent example of
facilitating the meeting of a
brand’s product with cultural
and social currency."
Drew Rayman,
Managing Partner,
Tenthwave
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Duck Tape giveaways
‘stand’
Duck Tape gave away free branded T-
shirts, rolls of Duck Tape and cards
promoting the photo competition from
the back of a suitably modified
stationwagon on the beach.
Archival video footage
A production crew filmed thousands of
hours of footage during the Race
weekend, with the aim to use this
collection of stories and social content in
future Duck Tape social and digital
marketing initiatives.
17
"What was so great about this
branded content campaign is
that it was just an off-the-cuff
idea from a guy in a garage:
“Hey this is going on, wouldn’t
it be cool if…” Duck Tape was
literally invited in to the event
and they took a chance that it
would generate some benefits
for them as well as for the Race
of Gentlemen. And boy did it!
It’s all about finding the right
idea and the right brand and
bringing them together."
Kate Daggett,
Executive Creative Director,
Tenthwave
"Duck Tape is the most versatile tool in my bag. I keep a roll
in every car I own and I use a ton of it when I'm prop-making
for the Race of Gentlemen"
Meldon Van Riper Stultz III, Oilers Car Club, and his 1939
Indian Chief
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18
Founded in 2010, Tenthwave is the
customer-obsessed digital, social
and mobile marketing agency.
Its passion is to inspire customers
through insight and understanding,
creating share-worthy social content
for brands that resonates with – and
between – people.
As a more personal, full-service
digital agency, its core service
offerings lie in strategy, research,
digital design, development, branded
content development, user
experience, social media
management, online media,
analytics, promotions and online
marketing.
Tenthwave has about 100 employees
globally, with offices in New York
City, Long Island, Chicago, Detroit,
San Francisco, Washington DC and
London.
See more of Tenthwave's work here.
RESULTS• c.30,000 people accessed the live
event online broadcast
• Online viewers from 60+ countries
• Average 15+ minutes spent on site
per visitor
• c.1 million pieces of branded
content consumed in a week
"My first truck, a 1969 Toyota Hi-lux, had a floor entirely
made of Duck Tape"
John Illenye and his 1928 German-built Triumph and
Hindenberg metal werks sidecar
"I've used Duck Tape to make a fan belt – and a
belt to hold up my pants!"
David Stein and his 1930 Ford Model A
Speedster
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The Duck Tape 'Race of Gentlemen' branded content marketing initiative matched
the right brand with a relevant, relatively unheard-of, cool cultural event. It was the
perfect opportunity to tell a story about Duck Tape in an authentic way – a story
that people could help create and share in real time from a live event via earned
media.
The brand was welcomed into the event, rather than having to buy its way in, and
all the Tenthwave and Duck Tape staff rolled up their sleeves to help build the
event infrastructure. This translated into a feel-good, morale-boosting story that
brought kudos to Duck Tape for its support of the event and the traumatised
Jersey Shore, and in turn helped the live, socially activated campaign to take off
under its own steam.
The Duck Tape partnership also raised the Race of Gentlemen’s profile, connecting
this niche subculture with other enthusiasts who create – and break! – things.
Looking at the impact of the individual Duck Tape campaign activities, the stand at
the Race was mobbed by race-goers and the free samples ran out within minutes,
tens of thousands of people from around the world tuned into the live event on the
campaign website, and over a million social impressions flooded the Internet over
a couple of days.
19
OUTCOMES
"Our goal with the Race of
Gentlemen is to give car buffs
some pure, event-driven
content that stirs passion and
makes them the marketing
engine. When a brand delivers
content so cool that people
want to share it with their
friends, there’s a credibility you
can’t buy."
David Rodgers,
Senior Digital Marketing Manager,
ShurTech Brands
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There were several
useful outcomes from
the photographic
contest:
When Duck Tape and Tenthwave staff
walked down the beach to hand out
cards about the contest, the reaction was
extremely positive and they were treated
as part of the family. Duck Tape wasn’t
borrowing the equity of the Race; it was
dedicated to helping build it – a
difference that was apparently obvious to
event attendees and social media
viewers alike.
As a result, Duck Tape saw its largest
spike in conversation across its social
media channels. Through its presence at
the Race and the inherent awareness this
created, the brand also appeared in
vastly more attendee photographs as an
integral part of the cars, motorbikes, and
general race experience.
The photographic contest also proved
vital to the live broadcast activity. When
there were breaks between races, the
footage from the beach wasn’t constantly
riveting. However, the accompanying
Instagram feed always featured shots
that captured breathtaking moments in
time and covered stories that were going
on all over the beach, such as performer
stunts that were pulled – a racer standing
on a motorbike, the passion and energy
of the event.
The archive film footage of the event is
being curated, along with all the fan
content, and it will be distributed
throughout the coming year.
Building on 2013’s campaign experience,
Duck Tape and Tenthwave are now
looking to scale up the reach and
amplification of the pilot project’s
success.
For 2014, Tenthwave plans to involve
additional strategically aligned brand
collaborators to augment the campaign
activities, create more rich content to
share, and use it to build a larger cultural
story for the Race of Gentlemen and its
associated partner brands.
20
"I X out my headlights and seal my floor with
Duck Tape when I'm racing"
TJ O'Grady and his 1931 Model A Ford
roadster pick-up
"We use Duck Tape on the seams between the hood
and grill and the hood and body to help cheat the wind"
Ken Schmidt and his 1932 Ford 3-window Coupe
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Campaign : Smarter World
Client : Carphone Warehouse
Agency : Adjust Your Set
CASESTUDY
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23
CHALLENGE
In 2012, Carphone Warehouse decided to return to its roots – a new ‘back-to-
basics’ approach, with a focus on becoming the specialist smartphone retailer.
With every network represented (7million+ purchase combinations), Carphone
Warehouse’s unique sales proposition is to offer more choice than any rival retailer,
and to be the only place for truly independent expert advice.
To fulfil this aspiration the brand needed to inspire people about what smartphones
can do: the mini-computer in the pocket that can make people laugh, cry, keep
close to loved ones, educate, provide the soundtrack to a commute, help run a new
business – even spark revolutions and regime change.
Video has an important role to play in this activity. Video consumption is becoming
increasingly critical in the consumer research and purchase journey – 39% of all
smartphone shoppers now use video at some point in their buying process.
Carphone Warehouse appointed Adjust
Your Set as its video agency following a
competitive pitch, then challenged the
agency to create a campaign with two
objectives:
1.	 Develop an ongoing programme
of entertaining and engaging video
content that inspires people about
smartphone possibilities.
2.	 Support the brand’s desire to
become the number one destination for
smartphone research and browsing.
The results benchmark for the
campaign was to generate 6 million
aggregated views and a 5% click-
through rate within a year.
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Adjust Your Set came up with the
‘Smarter World’ branded video campaign,
creating a content strategy split into
three phases; awareness, engagement
and interaction.
For the launch of the campaign, Adjust
Your Set produced an introductory film to
a ‘Smarter World’, unveiling ‘Cliff’ as a
humorous salesman in a Carphone
Warehouse store, fed up with customers
not using their phones to their full
potential. Cliff takes customers on a
journey through the ‘Smarter World’ lab
where dogs can communicate, a DJ can
spin tunes and you can work up a sweat
with a personal trainer, all from your
smartphone or tablet.
Adjust Your Set has now started creating
a series of six ‘Smarter World’
documentaries focussing on different
inspirational stories. The first looks at an
amateur photographer’s rise to fame
through smartphone photography. The
film crew took Dilshad Corleone to
Barcelona to shoot the city with its
stunning architecture and beauty, simply
via his smartphone and the variety of
apps now available to photographers.
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SOLUTIO
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The next documentary features the
achievements of blind runner Simon
Wheatcroft who is using his smartphone
to help him train for an ultra-marathon in
the desert.
The documentaries are complemented by
how-to content created by Carphone
Warehouse and Geek Squad,
showing viewers how they can use apps
to achieve similar style photos, videos
and challenges. The audience is then
encouraged to create and submit their
own photos and videos.
To host this content and enable it to be
shared with other people, Adjust Your Set
designed and built a dedicated video
player system that presents both the
professionally produced content and
user-generated content integrated across
multiple channels
(carphonewarehouse.com, YouTube,
Facebook) and devices (desktop, mobile
and tablet).
When people upload their own
smartphone content, as well as sharing
via social media the ways in which
smartphones have affected their lives
they get the chance to win smartphone-
related prizes. The winning entries are
then used to populate the ‘Smarter
World’ player to provide an immersive
visual experience to the user.
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Adjust Your Set™ is a full-service
digital content agency.
Their approach is to fuse content
strategy, creativity and technology to
enable brands to become always-on
publishers in a customer-centric
digital world.
As the most visible and powerful
content format available to brands
on digital and mobile channels, and
the fastest growing advertising
medium ever, video is the agency’s
focal point. Adjust Your Set have
been pioneers and distributors of
video in a multi-screen world since
2008.
Take a look at some more work from
Adjust Your Set.
RESULTSLaunched in 2013, the ‘Smarter
World’ campaign has achieved:
• 1 million+ aggregated views
within six weeks of launch,
backed by media spend
• 36,000+ page impressions
• 4,000+ user-generated
content uploads
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The 'Smarter World' branded video
campaign achieved its core aims.
The device that generated the most
engagement, not surprisingly, was the
smartphone. It drove 68% of the page
impressions, followed by the tablet at 55%
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OUTCOMES
"Our customers want to
connect with us in new and
smarter ways, and video is the
ideal content format to share
our brand stories with them. We
were really impressed by the
strategic thinking from Adjust
Your Set, and their expertise in
retail video-commerce. The
‘Smarter World’ branded
content marketing campaign
combines creative and
technical innovation to deliver
strong brand engagement."
Gareth Jones,
Head of Online Marketing,
Carphone Warehouse
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Campaign : MASHTUN
Client : Chivas Regal
Agency : Somethin’ Else
CASESTUDY
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Working with Havas, Somethin’ Else
took Chivas’ overall campaign
objectives and put their proven
design approach to work.
Somethin’ Else could have proposed
a perfectly suitable game where little
hosts barrel back and forth. However,
creating a game that actually makes
social gatherings go well was deemed
a far better plan: the game should be
a tool for hosts and should bring the
campaign to life.
Recognising that social gatherings
are affected by personal digital
technology, Somethin’ Else also
decided to embrace that technology
to turn the attention of party guests
towards each other. This called for a
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CHALLENGE
Chivas Regal is a sophisticated, modern brand of Scotch whisky –
with over two centuries of history. Their ‘Art of Hosting’ marketing
campaign is sharply focused: Chivas makes the modern social
gathering complete.
Chivas asked their marketing partner Havas Worldwide London to
include a smartphone app in the campaign. Havas challenged
content design and creation company Somethin’ Else to come up
with a game that showcased the ‘Art of Hosting’, which is all about
creating an environment, a novel experience, and facilitating a
good time.
SOLUTIO
MASHTUN
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social game that made players look at
each other rather than their devices.
Those two insights framed Somethin’
Else’s mission: to reinvent the parlour
game for the modern age; to make ‘real-
time social games’; and ultimately to
make you a better host.
The starting point for developing the
game was to look at the most successful
parlour games from history and capture
their essence. What made them popular
games? What was the central mechanic
that encouraged interaction?
The creative team tested them out (a lot)
and whittled the list down to around 20
games.
The next step was to test these ideas
against the central premise: the games
had to make smart, entertaining and
imaginative use of iPhone and iPad
hardware, such as the touch screen,
camera, gyroscope, accelerometer and
microphone.
A shortlist was then compiled and the
resulting games were prototyped and
tested to see if they fit the bill.
Scoring was an interesting challenge. The
aim was for scoring to be arbitrary,
something to be set by the party host to
demonstrate that s/he had the qualities
that Chivas was interested in fostering.
The results of several user testing
sessions with a target audience of
professional people aged 25-35 were fed
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into the whole development process to
create the final app: MASHTUN – a suite
of five parlour games for the modern
host:
• Mashact: Inspired by Charades, this
quick-fire acting game encourages wild
team acting under pressure, with the
words selected by the opposing team.
• Mashjam: Players ‘jam’ by playing
sections of a track in time.
• Mashtip: Players complete physical
challenges while keeping a tower of
blocks balanced.
• Mashrelay: A head-to-head relay
race powered by your voice!
• Mashseek: Hide and seek for the
modern age. One team hides their
device. The other team uses their device
to find it.
The MASHTUN app automatically
suggests the number of teams and the
number of players on each team, based
on the guests and smartphones or tablets
in the room.
Launched in April 2013, the free app was
made available on the iTunes app store
as part of the wider ‘Art of Hosting’
campaign, and promoted via YouTube,
Vimeo and Facebook.
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32
Somethin’ Else designs and creates
content that millions of people
watch, listen to and play with every
day on their computers, radios,
devices and televisions.
Awarded internationally at the
highest level – they are 2013’s BAFTA
Production Company of the Year, for
example – Somethin’ Else has an
interdisciplinary team of media and
technology experts who work with
brands, broadcasters and content
publishers across four areas: digital,
radio, talent, and TV and video.
Their knowledge of strategy and
their obsession with audiences and
users help them to achieve difficult
objectives by creating content
people love.
Take a look at Somethin’ Else’s
showreel.
"This collaboration with Havas
Worldwide London shows why
enlightened brands and
agencies are instrumental in
the future of content. Together
we've created a parlour game
like never before – truly social
and sophisticated, challenging
people’s perceptions of
technology and gaming."
Paul Bennun,
Chief Creative Officer,
Somethin’ Else
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The MASHTUN app has been nominated
for a number of awards (already winning
a bronze award in the Kinsale Sharks
International Creative Festival 2013 –
Digital category), and generated
significant interest from other FMCG
brands on how games can play a part in
their content marketing.
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OUTCOMES
"Chivas MASHTUN combines
elements that we know modern
gentlemen love: games,
gadgets and, above all, being a
great party host. Chivas has
always been about bringing
people together, celebrating
friendship and generosity. With
this new venture, we wanted to
change the rules of gaming
technology, which can be
insular, and make entertaining
at home sociable, entertaining
and memorable."
James Slack,
Global Brand Director,
Chivas
©OliviaArthur/MagnumPhotos
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Campaign : Penetras de Luxo
Client : Terra
Agency : 	Wanted
ASAS da Imaginação
CASESTUDY
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Wanted Agency and ASAS da
Imaginação decided to create
branded content that featured
Generation Y and could be viewed
digitally, making it possible to
generate spreadability.
They came up with ‘Penetras de
Luxo’ (VIP Party Crashers), a series of
online films that uses Planeta Terra as
a backdrop to tell the story of a group
of friends that gatecrashes the
festival’s VIP area.
To shoot the series, the festival was
turned into a set where the storyline
and characters were fictional but
settings and surroundings were real.
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CHALLENGE
Terra is a Brazilian ISP and media network that sponsors Planeta
Terra, one of the largest music festivals in Brazil.
The brand challenged Wanted Agency and ASAS da Imaginação to
come up with a marketing campaign that had two objectives:
extend the experience of the one-day Planeta Terra festival into
other territories; and connect with Generation Y to continue the
conversation about the festival long after the event ends.
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PENETRAS DE LUXO
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Live incidents that occurred throughout
the festival were used to develop the
story, grabbing the attention of the public
during and after the event.
Launched online and on digital TV after
the festival, six short episodes and one
short film presented the ‘Penetras de
Luxo’ characters and showed how they
gatecrashed the VIP area. Just like every
good work of fiction, a conflict was also
added: a mysterious situation occurs and
they all end up at the police station.
The idea of blending real life with fiction
was taken a step further with a celebrity
twist that started during the festival. One
of the characters was played by a
famous Brazilian actor and, in a PR stunt,
his character’s name reflected his real
name, Sergio. So when a fictional kiss
between him and another character was
shown on the big screens at the festival,
it generated tweets and impressions on
social media instantly.
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38
RESULTS
During the Planeta Terra festival weekend:
• c.65,000 festival attendees were exposed to
elements of the series
• The kiss scene received 600,000 social
media impressions
• The buzz became so intense that Sergio had
to publicly announce that the kiss was part of
‘Penetras de Luxo’, creating even more buzz
about the series
‘Penetras de Luxo’ subsequently became one of
the most watched national productions on
Terra’s digital TV platform, Sunday TV
Wanted Agency was founded in
Brazil in the age of participation, in
the midst of a culture of
convergence.
The Agency believes that fan culture
is the new reality in which
consumers participate in the
production of collective intelligence
about brands and products. In order
to succeed, the brand story needs to
connect with the broader
conversation and discussion of what
is happening in today's culture.
Wanted Agency specialises in
creating or developing brand culture.
It uses a proprietary methodology to
tell a consistent story throughout the
brand experience and initiatives,
connecting the brand to
contemporary culture and creating
tribes who actively participate in the
life of the brand.
Take a look at some more work from
Wanted Agency.
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The ‘Penetras de Luxo’ series of
branded content films became
such a hit for Terra that it has
now evolved into a sitcom with
a contract for an entire season
on web and cable TV.
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OUTCOMES
"The key to the success of this
branded content marketing
campaign was creating
intriguing narrative content that
seamlessly incorporated the
product (the festival) with the
audience, as well as blurring
the lines between fiction and
reality. This created an appetite
for people to discover more, to
put themselves in the shoes of
the characters and to talk to
each other about the story
unfolding before them."
Patrícia Weiss,
CSO, Wanted Agency; SVP Strategic
Consultant for Branded Content,
Branded Entertainment & Transmedia
Storytelling, ASAS da Imaginaçaõ
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Campaign : Real Beauty Sketches
Client : Unilever Dove
Agency : Ogilvy
CASESTUDY
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CHALLENGE
From 2005, Unilever's Dove brand of
personal care products has celebrated
women's natural beauty in its 'Real
Beauty' marketing campaigns.
Market research suggested that only 4%
of women describe themselves as
beautiful, so the Dove Real Beauty
campaign for 2013, created by Ogilvy
Brazil, was tasked with raising the self-
esteem of the other 96%. No short order!
Real Beauty Sketches
"Unilever asked us to
make women feel better
about themselves. We
wanted to move women,
to find an idea that could
actually prove to women
that they're wrong about
their self-image. Hats off
to Unilever – they didn't
approve a script, they
approved a social
experiment that could've
gone either way."
Anselmo Ramos,
Creative Director,
Ogilvy Brazil
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Ogilvy came up with the idea to run a
social experiment that turned on its head
the tendency of women to be critical of
their appearance. It involved women
being filmed going through a process of
self-discovery, seeing themselves
through their own eyes and those of
strangers.
For the experiment, FBI forensic artist Gil
Zamora sketches women he can't see on
different days – firstly based on their own
descriptions of themselves, then based
on a stranger's description, without Gil
ever knowing when the subject was the
same person. The resulting sketches are
then revealed to the subjects for
comparison, with the sketches from the
strangers' descriptions being the more
accurate and flattering. The women
reacted strongly to the sketches, some
with tears, as they realised that they were
doing themselves an injustice.
The campaign was presented on YouTube
as a branded, documentary-style film (in
six-minute and three-minute versions)
with the tagline 'Women: You Are More
Beautiful Than You Think'.
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SOLUTIO
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RESULTS• 170 million views on YouTube
• Most-watched online
branded content of 2013
• 3rd most-shared branded
video of 2013
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The Dove Real Beauty Sketches branded content marketing campaign
strongly reinforced Dove's ongoing Real Beauty strategy. It was
successful in tapping into women's emotions and making people think
again about how they judge their own appearance.
The film went viral very quickly (more than 15 million views within a
week of its launch) and inspired conversations, debate and articles in
media as diverse as Adweek, The Telegraph, Facebook, Bloomberg,
Mashable, New York Times, Forbes, Huffington Post, and Psychology
Today – as well as wider adoption of the concept, such as the 'Men:
You Are Less Beautiful Than You Think' spoof video.
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OUTCOMES
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Campaign : Your Bank
Client : Barclays
Agency : Red Bee Media
CASESTUDY
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Video content held the key to
answering those particular
challenges. Its power to move, amuse
and persuade people was used by
Red Bee to tell real stories about the
changes Barclays had made and is
still making now.
Working with Barclays, Red Bee
identified the stories with the most
tangible and demonstrable human
impact – the ones that would lend
themselves best to video. Wherever
possible, these stories were told from
the customers' perspective, not that
of the Bank. This was important for
two reasons. Firstly, it placed
customers and their needs at the
heart of the story, demonstrating
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CHALLENGE
After a period when high street banks haven’t been top of the
general public’s Christmas card list, Barclays wanted to
demonstrate a change of approach, one born of a very real desire
to regain the public’s trust and preference.
Barclays asked Red Bee Media to produce branded content for a
new marketing initiative called 'Your Bank'. This initiative invites
consumers to help influence changes to everyday banking. Your
Bank includes an online platform to gather and share ideas to
improve Barclays products, services and overall banking
experience.
The development of Your Bank presented as much of a challenge
as an opportunity. Namely, how do you make people stick around
voluntarily to explore a website dedicated to everyday banking
issues – not normally a high interest category? And how could
Barclays show that it was and is acting on the ideas suggested?
The branded content on the Your Bank website therefore needed
to both enthrall and inform.
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Your Bank
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Barclays' determination to put customers
first in all of its thinking. And secondly, it
made the stories more instantly relatable
to the audience.
Your Bank launched with a series of
these stories in the format of online films,
some showcasing initiatives that
Barclays had already implemented to
make everyday banking better as a result
of its customers’ feedback, others
demonstrating Barclays’ commitment to
listening to and understanding its
customers. The first batch of films
included:
• Blind stand-up comedian Chris
McCausland introducing Barclays’ new
audio cash machines for blind and
partially sighted people. Chris gives us
some insight of his previous difficulties
with talking machines.
• An animated story of how a
customer and a Barclays Personal
Banker created a new type of high
visibility debit card for visually impaired
customers.
• The experiences of Barney, a
Barclays Branch Manager, who spends
an uncomfortable day in an “age suit”
that simulates the physical restrictions
and difficulties of being elderly or infirm,
to research branch accessibility for older
customers.
• The story of Ken Bellringer, injured
in Afghanistan, now on placement with
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Barclays as part of its AFTER programme
for ex-military personnel.
• John Dennerly, a country park
manager in Scotland who is deaf,
introducing Barclays’ new sign video
service.
• The story of Sam, an older
customer empowered to get online
through a joint initiative between Age UK
and Barclays.
• And a series of films featuring
Barclays “Ideation” workshops with
customers to generate ideas for making
everyday banking better.
The online videos were placed within the
integrated Your Bank online platform
(customised and managed by Dare) and
on the Barclays YouTube channel. The
launch was supported by print, outdoor
and digital advertising driving consumers
to the Your Bank website.
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RESULTSWithin the first three months of launch:
•	 449,000 interactions
•	 283,000 video views
•	 26,900 poll votes•	 3,693 ideas submitted by consumers
"The Your Bank branded
video content is playing a
key role in persuading the
public that their ideas count
and that it's worthwhile to
submit them. The high level
of interaction and idea
submission is an indicative
measure of audience
engagement for Barclays,
which can only help them
improve customer service
for the future."
Michael Reeves,
Business Development Director,
Red Bee Media
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Thanks to Your Bank and its branded
video content, Barclays is now able to
have an ongoing conversation with
customers – learning from them, listening
to them and demonstrating the changes
it’s making for them.
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OUTCOMES
"The 'Your Bank'
platform and its content
represents a very public
commitment to listening
to our customers and
showing how we are
going to act on change,
big and small, which can
make their lives easier."
Sara Bennison,
Managing Director,
Marketing Communications,
Barclays UK Retail Bank
"Offset savings account to current accountwhen going overdrawn" - ellievin89
"Show the interest rate of all savings accounts
in online banking." - simonjones12345
"Enable Skype meetings with branch advisors."- Telegraph reader
"Create a Barclay's programme for schools to educate
children about money matters." - Mumsnetter
"Be able to withdraw different currencies from an ATM."
- Parliament Street, York branch customer
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Campaign : Dumb Ways to Die
Client : Metro Trains Melbourne
Agency : McCann
CASESTUDY
Images and data © Metro Trains Melbourne, Dumb Ways To Die™, all rights reserved.
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Two insights propelled McCann’s
solution for the campaign: that young
people hate being told what to do;
and that if you get hit by a train,
you’ve probably done something
pretty dumb.
So the campaign strategy focussed
on turning a message about rail
safety that nobody wants to listen to
into a piece of entertainment people
actively seek out and share, that tells
the truth about rail accidents.
McCann created ‘Dumb Ways to Die’,
a branded content marketing
campaign consisting of a three-
minute song and video featuring 21
cartoon characters dying in really
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CHALLENGE
Every year there are needless deaths or accidents around
trains in Melbourne, Australia. And while rail accidents are
tragic, they are in most cases completely avoidable. This is
particularly true for young adults.
Metro Trains Melbourne challenged McCann Melbourne with
three primary objectives for a new marketing campaign:
1.	 Reduce train-related accidents in key accident areas by
10% over 12 months
2.	 Generate a stated commitment to be safe around trains
(40,000 pledges)
3.	 Generate campaign awareness of 25% among the core
target audience of young adults
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dumb ways – three of them in train-
related accidents.
McCann launched the song in the usual
way on iTunes, YouTube, radio and more.
The agency used both traditional media
(radio, TV, cinema, posters, press) and
social media (Soundcloud, Tumblr,
Instagram and Facebook) to drive traffic
to the music video on YouTube.
To extend the reach of the campaign
through social media and PR, they also
created dedicated forms of shareable
content across multiple channels,
including a karaoke version of the song,
limited-edition posters of the characters,
the ‘Little Book of Dumb Ways to Die’ for
schools and the Dumb Ways to Die
smartphone game app.
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RESULTS74 million+ video views on YouTubeWorldwide #1 app downloaded over 35 million timesSong charted on iTunes in 28 countries; sold over
100,000 copies1 million+ pledges to be safe around trains on the
campaign websiteAU$60 million of earned media impressions
"We’ve got a campaign that’s
relied on content and with the
app we’re starting the move to
merchandising. I think the way
forward … is to steer away
from the advertising model
and create content and create
merchandising … We need to
keep creating shareable pieces
that people can seek out and
[that] have a worth beyond just
the marketing message."
John Mescall,
Executive Creative Director,
McCann Melbourne
From interview in AdAge
24/6/2103
Most awarded campaign ever in D&AD history.
Most awarded agency in the history of the
Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.
Most awarded agency in the history of the
Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity.
London International Awards Agency
of the Year 2013.
Most awarded campaign at the Webby
Awards 2013.
3rd ranked global agency at One Show 2013.Selected among TED’s top 10 Ads Worth Spreading
2013. (The only Australian advertisement ever to
have been so recognised.)
Clio Awards 2013 top ranked Australian Agency.
Second ranked Australian agency
at Adfest 2013.
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The ‘Dumb Ways To Die’ campaign became a global phenomenon and quickly
demonstrated a real impact on social behaviour. Far exceeding its objectives, it’s
one of Australia’s most successful public service campaigns.
As well as the results listed previously, there were hundreds of cover versions and
parodies viewed more than 20 million times themselves, campaign awareness
among the core target audience of 46% after only one month, and most importantly
a 10% reduction in near misses and accidents at level crossings and station
platforms over 12 months.
55
OUTCOMES
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Campaign : Summer D'Reem
Client : Unilever
Media Owner : ITV
CASESTUDY
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Today, functional differences between
detergents are minimal. Personality is
the extra dimension that powerfully
and intimately connects brands with
consumers.
This insight led to a fitting solution:
extending Surf's multi-platform
sponsorship of The Only Way is Essex
(TOWIE) – the show with some of the
biggest and most influential
personalities on TV. The
entertainment show’s reach and the
buzz it generates represented an
excellent opportunity for Surf to get
its key audience listening – and
buying.
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CHALLENGE
In 2012, Unilever’s Surf laundry
detergent found itself facing a
challenge. Washing detergent is a
low-interest category and Surf’s
competitors were aligning
themselves with the biggest event in
the calendar – the 2012 Olympics. A
big idea was needed for Surf to
resonate in customers’ minds.
SOLUTIO
Summer D’Reem
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To deepen and personify the TOWIE/Surf
relationship, Unilever extended its TOWIE
licence to launch a brand new Surf
fragrance called Summer D’Reem,
featuring cast favourite Joey Essex. The
launch included:
• TOWIE branding on Surf packs and
across in-store design
• Social media-driven discussion
from TOWIE’s fiercely loyal and active fan
base
• Joey Essex starring in unique viral
video content ‘Fresh Out of Essex’
• Additional Surf digital advertising to
support the launch
‘Fresh Out Of Essex’ was an online mini-
series of exclusive content that lived on
the official TOWIE website, devised to
feed fans’ constant demand for
everything TOWIE. Bumpers on ITV
mobile and ITV Player, plus roadblocks
on ITV.com consolidated this activity.
Unilever also knew that competitions
were key in engaging Surf’s target
audience, and who would say no to a
free, glamorous trip to ‘Marbs’ in Spain?
Certainly not TOWIE fans. 
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RESULTS
• £1 million+ gross retail sales value across the summer
• Talkability 51% (vs. 36% non-viewers)• Purchase intent 62% (vs. 51% non-viewers)• 1.3 million ‘Fresh Out of Essex’ video views across the year
• 61,501 visits to the Marbs competition entry page (297% vs. KPI)
• 19.9 million monthly total video requests and 18 million page
views online during the campaign
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'Summer D’Reem' was a very successful
branded content marketing campaign with a
massive influence on viewer response.
Surf’s TOWIE sponsorship awareness grew to
77% (22% above the norm) by the end of the
campaign. The campaign was viewed as
especially effective in terms of persuasion,
with 62% of viewers likely to say it made them
think differently about Surf and made them
more likely to consider that Surf’s image was
more positive.
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OUTCOMES
"Sponsoring TOWIE was a
great chance to build brand
awareness and demonstrate
we are a fun brand with a point
of difference. The new
fragrance launch, aligned with
TOWIE, further helped extend
the sponsorship into retail,
leading to great business
results that helped meet our
objectives."
Katy Holder,
Surf Brand Manager,
Unilever
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Campaign : Live Test Series: The Epic Split
Client : Volvo Trucks
Agency : Forsman & Bodenfors
CASESTUDY
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The solution to both the targeting and
budgeting challenges was to embrace
the new media landscape.
Forsman & Bodenfors’ idea adhered
to Volvo Trucks’ communications
strategy in which innovation plays a
key role. The agency devised an
online marketing campaign using
branded video content presented on
Volvo Trucks’ YouTube channel.
Called the ‘Live Test Series’, the
campaign consists of a group of
online films, each showcasing a
different new Volvo truck feature
being put through its paces in a live
test.
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CHALLENGE
The trucking industry is a traditional business-to-business
environment in which it’s quite a challenge to introduce a radically new
communication approach.
In addition, the target group of truck purchasers is scattered and
difficult to reach. There are many influencers around each buyer,
ranging from drivers, family and friends to trade press journalists.
Volvo Trucks and their Swedish independent agency partner Forsman
& Bodenfors knew that the most obvious way to reach their core
target group would be a ‘catch-all’ broadcast marketing approach. But
‘reaching’ doesn’t equate to ‘connecting’, plus there was no allowance
for the huge media budget needed to conduct a global advertising
campaign to launch their new truck models. SOLUTIO
Live Test Series: The Epic Split
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However, this was not going to be any
ordinary product review; the live
experiments had to test the chosen
features in informative, astonishing and
entertaining ways, designed to focus on
the trucks and catch the attention of the
widest possible target audience. The aim
of this creative strategy was to generate
viral hits and a subsequent wave of (free)
media publicity, effectively driving
positive word of mouth about the film
content that was relevant to both
trucking and non-trucking audiences.
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'Pyramids in the Wild'
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True to this strategy, the first five online
films include one in which two trucks
race towards a tunnel while a woman
walks across a wire between them and
another in which a truck takes part in a
bull run. The former film generated nine
million views.
The sixth film in the Live Test Series –
‘The Epic Split’ – is an even better
example of the power of this strategy,
with the added twist of a celebrity
participant whose existing fanbase
helped drive word of mouth.
The starting point for ‘The Epic Split’
came from talking to Volvo’s technicians
about the film’s chosen feature: Volvo
Dynamic Steering. This system combines
conventional hydraulic powered steering
with an electric motor fitted to the truck’s
steering gear. The electric motor receives
2,000 signals per second from the truck’s
sensors, allowing for more precise
steering and a more relaxed and
ergonomically designed experience for
truck drivers.
To demonstrate this stability and
precision, the creative team worked
closely with film director Andreas Nilsson
to come up with the idea of a spectacular
stunt: actor Jean-Claude Van Damme
slowly performs a split while standing on
the side mirrors between two Volvo FM
trucks – that are driving backwards at 15
miles/25 kms per hour as they move
apart!
Filmed in one astounding 76-second take
after three days’ practice at a Spanish
airfield, the film was designed to work on
two levels: most viewers are expected to
think “Wow, Jean-Claude Van Damme”,
but the core target audience is expected
to think “Wow, two trucks are able to be
driven in reverse like this”.
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RESULTS
Within the first three months of its launch in November 2013,
‘The Epic Split’ achieved:
• 70 million+ views (10 million within the first 48 hours)
• 8 million+ shares
• Most shared video in the world within week one
• Most watched automotive ad ever on YouTube
• 20,000+ editorials globally online, in print and on TV (inc.
general press and all major automotive and trucking press)
• 5 million+ shares
• #6 in YouTube’s Top Ten Trending 2013, a list that draws from
all YouTube content across all categories, including babies and
music videos that tend to generate the highest engagement
• Earned media value of €126 million
"The media landscape is
changing. We have different
media consumption habits
today than a couple of years
ago. That’s why, starting with
the Live Test Series, we’re
investing in this cost-efficient
way of reaching out to millions
of people via online branded
content marketing."
Anders Vilhelmsson,
PR Manager,
Volvo Trucks
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The Live Test Series has not used any traditional paid media – YouTube
is its only media channel. The relevance and power of the branded
content itself has kickstarted organic distribution, editorial coverage,
wider interactions and an upsurge in awareness of the Volvo Trucks
brand and product messages, both online and via the Volvo Trucks
global dealer network.
The Series has already won the Grand Prix award for Branded Content
& Entertainment at Eurobest 2013. And, in the ultimate evidence that
‘The Epic Split’ film has entered a wider cultural consciousness, it has
already inspired a raft of consumer-generated spoof versions, some of
which have racked up 50 million views themselves.
Volvo Trucks will continue to release more Live Test Series stunt films,
paving the way for future advertising and sales campaigns in local
markets.
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OUTCOMES
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Campaign : Vs the Northern Lights
Client : Sony
Agency : DigitasLBi
CASESTUDY
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DigitasLBi developed ‘Xperia Vs…’,
an online branded content
programme that aimed to extend the
target audience’s awareness of the
new Sony Xperia Z and to encourage
them to find out more about the
phone.
The initiative consists of a series of
online video films in which
ambassadors from the creative
industries put features of the new
phone to the test in interesting ways.
For ‘Xperia Vs the Northern Lights’,
the first group of chosen
ambassadors – members of the
bands OK Go and Pyyramids, and the
photographer Martien Mulder –
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CHALLENGE
Sony is a household name when it comes to consumer electronics,
however it’s a challenger brand in the relentlessly competitive
smartphone market.
In order to be among the top three brands people consider when
choosing a phone, it’s essential to spread the word online. This is
where people research ahead of purchase, and where brands earn the
right to be viewed as a credible option.
Supporting the introduction of the new Sony Xperia Z smartphone,
DigitasLBi was tasked with creating an initiative to keep building
product awareness post-launch – specifically online among the
curious-minded, technology-loving target audience.
The key challenge was to stand out from the existing plethora of online
branded content in a way that was true to Sony’s philosophy: inspiring
wonder and emotional response through technology. And all with
minimal paid media support.
SOLUTIO
Xperia Vs The Northern Lights
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travelled to northern Sweden to capture the
sights and sounds of the Northern Lights
(Aurora Borealis).
They used Sony Xperia Z smartphones and
tablets to capture their inspiration, and then
used the Xperia Z's one-touch connectivity
feature to bring their work together, resulting
in a four-minute track ‘From Under Other
Stars’.
DigitasLBi also created a series of in-depth,
making-of films demonstrating the process
and the technology involved.
Designed to appeal to the motivations of
consumers with an interest in what’s new
and exciting, along with a love of
technology and its possibilities, the full
series of films from the trip was hosted on
Sony Mobile's YouTube channel.
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'Making Of (From Under Other Stars)'
‘Damian Kulash and the sound of outer space'
'Pyyramids in the Wild'
'Photographer Martien Mulder on ice'
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RESULTS
Within a week of release:
• #1 most shared video on Facebook and Twitter in last 24 hours - UK
• #3 most viewed YouTube video in last 24 hours - UK
• #1 most popular YouTube video in 'Entertainment' - UK
• #1 most popular YouTube video in 'All Categories' - UK
Within seven months:
• 500,000+ unique views
• 1,000 new Sony YouTube channel subscribers
"The 'Xperia Vs' series is essentially
a product demonstration on
steroids. It's a chance for us to put
the device to the test in truly
surprising ways, and see if it
survives to tell the story.
Tech always forms the backbone to
these stories, and in this instance
we put the Xperia in the hands of
musicians and photographers and
sent them to the Arctic Circle. 
Their mission? To create a one-of-
a-kind audiovisual experience,
using only the features of the
phone, especially connectivity.
A soundtrack to the Northern
Lights was born. The result was a
stunning, shareable piece of
branded content and was
supported by an innovation tale
that spoke directly to our tech-
curious audience."
Simon Attwater,
Group Creative Director,
DigitasLBi
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With little paid media support, the Sony Xperia Vs
Northern Lights online videos spread the message of the
new smartphone to a vast new audience.
By understanding the audience, creating a strategy that
spoke to their interests, and developing branded content
that was new and innovative, DigitasLBi produced a
campaign that exceeded expectations.
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OUTCOMES
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Campaign : Natural Love
Client : PepsiCo Lyubimy
Agency : Fuse Russia
CASESTUDY
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Fuse Russia decided to bring ‘Natural
Love’ from real life to the TV screen.
The agency created a cross-media
marketing campaign that used social
media to invite people to tell their
real-life love stories by writing in to
campaign pages on two Russian
social networks (vk.com and ok.ru)
and on STS TV channel’s website.
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CHALLENGE
PepsiCo’s Lyubimy (meaning ‘beloved’) is one of the biggest fruit juice
brands in Russia. Its marketing activity focuses on the message
“beloved because it’s natural”, and stories about love lie at the heart
of every communication.
The most popular content among the brand’s target market – women
aged 25-45 with average income – are TV shows and series about love.
However, these portrayals of love are perceived by the audience to be
artificial, not real.
PepsiCo challenged its agency partner Fuse Russia to find a way to
link Lyubimy juice with unquestionably real, natural love stories.
SOLUTIO
Natural Love
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The 50 stories that received the most
‘likes’ online were turned into
professionally shot video clips. Edited
versions then appeared on STS, the
biggest family TV channel in Russia,
while the full versions were made
available to view online.
The people who submitted the best
three love stories – one happy couple
and two sad single people – won a
romantic trip to France.
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'Pyramids in the Wild'
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75
RESULTS
The campaign became the talk of Russia:
• 2,000+ story submissions• 4.6 million active users on the campaign web pages (twice
the previous biggest national Internet campaign)
• 6.5 million online views• 200,000+ ‘likes’
• 3-4 times above market average conversion indices for
online registration and subsequent actions
“Thanks to Natural Love and STS channel.”
“Thanks Lyubimy.”
“So cute!”
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The ‘Natural Love’ branded
content marketing campaign
provided cut-through of the
Lyubimy brand’s key message
to the target audience, and
converted online love into
consumer love: the number of
people who stated that their
most often bought juice brand is
Lyubimy rose by 20% during the
campaign period.
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OUTCOMEs
"We were challenged by
PepsiCo to find a new way to
cut through to the Lyubimy
core market on TV. We used
branded co-created content to
give millions of people the
ultimate real-life, natural love
stories they already craved."
Anton Efimov,
Managing Director,
Fuse Russia
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Campaign : The Beauty Inside
Client : Intel & Toshiba
Agency : Pereira & O'Dell
CASESTUDY
PLAY VIDEO
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Pereira & O'Dell realised that all
young people go through a journey of
self-discovery and use technology as
a key tool for this exploration and
expression.
The agency came up with the idea of
co-creating a film about the universal
search for self-knowledge and
acceptance, using contemporary
Hollywood stars (Topher Grace, Mary
Elizabeth Winstead and Matthew Gray
Gubler) and social media to involve as
many people in the target audience
as possible.
They devised a love story with the
intriguing premise that the main
character, Alex, wakes up every day
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CHALLENGE
Following the success of the 2011 thriller 'The
Inside Experience', award-winning agency
Pereira & O'Dell was asked to create a second
branded content film for Intel and Toshiba. This
film needed to feature the Toshiba Ultrabook
laptop and refresh the 'Intel Inside' branding,
introducing both Intel and Toshiba as
innovative technology brands to a new
generation of 18- to 34-year-old millennial
consumers. SOLUTIO
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as a different person on the outside but
the same person on the inside – and s/he
has fallen in love with someone who can
never see him/her as the same person.
Alex makes a daily video diary of this
experience on a Toshiba Ultrabook that
goes everywhere with the character as a
vital and natural accessory.
The 45-minute film included gaps for
consumer-generated content. Facebook
was then used to invite people to
audition to be an Alex by submitting their
own video diary, putting themselves in
Alex's shoes to share the experience.
From over 4,000 auditions on Facebook,
26 Alexes were cast in the film. They
included fans from all over the world,
including Japan, France, German, Italy,
Philippines, Canada and Spain. An
additional 50+ Alexes were featured on
the Facebook timeline.
The final film was divided into six weekly
episodes and presented on Facebook
and YouTube running over an eight-week
period.
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PLAY VIDEO
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RESULTS70 million views in eight weeks
26 million social interactions
97% YouTube approval rating66% and 40% brand perception lift for Intel and
Toshiba respectively among Facebook users
300% sales increase
"Branded content is becoming
an increasingly important
part of Intel and Toshiba's
strategy to reach out to a
younger audience. They can
see that people enjoy making
branded content part of their
lives – it draws people in
naturally with a deeper
message they can identify with
on an emotional level"
PJ Pereira,
Chief Creative Officer,
Pereira & O'Dell
"We are all Alex in one way or another, andhe is all of us" - Larissa B
"This is beautiful, poetic and powerful...."
- Pamela V
"I can’t wait for next Thursday!" - Leah M
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'The Beauty Inside' was the most-shared branded video during the campaign
period. It won an Emmy for Outstanding New Approach to A Daytime Series,
and three Grand Prix awards – including one for Branded Content – at Cannes
Lions 2013.
The campaign inspired hundreds of thousands of fans to give and request love
advice and discuss their own sense of identity, while celebrating the principle
that - with humans and computers alike - it's what's inside that matters most.
The campaign also started to create a relationship between the client brands
and the audience that will grow over time. In fact, Pereira & O'Dell has already
created the next social film instalment for Intel and Toshiba, a horror story
called 'The Power Inside'.
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OUTCOMES
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Campaign : In Search of Real Food
Client : Hellmann’s
Agency : OgilvyEntertainment
CLASSICCASESTUDY
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With the insight that people wanted to
say no to over-processed food yet
had time, cost and taste
considerations when it came to
making meals, Ogilvy devised a
pioneering marketing initiative called
‘In Search of Real Food’.
Part of the project involved traditional
print and TV advertising that used real
people to deliver Hellmann’s point of
view on food made from natural,
simple ingredients that are good for
you.
In tandem with this strand of the
campaign, Ogilvy created a
Hellmann’s-sponsored ‘In Search of
Real Food’ microsite hosted by media
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CHALLENGE
Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise was first made for
a mass market in 1913 and is now America’s
favourite mayonnaise.
Hellmann’s asked their agency partner Ogilvy
to develop a summer marketing initiative that
would explain the product’s ingredients and
range of uses in an attention-grabbing way,
and reinforce Hellmann’s positioning as the
epitome of simple, honest, real food.
SOLUTIO
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partner Yahoo! Food. This creative
platform was designed to drive consumer
conversations about real food, using
interactive branded content, co-created
content and a variety of fun community
features.
In order to draw people in to join the
conversation and keep them coming
back to the site, Ogilvy created a 12-
episode branded content web series
presenting celebrity chef Dave Lieberman
on a weekly road trip through America in
search of real people making real food –
from the proprietors of a Mexican food
cart in SoHo, New York creating a pulled
pork taco, to a bighearted lady’s regular
fundraising Friday Fish Fry in New
Orleans. Each episode was split into four
three- to four-minute chapters for easy
web consumption.
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"The challenge with branded
content is to maintain the
authenticity of the production
while maximising the potential
for the brand. This show
offered incredibly rich content,
allowing multiple channels for
consumer engagement. By
teaming with Rock Shrimp
Productions and Dave
Lieberman as our host, we had
a ready-made fan base that
was looking for the 'real food'
point-of-view that Hellmann's
as sponsor is all about."
Doug Scott,
President, OgilvyEntertainment
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Beyond watching the weekly video
content, ‘In Search of Real Food’ website
visitors could:
• continue the real food conversation
by reading Dave’s blog (including his
recipes) and posting comments.
• share their own ideas and recipes
on the Real Food group page.
• ask and/or answer questions using
a Yahoo! widget embedded in the site.
• look for real food restaurants in
their neighbourhood using a local dining
guide widget pre-programmed with real
food locations.
To promote the web series to consumers,
Ogilvy used web banners in which
excerpts of the show were embedded, TV
and print ads, and creative on Hellmann’s
jar tops. There was also coverage on US
TV news channels, inviting people to star
in the show by making their own ‘real
food’ cookery videos.
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"’In Search of Real Food’ was a
programming concept that
captured the fast changes
taking place within the food
industry – the emphasis on
local-grown and real foods – as
well as the changes within the
entertainment industry.
Finding new ways to reach
consumers using interactivity,
this show set a new standard
for consumer engagement."
Bobby Flay,
Celebrity chef; Executive Producer,
Rock Shrimp Productions
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RESULTSThe ‘In Search of Real Food’initiative tapped into culturalconversation and delivered:•	 1 million unique visitors tothe campaign website
•	 5,000 Real Foodcommunity members
"We've always been about
what's simple and real.
Whether it's the quality
ingredients in our jar or the
real experiences people have
with others when they share
food made with our
Mayonnaise. This effort
leveraged the technology
available to have a
conversation about that with
consumers, offering recipe
ideas and a point-of-view
about food that kept the brand
relevant to moms and built
affinity to new and younger
users"
Brian Orlando,
Senior Brand Manager,
Hellmann's
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This groundbreaking project teamed branded content with traditional
advertising, forged an innovative media partnership with Yahoo!, and
capitalised on celebrity connections for Hellmann’s.
Consumers shared and commented on the branded content via YouTube
and social media networks, and even created their own real food videos.
This activity resulted in the spread of the conversation about real food
(and Hellmann’s’ association with it) far beyond the original campaign site.
Ultimately, the integrated mix of traditional advertising and branded
content enabled Ogilvy to convey positive brand messages about
Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise, while provoking a dialogue with consumers
about real food.
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OUTCOMES
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“How do I make my ad go viral?”
Of all the questions, this is the one we’re
asked most often from brands and
agencies wanting to promote online
video content via social media – aka
social video marketing.
They care about going viral with good
reason (aside from ticking the viral video
campaign box on their CVs). The number
of video shares of branded content has
rocketed over the last eight years. In
By David Waterhouse
Global Head of Content and
PR at marketing technology
platform Unruly
RESEARCH
Stop trying to make your
ads go viral
Top tips for social video success
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2013, the top three ads attracted 11.6
million shares combined – almost 50
times more than the top three ads in 2006
(244,395 shares combined). There are
now more than 500,000 shares of
branded videos online every 24 hours.
But what makes people share video
content? And what steps can a brand
take to improve its chances of attracting
more shares?
For starters, there’s a lot more than to it
than featuring cute babies, talking dogs
and cats that looks like Shakespeare.
We worked extensively with
Dr. Karen Nelson-Field,
Senior Research Associate
at the Ehrenberg-Bass
Institute for Marketing
Science, on her latest
project. It consists of
original research from more than two
years of work, five different data sets
including Unruly’s own data, around 1000
videos and nine individual studies. The
research findings are presented in the
2013 book ‘Viral Marketing: The Science
of Sharing’, and they support the
development of simple formulae for
advertisers to follow when they want to
increase their social video marketing
success.
Here are Unruly’s top tips:
1. Stop Chasing Viral Success – Focus
on Social Video Success
It became possible in the early 2000s to
track views of online video clips
accurately using the video technology
itself. These were the days before social
media when the only distribution
channels were email and a handful of
specialist humour websites. Very early
brand-created viral video hits include
John West’s Grizzly Bear, Budweiser’s
Whassup and XBOX’s Champagne – an
ad that was banned on TV in the UK and
went on to win a Gold Lion at Cannes in
2002.
Slowly more advertisers started releasing
branded video content online in the
elusive search for consumer-driven,
exponentially increasing views. Further
boosted by the advent of social media
such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter,
this practice is now firmly part of
mainstream marketing.
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However, uploading a branded video that
you think is funny, without any paid
distribution, in the hope of it attracting
cartloads of earned (free) media, is the
strategic equivalent of shoving your hand
in a haystack and expecting to pull out a
needle.
Just as technology and social media
have evolved, so too has online video.
These days, the word “viral” is simply
unhelpful. It suggests something that is
random, untargeted and out of control.
Videos that go viral are the exception, not
the rule, and that’s why seeking viral
success is a terrible tactic to focus on for
your brand.
Instead, advertisers should focus on a
marketing strategy that’s predictable,
repeatable and measurable: social video.
Open your company wish list and replace
“make a viral video” with “create and
distribute highly shareable content,
repeatedly and at scale”.
What exactly is social video?
According to the Internet Advertising
Bureau, it’s “a non-interruptive, user-
initiated video format sold on a cost-per-
engagement basis”. In other words, it’s
the perfect union of online video and
social media – content plus conversation.
There’s no need to force people to sit
through a badly edited TV commercial for
toilet cleaner before they watch the thing
they really want to watch. As we’ve seen
with recent campaigns by Dove and
Volvo Trucks, the social video ad is the
star! People choose to watch it. Viewers
have total control of the viewing
experience, including the ability to
comment, share, re-post, pause and
replay. After all, everyone likes to be the
one holding the remote.
Social video is fundamentally changing
the rules of advertising. Long gone are
the Mad Men days when all an advertiser
needed to do was buy the airtime, create
the spot, blast it out to a captive
audience, and raise a glass of Scotch for
a job well done. Today consumers pick
and choose what they watch with a fickle
flick of their DVR remote.
So rather than releasing a video and
keeping your fingers crossed that it will
go viral, try focusing on optimising the
'shareability' of your video content and
distribution strategy.
2. Make it emotional
Marketers hoping to attract significant
earned media should think less about
creative appeal and more about
emotional appeal. Videos that elicit
strong emotions – positive or negative –
from an audience are twice as likely to be
shared as those that elicit a weak
emotional response.
‘Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing’
explains that professional video creators
may be aiming to create hilarious,
exhilarating and inspiring material,
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however the vast majority are falling
short. In fact, 70% of all commercial
videos provoke only “low-arousal”
emotional reactions.
3. Be positive
Video content that draws a strong,
positive emotional response is 30% more
likely to be shared than content that
elicits strong negative emotions.
Strong negative emotions, such as anger
or shock, can prompt viewers to share
your content, but you risk alienating your
consumers. Focussing on positive
emotions is a much safer bet. 
4. Feature personal triumphs
It’s a myth that featuring a cute cat will
make your video go viral. Such creative
devices are ineffective, unless your
content also elicits strong emotions from
its audience.
However, there are some underused
creative devices that are more likely to
attract large amounts of sharing. One is
personal triumph, as used for example in
P&G’s 'Best Job' from the 2012 Olympics.
5. Big up your brand
Using poorly branded advertising is like
throwing away your marketing budget.

According to Dr. Nelson-Field’s research,
there’s no relationship between how
much sharing across social media a
video achieves and the level of branding
it uses. Nor does overt branding reduce a
video’s emotional impact.
So when you consider that the average
social video has one third of the branding
of the average TV commercial, there’s a
huge opportunity for marketers to
promote their brands via social video
marketing.
6. Exhilaration can make a lasting
impression
Eliciting a strong, positive emotional
reaction will not only boost your content’s
shareability, but also help your audience
to remember you – often for years to
come.
Which positive emotion is most likely to
cut through the clutter and help viewers
recall your message?
At the individual emotion level,
exhilaration is the most successful,
followed by hilarity. However, exhilaration
is an emotion that has been largely
ignored as a creative hook by brands
over the years, as bemoaned by Dr.
Nelson-Field.
In 2013, that started to change. We saw
more examples of brands, such as
GoPro, Ford, Red Bull and Volvo Trucks,
embracing exhilaration and using it as the
main focus of their video campaigns.
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This highlights the importance of brands
making shareable content for a reason.
It’s not just about racking up a huge
number of views among potential
customers. It’s about being remembered,
favoured and bought in the process.
Throughout 2014, the trend of eliciting
top-performing emotional reactions in
social video content will only get stronger
as the world’s gaze falls upon Brazil for
the FIFA World Cup. When we trained
Unruly’s algorithmic tool to predict viral
success in the Brazilian market, we
discovered that exhilaration was the most
effective emotional trigger in the Latin
American country – more effective than
humour which is the most popular
emotional sharing trigger in the US and
UK.
7. Don’t under-invest in distribution and
over-invest in creativity
It’s all very well being the best violinist in
the world, but if you’re playing in your
bathroom, no one will hear you.
The same goes with creating video
content. Even if you have the most
shareable video in the world, if you start
with a small viewer base, the total shares
and views will typically be small. 
Investing in seeding your campaign
across a variety of platforms will make it
easier to deliver good sharing metrics
over a shorter period of time.
8. Quality reach is key
Reach is important, but it needs to be
quality reach in order to maintain and
increase your video views and shares. 
There’s no point in simply placing your
videos on your company’s Facebook or
Twitter profiles – you’re already preaching
to the converted. Besides, Facebook and
Twitter brand profiles are inefficient at
providing vast reach to consumers.
To build the market share of your brand,
reach out to light and medium buyers
outside of your own social media
channels.
Find out all about Unruly and their global
social video testing, distribution, sharing
and analytics services.
Watch this video of Dr. Karen Nelson-
Field discussing key findings from ‘Viral
Marketing: The Science of Sharing’.
92BACK TO CONTENTS
Overview
Little research has been conducted to
date in the area of branded content, in
spite of the rising use of this key
marketing concept, and the estimated US
$4bn value of the branded content
market.
As part of the Branded Content
Marketing Association’s (BCMA’s)
strategy to establish academic
understanding as well as champion best
practice and share learning, it has
commissioned a study entitled ‘Defining
Branded Content for the Digital Age’.
Conducted by Oxford Brookes University
and the BCMA’s global research partner
Ipsos MORI, this study has two main
purposes:
1. Identify and understand the
different conceptualisations people use
when talking about branded content
2. Develop a definition that helps to
clarify the concept for a broad range of
stakeholders and therefore supports the
progress of branded content marketing
practice
By Bjoern Asmussen,
Andrew Canter, Andrew
Butler and Dr. Nicolette
Michels
RESEARCH Towards the future of
branded content
‘Defining Branded Content for the Digital Age’,
Findings of the Research Project, Phase One
BACK TO CONTENTS
The first phase of the study – a literature
review of practitioner and academic
publications – has resulted in the
development of a new definition of
branded content and the uncovering of
emerging themes that will help
organisations to harness the power of
branded content. These initial findings
are presented in this chapter.
Why does branded
content matter?
Organisations creating branded content
is nothing new, however the
advancement of technology, particularly
the evolution of social media, has made
the process of content creation and
dissemination much easier – even for
end-consumers.
Likewise, the consumption of branded
content has changed dramatically and
continues to do so. Today, consumers
have an unprecedented freedom of
choice when it comes to what they want
to read, watch, or listen to.
The best way for an organisation to get
through to its target audience and receive
positive attention in this challenging
environment is therefore by creating great
content. How? The study revealed four
key strategies that organisations use to
produce successful branded content: the
content is either entertaining, informative,
educational, or something that serves a
function (e.g. the branded content could
be an app that the target audience can
94
RESEARCHTEAM
Bjoern Asmussen,
Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Oxford Brookes
University Business School
Bjoern leads the Branded Content Research
Team at Oxford Brookes University, which
includes Andrew Butler and Dr. Nicolette
Michels.
Sarah Gale,
Senior Director, Ipsos MORI, Media, Content
and Technology Division
“We’re delighted with the first phase of the
results. One of the other elements of the
study is that we’ve developed a new
methodology for brands to plan effectively
for branded content, using it as a core part
of their marketing strategy.”
Andrew Canter,
CEO, BCMA
“Content, in all
its shapes and
forms, is core
to everything
we do as
marketers.”
Econsultancy, 2013
PLAY AUDIO
BACK TO CONTENTS
download to make their life easier). The
research also showed that these content
strategies can be combined.
The initial findings of the study indicate
so far that organisations are using
branded content mainly to meet two
objectives: to create a positive brand
meaning or image, and to engage with
certain stakeholders. So it’s not
predominantly about a quick win with a
campaign or promotion – it’s more about
developing deeper engagement and
long-term relationships.
The BCMA and Ipsos MORI have noticed
an increasing emphasis on the use of
branded content among marketers, with
many major organisations integrating it
now as a core element in their marketing
strategies. This observation is supported
by a survey conducted by Econsultancy
in which 39% of digital marketing
professionals nominated content
marketing as one of their top priorities in
2013.
We now live in a world in which virtually
every digitally literate individual can
become a branded content creator and
distributor on an unprecedented scale,
and this is a considerable paradigm shift,
not only for marketers and their
organisations but also for media
companies.
95
“The future of the marketing
department is half marketing
and half publishing.” Joe Palazzo,
Founder, Content Marketing Institute, 2012
BACK TO CONTENTS
How are people talking
about and using
branded content?
96
“The concept of
branded content
is fundamentally
flawed.” David Martin, Forbes, 2011
“The term
‘content’ seems a
bit of a broad
stroke owing to its
multi-dimensional
nature.”
Amar Trivedi, Social Media Strategist, 2012
“There is a significant amount of
confusion and controversy out
there around what content is,
what it does and how to use it.”
Robin Thornton, Shaman Marketing, 2013
“‘Content’ is such a broad and
fuzzy term that it tends to make
any discussion of it broad and
fuzzy as well.”
Cindy Gallop, If We Ran The World, 2013
BACK TO CONTENTS
Branded content comes in numerous
different forms, such as native
advertising, branded entertainment,
advertiser funded programming, viral
videos, and many more. It is therefore no
surprise that the term ‘branded content’
means different things to different
people, leading to misunderstandings
and confusion.
The first phase of the study has
concluded so far that people talk about
branded content in five different ways.
These are categorised as:
1) The Traditional Trademark Owner
(TMO) Perspective
This perspective was originally
developed in the pre-digital age when
branded content was usually controlled
by the trademark owner of the brand,
who financed the production of the
content.
Since it was the pre-digital age, the
content was most likely to be
communicated via traditional media
channels, such as TV, radio and print. For
example, in the 1950s and 1960s,
companies such as Procter & Gamble not
only sponsored soap operas, but also
paid for the entire production of TV
shows, aiming to create some positive
brand associations in the target
audience’s mind.
This perspective, where the trademark
owner of the brand is in control of the
created content, is still used nowadays.
Some organisations produce and
distribute branded content without the
help of sophisticated digital media
technologies. For example, in 2013
McDonald’s produced millions of books
in the UK to replace the toys that
accompanied its Happy Meals for
children. In terms of volume, McDonald’s
has subsequently become one of the
UK’s leading book publishers and
distributors, while the branded content
activity aims to add educational values to
its brand image.
2) The Digital TMO Perspective
This second perspective refers to
branded content initiated by the
trademark owner of the brand and
distributed on digital channels. The
trademark owning organisation behind
the brand is initially in control of the
digital channel and the content they
choose to publish or broadcast, however
it is not in control of what happens to the
content after release – for example, the
amount of views online, or viewer
comments that are made about a
branded content video and published on
the YouTube website.
97BACK TO CONTENTS
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)
BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)

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BOBCM: Best of Branded Content Marketing Volume II (10th Anniversary Edition)

  • 2. CONTENTS FOREWORDINTRODUCTION CASESTUDIES Duck Tape ‘Race of Gentlemen’ Tenthwave Carphone Warehouse ‘Smarter World’ Adjust Your Set Chivas Regal ‘MASHTUN’ Somethin' Else Terra ‘Penetras de Luxo’ Wanted Agency and ASAS da Imaginação Unilever Dove ‘Real Beauty Sketches’ Ogilvy Barclays ‘Your Bank’ Red Bee Media Metro Trains Melbourne ‘Dumb Ways to Die’ McCann Unilever Surf TOWIE ‘Summer D’Reem’ ITV Volvo Trucks ‘The Epic Split’ Forsman & Bodenfors Sony Xperia ‘Vs The Northern Lights’ DigitasLBi PepsiCo Lyubimy ‘Natural Love’ Fuse Russia Intel+Toshiba ‘The Beauty Inside’ Pereira & O’Dell Unilever Hellmann’s ‘In Search of Real Food’ Ogilvy RESEARCHMARKETREPORTSTHEFUTURE ABOUTTHEBOOK 10 Years of the BCMA Alison Knight Looking Forward to the Next 10 Years Andrew Canter Stop Trying to Make Your Ads Go Viral: Top Tips for Video Success Unruly Defining Branded Content for the Digital Age: Phase One Findings Ipsos MORI & Oxford Brookes Russia Anton Efimov Brazil Patrícia Weiss Expert Predictions Report Justin Kirby Contributors Producers Feedback Copyright 2014. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers (BCMA, DMC, New Media Works) and the relevant copyright owner. Please contact online@dmc.co.uk in the first instance to request such permission. All trademarks and registered trademarks acknowledged. All rights reserved. CLIENTVIEW Eurostar Nick Mercer
  • 3. FOREWORD Back in the early 2000s, I worked with a number of companies who were advising brands to use different ways of communicating with their audiences, often substituting and in some instances replacing more traditional advertising routes. It struck me that it seemed a good idea to try to bring together these interested parties and promote a new form of communication based on bringing consumers and brands together by invitation, not interruption, in an entertaining and engaging way through branded content. The number of interested parties wanting a forum for discussion, sharing of ideas, setting industry standards and development of best practice steadily increased and the Branded Content Marketing Association or BCMA was officially launched in October 2003. The BCMA’s primary objective was to act as a catalyst in breaking the existing barriers between content providers, advertisers, agencies and platforms. It was formed to offer support, advice, share ideas, to develop best practice, share learning and to promote the adoption of branded content as a marketing medium by communicating its strengths to the wider market. Alison Knight Founder, BCMA BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 4. Over the last 10 years, the BCMA has established itself as the leading organisation for branded content. We have created a proprietary measurement tool, contentmonitor, giving us valuable insight into what makes branded content effective. We have opened dedicated BCMA chapters in the USA, Russia and most recently South America and Scandinavia. We were delighted with the response to our first ebook showcasing great examples of branded content, which was published in early 2013. Due to its success – and with special thanks to Tenthwave, Somethin’ Else, Ipsos MORI, Adjust Your Set, DMC and New Media Works for their help with editing, production, distribution and promotion – we have pleasure in publishing this, our second ebook. We envisage this being an annual publication showcasing the very best of branded content. We also publish the ‘BCMA Weekly Digest’ that brings together all branded content news and stories from around the world. Our Insight Series of events brings together leading experts in the field of branded content to share their views on the current and future trends. And our recently developed Leadership Series showcases the latest developments affecting the industry. Contained within this ebook are all things branded content, including the best recent case studies, a report on emerging markets, expert predictions on future trends and an in-depth analysis of the first phase of the Oxford Brooke’s University and Ipsos MORI Academic Study which sets out to develop a clearer understanding of this key marketing concept and define branded content in the digital age. We look forward to our next ten years with great excitement and we hope you are inspired to join us on this amazing journey. 3BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 5. INTRODUCTION We generally look back to look forward and predict the emerging trends, but the explosion of social media and the rapid development of technology has impacted positively on branded content and given us a glimpse of what the future may hold for brands. 2013 was the year that branded content marketing came of age. The recent content revolution can be traced back to a seminal moment in 2001 when BMW decided to take its US$30 million advertising budget and spend it on producing five ‘mini’ feature films working with luminary directors and producers, such as Ang Lee, Guy Richie, John Woo, Ridley and Tony Scott. The star-studded line-up of actors included Andrew Canter
 CEO
 BCMA Looking Forward to the Next 10 Years“2013 has been an incredibly exciting year with some amazing campaigns from major brands. We’ve seen the growth of social media and the Internet as a real driver, and I think that brands that adopt strategies that embrace branded content to its full impact will maximise ROI.” PLAY AUDIO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 6. Clive Owen, Madonna, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Gary Oldman and Forest Whitaker. BMW Films’ ‘The Hire’ series season one featured ‘Ambush’, ‘Chosen’, ‘The Follow’, ‘Star’, and ‘Powder Keg’. The brand followed this up with three more films for season two: ‘Hostage’, ‘Ticker’, and ‘Beat the Devil’. Already ahead of the curve, BMW then created BMW Audiobooks in 2006, which were given to customers to play in their new cars, but were not deemed to be a great success. However, we often learn more from things that don’t work than from things that do, so BMW should be congratulated for their vision and foresight. We can surmise that this influenced the decision of the likes of Audi (2005) and more recently Renault (2009) to launch dedicated channels to showcase their brands. We have also seen Jaguar producing the 2013 film, ‘Desire’, starring Damian Lewis. It was created in collaboration with Ridley Scott Associates (RSA) and features music from Lana Del Rey. The masters of branded content, Red Bull have created some incredible content over the past few years, culminating in the Stratos project that saw Felix Baumgartner freefall from space. Who would have thought that a brand would be bold and confident enough to spend millions on achieving this? Money well spent? It certainly gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Red Bull gives you wings”. Mobile telecommunications brands have been extremely active in the branded content market in the last decade. We have seen Orange create the music show ‘Playlist’ with Initial (Endemol), broadcast on ITV in 2005. A year later T-Mobile decided to follow suit and co-produced a show with Channel 4 called ‘Transmission’, and Vodafone’s music show TBA ran on E4 from 2006, produced by Endemol. Drinks brands have relied heavily on branded content, with great examples from Bacardi’s B-Live events in partnership with Groove Armada. A drinks brand as a record label? Also, 5BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 7. established brands such as Johnnie Walker have created a rich vein of content based on the history of the brand. Other brands like Chivas Regal have invested heavily in content creation with two films based on real friendships directed by multi-award-winning Joachim Back: ‘Here’s to Big Bear’ and ‘Here’s to Twinkle’. We also witnessed a huge change in attitude to content as brands such as Heineken reportedly increased their branded content marketing budget from under 5% to 25% over the course of 18 months. This culminated in their highly acclaimed 2011 ‘Open Your World’ campaign that was created to engage in areas that were at the centre of their core consumer’s life, i.e. music, football, nightlife and social media. With this campaign, they recognise the legend in all of their drinkers, those who know their way around and recognise a fine beer when they taste one. In ‘The Entrance’, the film’s hero demonstrates his ‘legendary-ness’ by making the ultimate party entrance. This was followed by their high-profile involvement in the James Bond movie ‘Skyfall’, which caused a great stir among Bond fans as beer replaced his Martini and generated huge coverage for the brand. It was a notable example of how brand integration can be subtle but effective, notwithstanding the £45 million investment. 6 “We’ve evolved from, “If [consumers] might skip my ads then I’m going to try and hide my ads in the content they’re already consuming” to “Wait a minute, I actually have stories that I can shape and share with my audience that are worthy of their time.” That is really a huge transfer of thought from a world of branded content being a tactic, to a world of strategic, story-based marketing where all forms of communication have to be put through the filter of “What do I have to say that adds value to people’s lives and conversations?”” Scott Donaton, Global Chief Content Officer, UM PLAY AUDIO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 8. Branded content has always been at the heart of Luxury brands, with great examples coming from: Dunhill’s ‘The Voice’ campaign, featuring distinguished gentlemen who have achieved great things in their chosen fields; Prada with ‘The Therapy’, a short movie directed by Roman Polanski, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Ben Kingsley; LVMH; Chanel, producing the 30-minute film ‘The Tail of a Fairy’, created by Karl Lagerfeld and featuring Vogue cover girl Freja Beha Erichsen; and Cartier with their incredibly moving ‘Painted Love’ campaign, featuring original music by French band, Air. The soft drinks sector has been dominated by Coca Cola who have fully committed to branded content with their ‘Content 2020’ vision. They believe this will leverage the opportunities in the new media landscape and transform one-way storytelling into dynamic storytelling that hopes to add value and significance to people’s lives. Their ‘Move to the Beat’ campaign in 2012 formed part of their Olympic Games association and achieved great results. We have also seen them diversify into sub brands, such as Coke Zero for which ‘A Step from Zero’ was created with excellent results. The campaign consisted of launching a global social media audition to define the next global dance move. After hundreds of original dance move submissions poured in from all parts of the world – igniting thousands of social media conversations – one guy stood out with a tale of possibility that just had to be told. Not only did his dance move – the ‘Toe Tappy’ – take off, but also he got the whole world dancing to it. And who can forget the Coca Cola Polar Bears that featured during the Superbowl in 2012? Another great example of branded content from a truly visionary brand. In sport, Nike have been the most active brand creating content around specific events, such as their city-based ‘Run’ series – for example, aligning ‘Run London’ to the recent ‘My Time Is Now’ campaign. Then there are the charities that have used branded content effectively. Of note is ‘Movember’ that has helped to raise 7BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 9. £276 million over the past 10 years with 577 funded projects for men’s health in 21 countries, focused upon prostrate and testicular cancer as well as mental health issues. There is also Cancer Research UK’s ‘Tesco Race for Life’, the UK’s biggest women-only fundraising event, which incorporates a 5km run for the charity. It has raised almost £500 million over the past two decades. There are many more great examples of brands using content effectively, which can be viewed on the BCMA’s YouTube channel. There are also examples of where branded content has not worked as well as planned. It is often the latter campaigns we learn most from, and we must ensure that changes are implemented for subsequent activity to ensure the best possible outcome. At our most recent BCMA event, BC: 2023, we asked our experts to look 10 years into the future and give us their views on what brands would be doing to engage with their customers. Eric Schwamberger, Partner at Tenthwave, said that brands will stop "disrupting what people are interested in" and try to "become what people are interested in", shifting marketing value from brand impressions and message frequency to brand engagement and experiences. His other prediction was that, as the first ‘Social Generation’ grows up, transparency and sharing will become 8 “I think one of the most interesting things about marketing today is just how much being a globally connected society has changed things. As more people enter the job market and [join] organisations that understand the value of relevant content and being a good social brand, and that value relationships over impressions – as these people are put in charge of budgets, we are going to see more attention paid to branded content and content marketing. This is going to be essential for these people to succeed, because many brands will be competing to win the hearts and minds of their consumers. The successful agencies in the next five years are going to become obsessed with delivering branded experiences that can create real bonds with their customers.” Eric Schwamberger, Partner, Tenthwave PLAY AUDIO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 10. part of a new global dynamic. The idea of social media will move past a line item in the marketing budget to an integrated tactic of just about everything we do. We have seen an unprecedented increase in the level of branded content over the past year, and, although the process of producing great content has improved, there is still much debate and discussion about the best approach. This was summed up in 2013 by Robin Thornton of Shaman Marketing, who said, “There is a significant amount of confusion and controversy out there around what content is, what it does and how to use it.” This is backed up by Cindy Gallop of IfWeRanTheWorld who said, “Content is such a broad and fuzzy term that it tends to make any discussion of it broad and fuzzy as well.” These quotes come from the literature review of our current academic study, ‘Defining Branded Content for the Digital Age’ – see the Phase One results report here. However, through the BCMA’s desire and passion to drive forward creativity and establish academic understanding, champion best practice and share learning, we truly believe that branded content will continue to be an increasingly important part of the marketing mix. This will maximise the return on investment for those brands adopting a strategy that fully embraces the power of content. 9 “I don’t think brands are taking enough risks in the content space. [They are] looking at what they bought from a mass media perspective and trying to replicate that in the realm of digital. I also believe that the content produced by brands is primarily passive and linear. I don’t think it takes advantage of advanced platforms like Xbox One. I don’t think it has a high level of consumer engagement. I don’t think it is transmedia in the truest sense of delivering different content experiences, be they entertainment or utility based. So I think there is tremendous growth opportunity.” Doug Scott, President, OgilvyEntertainment PLAY AUDIO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 11. 10 “The branded content segment is developing and becoming more popular among advertisers in Russia. Top TV programmes of general interest and top sport events are already branded. Further growth will follow the segmentation of content delivery channels (Internet and digital TV) and technologies that analyse audience preferences. Audiences will require more and more specific- interest content that will be produced in partnership with advertisers.” Anton Efimov, Managing Director, Fuse Russia “In the Age of Social Conversation, the period of interruption-based advertising is diminishing and is being replaced by engagement-based advertising in most parts of the South American region. In Brazil, 2013 has been the year of the video, due to the social visual culture evolution. Naturally, marketers are planning to increase social video ad placements, leveraging the production investments of original content to create their own experience and conversation territory with the consumer - without causing an impact on the traditional, and still predominant, investment in TV.  Because we are an emerging market, in many cases, the content created is still centred on the brand and is media-oriented, demanding stronger planning and creativity to develop more entertaining, efficient, involving, storied and relevant branded content initiatives within the consumer’s context to provoke shareability and relationship. The big challenge for the Brazilian market is in maturing and expanding branded content strategies by permeating other forms of connection between the brand and the consumer. When storytelling gets incorporated in the centre of the brand strategy, it will triumph as a powerful, ‘meaning-conveyor’ marketing tool. More examples of compelling stories that manage to get the attention of a dispersive audience will be seen, informing and delivering value while entertaining. Marketers are getting serious about creating great stories that spread brand meaning and help to humanise the brands – exactly now, when the most important universal currency is the conversation.” Patrícia Weiss, SVP Strategic Consultant for Branded Content, Branded Entertainment and Transmedia Storytelling, ASAS da Imaginação BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 12. Campaign : The Race of Gentlemen Client : ShurTech Duck Tape Agency : Tenthwave Digital CASESTUDY BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 14. First run over an Autumn weekend in 2012, the Race of Gentlemen is an invitation-only series of races in which hand- built, modified pre-World War II cars and motorcycles roar along a 1/8-mile sandy straight on the beach at Wildwood, New Jersey. The Race was conceived by a group of hot-rod enthusiasts from the Oilers Car Club, which was established in the 1940s. The Race invokes the bygone era when people built cars to push their skills and their love of speed, using parts pulled from other cars or fabricated by hand in their backyards and home garages. “My vision was for a race much like you would have seen in 1910 or ’20: people dressed up, with picnic baskets and good booze, waiting to see a machine at its top speed pass before them on a wide open beach,” said Mel Stultz of the Oilers Car Club and founder of the Race of Gentlemen. One of the spectators at the 2012 event was Brendan Kennedy – now a Tenthwave Creative Director. Brendan went to Tenthwave in summer 2013 and pitched the idea of partnering with a brand to help raise the profile of the Race. The agency loved the idea, but had just three weeks to find a partner, conceive and produce a campaign that would be ready to go live at the second annual Race in October 2013. 13 CHALLENGE BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 15. When looking to engage a brand with a cultural event, Tenthwave aims to satisfy two important factors: 1. The event should be something that people care about and are already talking about, but there is an opportunity to expand the conversation in some way. 2. The involvement of the brand must be relevant and authentic to the event – a brand can’t stomp all over an event and take it over, they have to be genuine participants with a right to be there, and they have to participate in a way that’s not only on-brand but also feels natural to the consumers involved. For their first challenge – finding a willing and suitable brand partner – the agency realised that a cult race series with a niche target audience required the support of a cult brand that’s relevant to that niche and interested in building its own profile within the same community. One of Tenthwave’s clients, ShurTech’s Duck Tape®, was an obvious and natural fit. Duck Tape was first used during World War II, when US troops needed a strong, flexible, durable, waterproof tape that could seal canisters, secure cracked windows, repair trucks and more. The tape has been a staple in garages and toolkits across America ever since. Not surprisingly, drivers in the Race of Gentlemen were already using Duck Tape to build and patch up their cars, make pre-race modifications and running repairs – it was literally holding together vital car parts. 14 SOLUTIO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 16. So both culturally and from a product angle, Duck Tape was a perfect match for the Race. The brand agreed to get involved at short notice, trusting Tenthwave to come up with a branded content marketing idea that would expand on Duck Tape’s existing goodwill and authenticity among race-goers. The agency had several other considerations to take into account for the conception and production of a campaign. First, they had to do something highly effective for the Race and the brand with a very short lead-time and without spending a lot of money. In fact, there was less than US$10,000 allocated for media. Hurricane Sandy had hit the beach the year earlier, destroying some of the historic beach huts and infrastructure. In order to support the event, Tenthwave would have to bring their own technical communications equipment, such as power and Internet connectivity, and get Duck Tape involved from the ground up. From a creative viewpoint, the energy and passion of the historic motoring event was matched by the amazing natural beauty of the backdrop itself – the beach with its sand and sea spray, the crazy characters, the old jalopies and the heritage buildings would all enable the creation of great visual content. 15 PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 17. Tenthwave decided to create an experiential, branded content marketing pilot campaign, consisting of a mix of live activities during the Race from 4-6 October 2013: Live online broadcast of races Tenthwave created a campaign website that included live streaming of race footage from the beach, so that anyone anywhere in the world could view the races and the surrounding activity. Social media, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, was used to help drive traffic to the live feed site before and during the Race. Live photographic contest Spectators were encouraged to take photos during the Race weekend and hashtag their photos with #raceofgentlemen and #ducktape for a chance to win US$500. Instagram was the main social media platform for the photos, however photos also appeared on Duck Tape’s Facebook page where the brand has more than 5.5 million fans. The contest was promoted on the campaign website via a live feed of the Instagram shots, and it was promoted live at the Race, where Duck Tape and Tenthwave staff walked around chatting with attendees and handing out cards with directions on how to enter the contest. 16 "This campaign worked because it was cool and fun and relevant for hotrod enthusiasts. Whatever it is that’s culturally relevant, we want to bring that authenticity and relevance to all the brands we work with. This campaign is just one excellent example of facilitating the meeting of a brand’s product with cultural and social currency." Drew Rayman, Managing Partner, Tenthwave BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 18. Duck Tape giveaways ‘stand’ Duck Tape gave away free branded T- shirts, rolls of Duck Tape and cards promoting the photo competition from the back of a suitably modified stationwagon on the beach. Archival video footage A production crew filmed thousands of hours of footage during the Race weekend, with the aim to use this collection of stories and social content in future Duck Tape social and digital marketing initiatives. 17 "What was so great about this branded content campaign is that it was just an off-the-cuff idea from a guy in a garage: “Hey this is going on, wouldn’t it be cool if…” Duck Tape was literally invited in to the event and they took a chance that it would generate some benefits for them as well as for the Race of Gentlemen. And boy did it! It’s all about finding the right idea and the right brand and bringing them together." Kate Daggett, Executive Creative Director, Tenthwave "Duck Tape is the most versatile tool in my bag. I keep a roll in every car I own and I use a ton of it when I'm prop-making for the Race of Gentlemen" Meldon Van Riper Stultz III, Oilers Car Club, and his 1939 Indian Chief BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 19. 18 Founded in 2010, Tenthwave is the customer-obsessed digital, social and mobile marketing agency. Its passion is to inspire customers through insight and understanding, creating share-worthy social content for brands that resonates with – and between – people. As a more personal, full-service digital agency, its core service offerings lie in strategy, research, digital design, development, branded content development, user experience, social media management, online media, analytics, promotions and online marketing. Tenthwave has about 100 employees globally, with offices in New York City, Long Island, Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, Washington DC and London. See more of Tenthwave's work here. RESULTS• c.30,000 people accessed the live event online broadcast • Online viewers from 60+ countries • Average 15+ minutes spent on site per visitor • c.1 million pieces of branded content consumed in a week "My first truck, a 1969 Toyota Hi-lux, had a floor entirely made of Duck Tape" John Illenye and his 1928 German-built Triumph and Hindenberg metal werks sidecar "I've used Duck Tape to make a fan belt – and a belt to hold up my pants!" David Stein and his 1930 Ford Model A Speedster BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 20. The Duck Tape 'Race of Gentlemen' branded content marketing initiative matched the right brand with a relevant, relatively unheard-of, cool cultural event. It was the perfect opportunity to tell a story about Duck Tape in an authentic way – a story that people could help create and share in real time from a live event via earned media. The brand was welcomed into the event, rather than having to buy its way in, and all the Tenthwave and Duck Tape staff rolled up their sleeves to help build the event infrastructure. This translated into a feel-good, morale-boosting story that brought kudos to Duck Tape for its support of the event and the traumatised Jersey Shore, and in turn helped the live, socially activated campaign to take off under its own steam. The Duck Tape partnership also raised the Race of Gentlemen’s profile, connecting this niche subculture with other enthusiasts who create – and break! – things. Looking at the impact of the individual Duck Tape campaign activities, the stand at the Race was mobbed by race-goers and the free samples ran out within minutes, tens of thousands of people from around the world tuned into the live event on the campaign website, and over a million social impressions flooded the Internet over a couple of days. 19 OUTCOMES "Our goal with the Race of Gentlemen is to give car buffs some pure, event-driven content that stirs passion and makes them the marketing engine. When a brand delivers content so cool that people want to share it with their friends, there’s a credibility you can’t buy." David Rodgers, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, ShurTech Brands BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 21. There were several useful outcomes from the photographic contest: When Duck Tape and Tenthwave staff walked down the beach to hand out cards about the contest, the reaction was extremely positive and they were treated as part of the family. Duck Tape wasn’t borrowing the equity of the Race; it was dedicated to helping build it – a difference that was apparently obvious to event attendees and social media viewers alike. As a result, Duck Tape saw its largest spike in conversation across its social media channels. Through its presence at the Race and the inherent awareness this created, the brand also appeared in vastly more attendee photographs as an integral part of the cars, motorbikes, and general race experience. The photographic contest also proved vital to the live broadcast activity. When there were breaks between races, the footage from the beach wasn’t constantly riveting. However, the accompanying Instagram feed always featured shots that captured breathtaking moments in time and covered stories that were going on all over the beach, such as performer stunts that were pulled – a racer standing on a motorbike, the passion and energy of the event. The archive film footage of the event is being curated, along with all the fan content, and it will be distributed throughout the coming year. Building on 2013’s campaign experience, Duck Tape and Tenthwave are now looking to scale up the reach and amplification of the pilot project’s success. For 2014, Tenthwave plans to involve additional strategically aligned brand collaborators to augment the campaign activities, create more rich content to share, and use it to build a larger cultural story for the Race of Gentlemen and its associated partner brands. 20 "I X out my headlights and seal my floor with Duck Tape when I'm racing" TJ O'Grady and his 1931 Model A Ford roadster pick-up "We use Duck Tape on the seams between the hood and grill and the hood and body to help cheat the wind" Ken Schmidt and his 1932 Ford 3-window Coupe BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 22. Campaign : Smarter World Client : Carphone Warehouse Agency : Adjust Your Set CASESTUDY BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 24. 23 CHALLENGE In 2012, Carphone Warehouse decided to return to its roots – a new ‘back-to- basics’ approach, with a focus on becoming the specialist smartphone retailer. With every network represented (7million+ purchase combinations), Carphone Warehouse’s unique sales proposition is to offer more choice than any rival retailer, and to be the only place for truly independent expert advice. To fulfil this aspiration the brand needed to inspire people about what smartphones can do: the mini-computer in the pocket that can make people laugh, cry, keep close to loved ones, educate, provide the soundtrack to a commute, help run a new business – even spark revolutions and regime change. Video has an important role to play in this activity. Video consumption is becoming increasingly critical in the consumer research and purchase journey – 39% of all smartphone shoppers now use video at some point in their buying process. Carphone Warehouse appointed Adjust Your Set as its video agency following a competitive pitch, then challenged the agency to create a campaign with two objectives: 1. Develop an ongoing programme of entertaining and engaging video content that inspires people about smartphone possibilities. 2. Support the brand’s desire to become the number one destination for smartphone research and browsing. The results benchmark for the campaign was to generate 6 million aggregated views and a 5% click- through rate within a year. BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 25. Adjust Your Set came up with the ‘Smarter World’ branded video campaign, creating a content strategy split into three phases; awareness, engagement and interaction. For the launch of the campaign, Adjust Your Set produced an introductory film to a ‘Smarter World’, unveiling ‘Cliff’ as a humorous salesman in a Carphone Warehouse store, fed up with customers not using their phones to their full potential. Cliff takes customers on a journey through the ‘Smarter World’ lab where dogs can communicate, a DJ can spin tunes and you can work up a sweat with a personal trainer, all from your smartphone or tablet. Adjust Your Set has now started creating a series of six ‘Smarter World’ documentaries focussing on different inspirational stories. The first looks at an amateur photographer’s rise to fame through smartphone photography. The film crew took Dilshad Corleone to Barcelona to shoot the city with its stunning architecture and beauty, simply via his smartphone and the variety of apps now available to photographers. 24 SOLUTIO PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 26. The next documentary features the achievements of blind runner Simon Wheatcroft who is using his smartphone to help him train for an ultra-marathon in the desert. The documentaries are complemented by how-to content created by Carphone Warehouse and Geek Squad, showing viewers how they can use apps to achieve similar style photos, videos and challenges. The audience is then encouraged to create and submit their own photos and videos. To host this content and enable it to be shared with other people, Adjust Your Set designed and built a dedicated video player system that presents both the professionally produced content and user-generated content integrated across multiple channels (carphonewarehouse.com, YouTube, Facebook) and devices (desktop, mobile and tablet). When people upload their own smartphone content, as well as sharing via social media the ways in which smartphones have affected their lives they get the chance to win smartphone- related prizes. The winning entries are then used to populate the ‘Smarter World’ player to provide an immersive visual experience to the user. 25 PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 27. 26 Adjust Your Set™ is a full-service digital content agency. Their approach is to fuse content strategy, creativity and technology to enable brands to become always-on publishers in a customer-centric digital world. As the most visible and powerful content format available to brands on digital and mobile channels, and the fastest growing advertising medium ever, video is the agency’s focal point. Adjust Your Set have been pioneers and distributors of video in a multi-screen world since 2008. Take a look at some more work from Adjust Your Set. RESULTSLaunched in 2013, the ‘Smarter World’ campaign has achieved: • 1 million+ aggregated views within six weeks of launch, backed by media spend • 36,000+ page impressions • 4,000+ user-generated content uploads BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 28. The 'Smarter World' branded video campaign achieved its core aims. The device that generated the most engagement, not surprisingly, was the smartphone. It drove 68% of the page impressions, followed by the tablet at 55% 27 OUTCOMES "Our customers want to connect with us in new and smarter ways, and video is the ideal content format to share our brand stories with them. We were really impressed by the strategic thinking from Adjust Your Set, and their expertise in retail video-commerce. The ‘Smarter World’ branded content marketing campaign combines creative and technical innovation to deliver strong brand engagement." Gareth Jones, Head of Online Marketing, Carphone Warehouse BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 29. Campaign : MASHTUN Client : Chivas Regal Agency : Somethin’ Else CASESTUDY PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 30. Working with Havas, Somethin’ Else took Chivas’ overall campaign objectives and put their proven design approach to work. Somethin’ Else could have proposed a perfectly suitable game where little hosts barrel back and forth. However, creating a game that actually makes social gatherings go well was deemed a far better plan: the game should be a tool for hosts and should bring the campaign to life. Recognising that social gatherings are affected by personal digital technology, Somethin’ Else also decided to embrace that technology to turn the attention of party guests towards each other. This called for a 29 CHALLENGE Chivas Regal is a sophisticated, modern brand of Scotch whisky – with over two centuries of history. Their ‘Art of Hosting’ marketing campaign is sharply focused: Chivas makes the modern social gathering complete. Chivas asked their marketing partner Havas Worldwide London to include a smartphone app in the campaign. Havas challenged content design and creation company Somethin’ Else to come up with a game that showcased the ‘Art of Hosting’, which is all about creating an environment, a novel experience, and facilitating a good time. SOLUTIO MASHTUN BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 31. social game that made players look at each other rather than their devices. Those two insights framed Somethin’ Else’s mission: to reinvent the parlour game for the modern age; to make ‘real- time social games’; and ultimately to make you a better host. The starting point for developing the game was to look at the most successful parlour games from history and capture their essence. What made them popular games? What was the central mechanic that encouraged interaction? The creative team tested them out (a lot) and whittled the list down to around 20 games. The next step was to test these ideas against the central premise: the games had to make smart, entertaining and imaginative use of iPhone and iPad hardware, such as the touch screen, camera, gyroscope, accelerometer and microphone. A shortlist was then compiled and the resulting games were prototyped and tested to see if they fit the bill. Scoring was an interesting challenge. The aim was for scoring to be arbitrary, something to be set by the party host to demonstrate that s/he had the qualities that Chivas was interested in fostering. The results of several user testing sessions with a target audience of professional people aged 25-35 were fed 30BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 32. into the whole development process to create the final app: MASHTUN – a suite of five parlour games for the modern host: • Mashact: Inspired by Charades, this quick-fire acting game encourages wild team acting under pressure, with the words selected by the opposing team. • Mashjam: Players ‘jam’ by playing sections of a track in time. • Mashtip: Players complete physical challenges while keeping a tower of blocks balanced. • Mashrelay: A head-to-head relay race powered by your voice! • Mashseek: Hide and seek for the modern age. One team hides their device. The other team uses their device to find it. The MASHTUN app automatically suggests the number of teams and the number of players on each team, based on the guests and smartphones or tablets in the room. Launched in April 2013, the free app was made available on the iTunes app store as part of the wider ‘Art of Hosting’ campaign, and promoted via YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook. 31BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 33. 32 Somethin’ Else designs and creates content that millions of people watch, listen to and play with every day on their computers, radios, devices and televisions. Awarded internationally at the highest level – they are 2013’s BAFTA Production Company of the Year, for example – Somethin’ Else has an interdisciplinary team of media and technology experts who work with brands, broadcasters and content publishers across four areas: digital, radio, talent, and TV and video. Their knowledge of strategy and their obsession with audiences and users help them to achieve difficult objectives by creating content people love. Take a look at Somethin’ Else’s showreel. "This collaboration with Havas Worldwide London shows why enlightened brands and agencies are instrumental in the future of content. Together we've created a parlour game like never before – truly social and sophisticated, challenging people’s perceptions of technology and gaming." Paul Bennun, Chief Creative Officer, Somethin’ Else BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 34. The MASHTUN app has been nominated for a number of awards (already winning a bronze award in the Kinsale Sharks International Creative Festival 2013 – Digital category), and generated significant interest from other FMCG brands on how games can play a part in their content marketing. 33 OUTCOMES "Chivas MASHTUN combines elements that we know modern gentlemen love: games, gadgets and, above all, being a great party host. Chivas has always been about bringing people together, celebrating friendship and generosity. With this new venture, we wanted to change the rules of gaming technology, which can be insular, and make entertaining at home sociable, entertaining and memorable." James Slack, Global Brand Director, Chivas ©OliviaArthur/MagnumPhotos BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 35. Campaign : Penetras de Luxo Client : Terra Agency : Wanted ASAS da Imaginação CASESTUDY BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 37. Wanted Agency and ASAS da Imaginação decided to create branded content that featured Generation Y and could be viewed digitally, making it possible to generate spreadability. They came up with ‘Penetras de Luxo’ (VIP Party Crashers), a series of online films that uses Planeta Terra as a backdrop to tell the story of a group of friends that gatecrashes the festival’s VIP area. To shoot the series, the festival was turned into a set where the storyline and characters were fictional but settings and surroundings were real. 36 CHALLENGE Terra is a Brazilian ISP and media network that sponsors Planeta Terra, one of the largest music festivals in Brazil. The brand challenged Wanted Agency and ASAS da Imaginação to come up with a marketing campaign that had two objectives: extend the experience of the one-day Planeta Terra festival into other territories; and connect with Generation Y to continue the conversation about the festival long after the event ends. SOLUTIO PENETRAS DE LUXO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 38. Live incidents that occurred throughout the festival were used to develop the story, grabbing the attention of the public during and after the event. Launched online and on digital TV after the festival, six short episodes and one short film presented the ‘Penetras de Luxo’ characters and showed how they gatecrashed the VIP area. Just like every good work of fiction, a conflict was also added: a mysterious situation occurs and they all end up at the police station. The idea of blending real life with fiction was taken a step further with a celebrity twist that started during the festival. One of the characters was played by a famous Brazilian actor and, in a PR stunt, his character’s name reflected his real name, Sergio. So when a fictional kiss between him and another character was shown on the big screens at the festival, it generated tweets and impressions on social media instantly. 37BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 39. 38 RESULTS During the Planeta Terra festival weekend: • c.65,000 festival attendees were exposed to elements of the series • The kiss scene received 600,000 social media impressions • The buzz became so intense that Sergio had to publicly announce that the kiss was part of ‘Penetras de Luxo’, creating even more buzz about the series ‘Penetras de Luxo’ subsequently became one of the most watched national productions on Terra’s digital TV platform, Sunday TV Wanted Agency was founded in Brazil in the age of participation, in the midst of a culture of convergence. The Agency believes that fan culture is the new reality in which consumers participate in the production of collective intelligence about brands and products. In order to succeed, the brand story needs to connect with the broader conversation and discussion of what is happening in today's culture. Wanted Agency specialises in creating or developing brand culture. It uses a proprietary methodology to tell a consistent story throughout the brand experience and initiatives, connecting the brand to contemporary culture and creating tribes who actively participate in the life of the brand. Take a look at some more work from Wanted Agency. BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 40. The ‘Penetras de Luxo’ series of branded content films became such a hit for Terra that it has now evolved into a sitcom with a contract for an entire season on web and cable TV. 39 OUTCOMES "The key to the success of this branded content marketing campaign was creating intriguing narrative content that seamlessly incorporated the product (the festival) with the audience, as well as blurring the lines between fiction and reality. This created an appetite for people to discover more, to put themselves in the shoes of the characters and to talk to each other about the story unfolding before them." Patrícia Weiss, CSO, Wanted Agency; SVP Strategic Consultant for Branded Content, Branded Entertainment & Transmedia Storytelling, ASAS da Imaginaçaõ BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 41. Campaign : Real Beauty Sketches Client : Unilever Dove Agency : Ogilvy CASESTUDY PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 42. 41 CHALLENGE From 2005, Unilever's Dove brand of personal care products has celebrated women's natural beauty in its 'Real Beauty' marketing campaigns. Market research suggested that only 4% of women describe themselves as beautiful, so the Dove Real Beauty campaign for 2013, created by Ogilvy Brazil, was tasked with raising the self- esteem of the other 96%. No short order! Real Beauty Sketches "Unilever asked us to make women feel better about themselves. We wanted to move women, to find an idea that could actually prove to women that they're wrong about their self-image. Hats off to Unilever – they didn't approve a script, they approved a social experiment that could've gone either way." Anselmo Ramos, Creative Director, Ogilvy Brazil BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 43. Ogilvy came up with the idea to run a social experiment that turned on its head the tendency of women to be critical of their appearance. It involved women being filmed going through a process of self-discovery, seeing themselves through their own eyes and those of strangers. For the experiment, FBI forensic artist Gil Zamora sketches women he can't see on different days – firstly based on their own descriptions of themselves, then based on a stranger's description, without Gil ever knowing when the subject was the same person. The resulting sketches are then revealed to the subjects for comparison, with the sketches from the strangers' descriptions being the more accurate and flattering. The women reacted strongly to the sketches, some with tears, as they realised that they were doing themselves an injustice. The campaign was presented on YouTube as a branded, documentary-style film (in six-minute and three-minute versions) with the tagline 'Women: You Are More Beautiful Than You Think'. 42 SOLUTIO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 44. 43 RESULTS• 170 million views on YouTube • Most-watched online branded content of 2013 • 3rd most-shared branded video of 2013 BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 45. The Dove Real Beauty Sketches branded content marketing campaign strongly reinforced Dove's ongoing Real Beauty strategy. It was successful in tapping into women's emotions and making people think again about how they judge their own appearance. The film went viral very quickly (more than 15 million views within a week of its launch) and inspired conversations, debate and articles in media as diverse as Adweek, The Telegraph, Facebook, Bloomberg, Mashable, New York Times, Forbes, Huffington Post, and Psychology Today – as well as wider adoption of the concept, such as the 'Men: You Are Less Beautiful Than You Think' spoof video. 44 OUTCOMES BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 46. Campaign : Your Bank Client : Barclays Agency : Red Bee Media CASESTUDY PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 47. Video content held the key to answering those particular challenges. Its power to move, amuse and persuade people was used by Red Bee to tell real stories about the changes Barclays had made and is still making now. Working with Barclays, Red Bee identified the stories with the most tangible and demonstrable human impact – the ones that would lend themselves best to video. Wherever possible, these stories were told from the customers' perspective, not that of the Bank. This was important for two reasons. Firstly, it placed customers and their needs at the heart of the story, demonstrating 46 CHALLENGE After a period when high street banks haven’t been top of the general public’s Christmas card list, Barclays wanted to demonstrate a change of approach, one born of a very real desire to regain the public’s trust and preference. Barclays asked Red Bee Media to produce branded content for a new marketing initiative called 'Your Bank'. This initiative invites consumers to help influence changes to everyday banking. Your Bank includes an online platform to gather and share ideas to improve Barclays products, services and overall banking experience. The development of Your Bank presented as much of a challenge as an opportunity. Namely, how do you make people stick around voluntarily to explore a website dedicated to everyday banking issues – not normally a high interest category? And how could Barclays show that it was and is acting on the ideas suggested? The branded content on the Your Bank website therefore needed to both enthrall and inform. SOLUTIO Your Bank BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 48. Barclays' determination to put customers first in all of its thinking. And secondly, it made the stories more instantly relatable to the audience. Your Bank launched with a series of these stories in the format of online films, some showcasing initiatives that Barclays had already implemented to make everyday banking better as a result of its customers’ feedback, others demonstrating Barclays’ commitment to listening to and understanding its customers. The first batch of films included: • Blind stand-up comedian Chris McCausland introducing Barclays’ new audio cash machines for blind and partially sighted people. Chris gives us some insight of his previous difficulties with talking machines. • An animated story of how a customer and a Barclays Personal Banker created a new type of high visibility debit card for visually impaired customers. • The experiences of Barney, a Barclays Branch Manager, who spends an uncomfortable day in an “age suit” that simulates the physical restrictions and difficulties of being elderly or infirm, to research branch accessibility for older customers. • The story of Ken Bellringer, injured in Afghanistan, now on placement with 47 PLAY VIDEO PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 49. Barclays as part of its AFTER programme for ex-military personnel. • John Dennerly, a country park manager in Scotland who is deaf, introducing Barclays’ new sign video service. • The story of Sam, an older customer empowered to get online through a joint initiative between Age UK and Barclays. • And a series of films featuring Barclays “Ideation” workshops with customers to generate ideas for making everyday banking better. The online videos were placed within the integrated Your Bank online platform (customised and managed by Dare) and on the Barclays YouTube channel. The launch was supported by print, outdoor and digital advertising driving consumers to the Your Bank website. 48 PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 50. 49 RESULTSWithin the first three months of launch: • 449,000 interactions • 283,000 video views • 26,900 poll votes• 3,693 ideas submitted by consumers "The Your Bank branded video content is playing a key role in persuading the public that their ideas count and that it's worthwhile to submit them. The high level of interaction and idea submission is an indicative measure of audience engagement for Barclays, which can only help them improve customer service for the future." Michael Reeves, Business Development Director, Red Bee Media BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 51. Thanks to Your Bank and its branded video content, Barclays is now able to have an ongoing conversation with customers – learning from them, listening to them and demonstrating the changes it’s making for them. 50 OUTCOMES "The 'Your Bank' platform and its content represents a very public commitment to listening to our customers and showing how we are going to act on change, big and small, which can make their lives easier." Sara Bennison, Managing Director, Marketing Communications, Barclays UK Retail Bank "Offset savings account to current accountwhen going overdrawn" - ellievin89 "Show the interest rate of all savings accounts in online banking." - simonjones12345 "Enable Skype meetings with branch advisors."- Telegraph reader "Create a Barclay's programme for schools to educate children about money matters." - Mumsnetter "Be able to withdraw different currencies from an ATM." - Parliament Street, York branch customer BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 52. Campaign : Dumb Ways to Die Client : Metro Trains Melbourne Agency : McCann CASESTUDY Images and data © Metro Trains Melbourne, Dumb Ways To Die™, all rights reserved. PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 53. Two insights propelled McCann’s solution for the campaign: that young people hate being told what to do; and that if you get hit by a train, you’ve probably done something pretty dumb. So the campaign strategy focussed on turning a message about rail safety that nobody wants to listen to into a piece of entertainment people actively seek out and share, that tells the truth about rail accidents. McCann created ‘Dumb Ways to Die’, a branded content marketing campaign consisting of a three- minute song and video featuring 21 cartoon characters dying in really 52 CHALLENGE Every year there are needless deaths or accidents around trains in Melbourne, Australia. And while rail accidents are tragic, they are in most cases completely avoidable. This is particularly true for young adults. Metro Trains Melbourne challenged McCann Melbourne with three primary objectives for a new marketing campaign: 1. Reduce train-related accidents in key accident areas by 10% over 12 months 2. Generate a stated commitment to be safe around trains (40,000 pledges) 3. Generate campaign awareness of 25% among the core target audience of young adults SOLUTIO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 54. dumb ways – three of them in train- related accidents. McCann launched the song in the usual way on iTunes, YouTube, radio and more. The agency used both traditional media (radio, TV, cinema, posters, press) and social media (Soundcloud, Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook) to drive traffic to the music video on YouTube. To extend the reach of the campaign through social media and PR, they also created dedicated forms of shareable content across multiple channels, including a karaoke version of the song, limited-edition posters of the characters, the ‘Little Book of Dumb Ways to Die’ for schools and the Dumb Ways to Die smartphone game app. 53BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 55. 54 RESULTS74 million+ video views on YouTubeWorldwide #1 app downloaded over 35 million timesSong charted on iTunes in 28 countries; sold over 100,000 copies1 million+ pledges to be safe around trains on the campaign websiteAU$60 million of earned media impressions "We’ve got a campaign that’s relied on content and with the app we’re starting the move to merchandising. I think the way forward … is to steer away from the advertising model and create content and create merchandising … We need to keep creating shareable pieces that people can seek out and [that] have a worth beyond just the marketing message." John Mescall, Executive Creative Director, McCann Melbourne From interview in AdAge 24/6/2103 Most awarded campaign ever in D&AD history. Most awarded agency in the history of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Most awarded agency in the history of the Spikes Asia Festival of Creativity. London International Awards Agency of the Year 2013. Most awarded campaign at the Webby Awards 2013. 3rd ranked global agency at One Show 2013.Selected among TED’s top 10 Ads Worth Spreading 2013. (The only Australian advertisement ever to have been so recognised.) Clio Awards 2013 top ranked Australian Agency. Second ranked Australian agency at Adfest 2013. BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 56. The ‘Dumb Ways To Die’ campaign became a global phenomenon and quickly demonstrated a real impact on social behaviour. Far exceeding its objectives, it’s one of Australia’s most successful public service campaigns. As well as the results listed previously, there were hundreds of cover versions and parodies viewed more than 20 million times themselves, campaign awareness among the core target audience of 46% after only one month, and most importantly a 10% reduction in near misses and accidents at level crossings and station platforms over 12 months. 55 OUTCOMES BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 57. Campaign : Summer D'Reem Client : Unilever Media Owner : ITV CASESTUDY PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 58. Today, functional differences between detergents are minimal. Personality is the extra dimension that powerfully and intimately connects brands with consumers. This insight led to a fitting solution: extending Surf's multi-platform sponsorship of The Only Way is Essex (TOWIE) – the show with some of the biggest and most influential personalities on TV. The entertainment show’s reach and the buzz it generates represented an excellent opportunity for Surf to get its key audience listening – and buying. 57 CHALLENGE In 2012, Unilever’s Surf laundry detergent found itself facing a challenge. Washing detergent is a low-interest category and Surf’s competitors were aligning themselves with the biggest event in the calendar – the 2012 Olympics. A big idea was needed for Surf to resonate in customers’ minds. SOLUTIO Summer D’Reem BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 59. To deepen and personify the TOWIE/Surf relationship, Unilever extended its TOWIE licence to launch a brand new Surf fragrance called Summer D’Reem, featuring cast favourite Joey Essex. The launch included: • TOWIE branding on Surf packs and across in-store design • Social media-driven discussion from TOWIE’s fiercely loyal and active fan base • Joey Essex starring in unique viral video content ‘Fresh Out of Essex’ • Additional Surf digital advertising to support the launch ‘Fresh Out Of Essex’ was an online mini- series of exclusive content that lived on the official TOWIE website, devised to feed fans’ constant demand for everything TOWIE. Bumpers on ITV mobile and ITV Player, plus roadblocks on ITV.com consolidated this activity. Unilever also knew that competitions were key in engaging Surf’s target audience, and who would say no to a free, glamorous trip to ‘Marbs’ in Spain? Certainly not TOWIE fans.  58 PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 60. 59 RESULTS • £1 million+ gross retail sales value across the summer • Talkability 51% (vs. 36% non-viewers)• Purchase intent 62% (vs. 51% non-viewers)• 1.3 million ‘Fresh Out of Essex’ video views across the year • 61,501 visits to the Marbs competition entry page (297% vs. KPI) • 19.9 million monthly total video requests and 18 million page views online during the campaign BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 61. 'Summer D’Reem' was a very successful branded content marketing campaign with a massive influence on viewer response. Surf’s TOWIE sponsorship awareness grew to 77% (22% above the norm) by the end of the campaign. The campaign was viewed as especially effective in terms of persuasion, with 62% of viewers likely to say it made them think differently about Surf and made them more likely to consider that Surf’s image was more positive. 60 OUTCOMES "Sponsoring TOWIE was a great chance to build brand awareness and demonstrate we are a fun brand with a point of difference. The new fragrance launch, aligned with TOWIE, further helped extend the sponsorship into retail, leading to great business results that helped meet our objectives." Katy Holder, Surf Brand Manager, Unilever BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 62. Campaign : Live Test Series: The Epic Split Client : Volvo Trucks Agency : Forsman & Bodenfors CASESTUDY PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 63. The solution to both the targeting and budgeting challenges was to embrace the new media landscape. Forsman & Bodenfors’ idea adhered to Volvo Trucks’ communications strategy in which innovation plays a key role. The agency devised an online marketing campaign using branded video content presented on Volvo Trucks’ YouTube channel. Called the ‘Live Test Series’, the campaign consists of a group of online films, each showcasing a different new Volvo truck feature being put through its paces in a live test. 62 CHALLENGE The trucking industry is a traditional business-to-business environment in which it’s quite a challenge to introduce a radically new communication approach. In addition, the target group of truck purchasers is scattered and difficult to reach. There are many influencers around each buyer, ranging from drivers, family and friends to trade press journalists. Volvo Trucks and their Swedish independent agency partner Forsman & Bodenfors knew that the most obvious way to reach their core target group would be a ‘catch-all’ broadcast marketing approach. But ‘reaching’ doesn’t equate to ‘connecting’, plus there was no allowance for the huge media budget needed to conduct a global advertising campaign to launch their new truck models. SOLUTIO Live Test Series: The Epic Split BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 64. However, this was not going to be any ordinary product review; the live experiments had to test the chosen features in informative, astonishing and entertaining ways, designed to focus on the trucks and catch the attention of the widest possible target audience. The aim of this creative strategy was to generate viral hits and a subsequent wave of (free) media publicity, effectively driving positive word of mouth about the film content that was relevant to both trucking and non-trucking audiences. 63 'Pyramids in the Wild' PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 65. True to this strategy, the first five online films include one in which two trucks race towards a tunnel while a woman walks across a wire between them and another in which a truck takes part in a bull run. The former film generated nine million views. The sixth film in the Live Test Series – ‘The Epic Split’ – is an even better example of the power of this strategy, with the added twist of a celebrity participant whose existing fanbase helped drive word of mouth. The starting point for ‘The Epic Split’ came from talking to Volvo’s technicians about the film’s chosen feature: Volvo Dynamic Steering. This system combines conventional hydraulic powered steering with an electric motor fitted to the truck’s steering gear. The electric motor receives 2,000 signals per second from the truck’s sensors, allowing for more precise steering and a more relaxed and ergonomically designed experience for truck drivers. To demonstrate this stability and precision, the creative team worked closely with film director Andreas Nilsson to come up with the idea of a spectacular stunt: actor Jean-Claude Van Damme slowly performs a split while standing on the side mirrors between two Volvo FM trucks – that are driving backwards at 15 miles/25 kms per hour as they move apart! Filmed in one astounding 76-second take after three days’ practice at a Spanish airfield, the film was designed to work on two levels: most viewers are expected to think “Wow, Jean-Claude Van Damme”, but the core target audience is expected to think “Wow, two trucks are able to be driven in reverse like this”. 64BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 66. 65 RESULTS Within the first three months of its launch in November 2013, ‘The Epic Split’ achieved: • 70 million+ views (10 million within the first 48 hours) • 8 million+ shares • Most shared video in the world within week one • Most watched automotive ad ever on YouTube • 20,000+ editorials globally online, in print and on TV (inc. general press and all major automotive and trucking press) • 5 million+ shares • #6 in YouTube’s Top Ten Trending 2013, a list that draws from all YouTube content across all categories, including babies and music videos that tend to generate the highest engagement • Earned media value of €126 million "The media landscape is changing. We have different media consumption habits today than a couple of years ago. That’s why, starting with the Live Test Series, we’re investing in this cost-efficient way of reaching out to millions of people via online branded content marketing." Anders Vilhelmsson, PR Manager, Volvo Trucks BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 67. The Live Test Series has not used any traditional paid media – YouTube is its only media channel. The relevance and power of the branded content itself has kickstarted organic distribution, editorial coverage, wider interactions and an upsurge in awareness of the Volvo Trucks brand and product messages, both online and via the Volvo Trucks global dealer network. The Series has already won the Grand Prix award for Branded Content & Entertainment at Eurobest 2013. And, in the ultimate evidence that ‘The Epic Split’ film has entered a wider cultural consciousness, it has already inspired a raft of consumer-generated spoof versions, some of which have racked up 50 million views themselves. Volvo Trucks will continue to release more Live Test Series stunt films, paving the way for future advertising and sales campaigns in local markets. 66 OUTCOMES BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 68. Campaign : Vs the Northern Lights Client : Sony Agency : DigitasLBi CASESTUDY PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 69. DigitasLBi developed ‘Xperia Vs…’, an online branded content programme that aimed to extend the target audience’s awareness of the new Sony Xperia Z and to encourage them to find out more about the phone. The initiative consists of a series of online video films in which ambassadors from the creative industries put features of the new phone to the test in interesting ways. For ‘Xperia Vs the Northern Lights’, the first group of chosen ambassadors – members of the bands OK Go and Pyyramids, and the photographer Martien Mulder – 68 CHALLENGE Sony is a household name when it comes to consumer electronics, however it’s a challenger brand in the relentlessly competitive smartphone market. In order to be among the top three brands people consider when choosing a phone, it’s essential to spread the word online. This is where people research ahead of purchase, and where brands earn the right to be viewed as a credible option. Supporting the introduction of the new Sony Xperia Z smartphone, DigitasLBi was tasked with creating an initiative to keep building product awareness post-launch – specifically online among the curious-minded, technology-loving target audience. The key challenge was to stand out from the existing plethora of online branded content in a way that was true to Sony’s philosophy: inspiring wonder and emotional response through technology. And all with minimal paid media support. SOLUTIO Xperia Vs The Northern Lights BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 70. travelled to northern Sweden to capture the sights and sounds of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). They used Sony Xperia Z smartphones and tablets to capture their inspiration, and then used the Xperia Z's one-touch connectivity feature to bring their work together, resulting in a four-minute track ‘From Under Other Stars’. DigitasLBi also created a series of in-depth, making-of films demonstrating the process and the technology involved. Designed to appeal to the motivations of consumers with an interest in what’s new and exciting, along with a love of technology and its possibilities, the full series of films from the trip was hosted on Sony Mobile's YouTube channel. 69 'Making Of (From Under Other Stars)' ‘Damian Kulash and the sound of outer space' 'Pyyramids in the Wild' 'Photographer Martien Mulder on ice' PLAY VIDEO PLAY VIDEO PLAY VIDEO PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 71. 70 RESULTS Within a week of release: • #1 most shared video on Facebook and Twitter in last 24 hours - UK • #3 most viewed YouTube video in last 24 hours - UK • #1 most popular YouTube video in 'Entertainment' - UK • #1 most popular YouTube video in 'All Categories' - UK Within seven months: • 500,000+ unique views • 1,000 new Sony YouTube channel subscribers "The 'Xperia Vs' series is essentially a product demonstration on steroids. It's a chance for us to put the device to the test in truly surprising ways, and see if it survives to tell the story. Tech always forms the backbone to these stories, and in this instance we put the Xperia in the hands of musicians and photographers and sent them to the Arctic Circle.  Their mission? To create a one-of- a-kind audiovisual experience, using only the features of the phone, especially connectivity. A soundtrack to the Northern Lights was born. The result was a stunning, shareable piece of branded content and was supported by an innovation tale that spoke directly to our tech- curious audience." Simon Attwater, Group Creative Director, DigitasLBi BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 72. With little paid media support, the Sony Xperia Vs Northern Lights online videos spread the message of the new smartphone to a vast new audience. By understanding the audience, creating a strategy that spoke to their interests, and developing branded content that was new and innovative, DigitasLBi produced a campaign that exceeded expectations. 71 OUTCOMES BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 73. Campaign : Natural Love Client : PepsiCo Lyubimy Agency : Fuse Russia CASESTUDY BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 74. Fuse Russia decided to bring ‘Natural Love’ from real life to the TV screen. The agency created a cross-media marketing campaign that used social media to invite people to tell their real-life love stories by writing in to campaign pages on two Russian social networks (vk.com and ok.ru) and on STS TV channel’s website. 73 CHALLENGE PepsiCo’s Lyubimy (meaning ‘beloved’) is one of the biggest fruit juice brands in Russia. Its marketing activity focuses on the message “beloved because it’s natural”, and stories about love lie at the heart of every communication. The most popular content among the brand’s target market – women aged 25-45 with average income – are TV shows and series about love. However, these portrayals of love are perceived by the audience to be artificial, not real. PepsiCo challenged its agency partner Fuse Russia to find a way to link Lyubimy juice with unquestionably real, natural love stories. SOLUTIO Natural Love BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 75. The 50 stories that received the most ‘likes’ online were turned into professionally shot video clips. Edited versions then appeared on STS, the biggest family TV channel in Russia, while the full versions were made available to view online. The people who submitted the best three love stories – one happy couple and two sad single people – won a romantic trip to France. 74 'Pyramids in the Wild' BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 76. 75 RESULTS The campaign became the talk of Russia: • 2,000+ story submissions• 4.6 million active users on the campaign web pages (twice the previous biggest national Internet campaign) • 6.5 million online views• 200,000+ ‘likes’ • 3-4 times above market average conversion indices for online registration and subsequent actions “Thanks to Natural Love and STS channel.” “Thanks Lyubimy.” “So cute!” BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 77. The ‘Natural Love’ branded content marketing campaign provided cut-through of the Lyubimy brand’s key message to the target audience, and converted online love into consumer love: the number of people who stated that their most often bought juice brand is Lyubimy rose by 20% during the campaign period. 76 OUTCOMEs "We were challenged by PepsiCo to find a new way to cut through to the Lyubimy core market on TV. We used branded co-created content to give millions of people the ultimate real-life, natural love stories they already craved." Anton Efimov, Managing Director, Fuse Russia BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 78. Campaign : The Beauty Inside Client : Intel & Toshiba Agency : Pereira & O'Dell CASESTUDY PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 79. Pereira & O'Dell realised that all young people go through a journey of self-discovery and use technology as a key tool for this exploration and expression. The agency came up with the idea of co-creating a film about the universal search for self-knowledge and acceptance, using contemporary Hollywood stars (Topher Grace, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Matthew Gray Gubler) and social media to involve as many people in the target audience as possible. They devised a love story with the intriguing premise that the main character, Alex, wakes up every day 78 CHALLENGE Following the success of the 2011 thriller 'The Inside Experience', award-winning agency Pereira & O'Dell was asked to create a second branded content film for Intel and Toshiba. This film needed to feature the Toshiba Ultrabook laptop and refresh the 'Intel Inside' branding, introducing both Intel and Toshiba as innovative technology brands to a new generation of 18- to 34-year-old millennial consumers. SOLUTIO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 80. as a different person on the outside but the same person on the inside – and s/he has fallen in love with someone who can never see him/her as the same person. Alex makes a daily video diary of this experience on a Toshiba Ultrabook that goes everywhere with the character as a vital and natural accessory. The 45-minute film included gaps for consumer-generated content. Facebook was then used to invite people to audition to be an Alex by submitting their own video diary, putting themselves in Alex's shoes to share the experience. From over 4,000 auditions on Facebook, 26 Alexes were cast in the film. They included fans from all over the world, including Japan, France, German, Italy, Philippines, Canada and Spain. An additional 50+ Alexes were featured on the Facebook timeline. The final film was divided into six weekly episodes and presented on Facebook and YouTube running over an eight-week period. 79 PLAY VIDEO PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 81. 80 RESULTS70 million views in eight weeks 26 million social interactions 97% YouTube approval rating66% and 40% brand perception lift for Intel and Toshiba respectively among Facebook users 300% sales increase "Branded content is becoming an increasingly important part of Intel and Toshiba's strategy to reach out to a younger audience. They can see that people enjoy making branded content part of their lives – it draws people in naturally with a deeper message they can identify with on an emotional level" PJ Pereira, Chief Creative Officer, Pereira & O'Dell "We are all Alex in one way or another, andhe is all of us" - Larissa B "This is beautiful, poetic and powerful...." - Pamela V "I can’t wait for next Thursday!" - Leah M BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 82. 'The Beauty Inside' was the most-shared branded video during the campaign period. It won an Emmy for Outstanding New Approach to A Daytime Series, and three Grand Prix awards – including one for Branded Content – at Cannes Lions 2013. The campaign inspired hundreds of thousands of fans to give and request love advice and discuss their own sense of identity, while celebrating the principle that - with humans and computers alike - it's what's inside that matters most. The campaign also started to create a relationship between the client brands and the audience that will grow over time. In fact, Pereira & O'Dell has already created the next social film instalment for Intel and Toshiba, a horror story called 'The Power Inside'. 81 OUTCOMES BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 83. Campaign : In Search of Real Food Client : Hellmann’s Agency : OgilvyEntertainment CLASSICCASESTUDY PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 84. With the insight that people wanted to say no to over-processed food yet had time, cost and taste considerations when it came to making meals, Ogilvy devised a pioneering marketing initiative called ‘In Search of Real Food’. Part of the project involved traditional print and TV advertising that used real people to deliver Hellmann’s point of view on food made from natural, simple ingredients that are good for you. In tandem with this strand of the campaign, Ogilvy created a Hellmann’s-sponsored ‘In Search of Real Food’ microsite hosted by media 83 CHALLENGE Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise was first made for a mass market in 1913 and is now America’s favourite mayonnaise. Hellmann’s asked their agency partner Ogilvy to develop a summer marketing initiative that would explain the product’s ingredients and range of uses in an attention-grabbing way, and reinforce Hellmann’s positioning as the epitome of simple, honest, real food. SOLUTIO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 85. partner Yahoo! Food. This creative platform was designed to drive consumer conversations about real food, using interactive branded content, co-created content and a variety of fun community features. In order to draw people in to join the conversation and keep them coming back to the site, Ogilvy created a 12- episode branded content web series presenting celebrity chef Dave Lieberman on a weekly road trip through America in search of real people making real food – from the proprietors of a Mexican food cart in SoHo, New York creating a pulled pork taco, to a bighearted lady’s regular fundraising Friday Fish Fry in New Orleans. Each episode was split into four three- to four-minute chapters for easy web consumption. 84 "The challenge with branded content is to maintain the authenticity of the production while maximising the potential for the brand. This show offered incredibly rich content, allowing multiple channels for consumer engagement. By teaming with Rock Shrimp Productions and Dave Lieberman as our host, we had a ready-made fan base that was looking for the 'real food' point-of-view that Hellmann's as sponsor is all about." Doug Scott, President, OgilvyEntertainment PLAY VIDEO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 86. Beyond watching the weekly video content, ‘In Search of Real Food’ website visitors could: • continue the real food conversation by reading Dave’s blog (including his recipes) and posting comments. • share their own ideas and recipes on the Real Food group page. • ask and/or answer questions using a Yahoo! widget embedded in the site. • look for real food restaurants in their neighbourhood using a local dining guide widget pre-programmed with real food locations. To promote the web series to consumers, Ogilvy used web banners in which excerpts of the show were embedded, TV and print ads, and creative on Hellmann’s jar tops. There was also coverage on US TV news channels, inviting people to star in the show by making their own ‘real food’ cookery videos. 85 "’In Search of Real Food’ was a programming concept that captured the fast changes taking place within the food industry – the emphasis on local-grown and real foods – as well as the changes within the entertainment industry. Finding new ways to reach consumers using interactivity, this show set a new standard for consumer engagement." Bobby Flay, Celebrity chef; Executive Producer, Rock Shrimp Productions BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 87. 86 RESULTSThe ‘In Search of Real Food’initiative tapped into culturalconversation and delivered:• 1 million unique visitors tothe campaign website • 5,000 Real Foodcommunity members "We've always been about what's simple and real. Whether it's the quality ingredients in our jar or the real experiences people have with others when they share food made with our Mayonnaise. This effort leveraged the technology available to have a conversation about that with consumers, offering recipe ideas and a point-of-view about food that kept the brand relevant to moms and built affinity to new and younger users" Brian Orlando, Senior Brand Manager, Hellmann's BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 88. This groundbreaking project teamed branded content with traditional advertising, forged an innovative media partnership with Yahoo!, and capitalised on celebrity connections for Hellmann’s. Consumers shared and commented on the branded content via YouTube and social media networks, and even created their own real food videos. This activity resulted in the spread of the conversation about real food (and Hellmann’s’ association with it) far beyond the original campaign site. Ultimately, the integrated mix of traditional advertising and branded content enabled Ogilvy to convey positive brand messages about Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise, while provoking a dialogue with consumers about real food. 87 OUTCOMES BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 89. “How do I make my ad go viral?” Of all the questions, this is the one we’re asked most often from brands and agencies wanting to promote online video content via social media – aka social video marketing. They care about going viral with good reason (aside from ticking the viral video campaign box on their CVs). The number of video shares of branded content has rocketed over the last eight years. In By David Waterhouse Global Head of Content and PR at marketing technology platform Unruly RESEARCH Stop trying to make your ads go viral Top tips for social video success BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 90. 2013, the top three ads attracted 11.6 million shares combined – almost 50 times more than the top three ads in 2006 (244,395 shares combined). There are now more than 500,000 shares of branded videos online every 24 hours. But what makes people share video content? And what steps can a brand take to improve its chances of attracting more shares? For starters, there’s a lot more than to it than featuring cute babies, talking dogs and cats that looks like Shakespeare. We worked extensively with Dr. Karen Nelson-Field, Senior Research Associate at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, on her latest project. It consists of original research from more than two years of work, five different data sets including Unruly’s own data, around 1000 videos and nine individual studies. The research findings are presented in the 2013 book ‘Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing’, and they support the development of simple formulae for advertisers to follow when they want to increase their social video marketing success. Here are Unruly’s top tips: 1. Stop Chasing Viral Success – Focus on Social Video Success It became possible in the early 2000s to track views of online video clips accurately using the video technology itself. These were the days before social media when the only distribution channels were email and a handful of specialist humour websites. Very early brand-created viral video hits include John West’s Grizzly Bear, Budweiser’s Whassup and XBOX’s Champagne – an ad that was banned on TV in the UK and went on to win a Gold Lion at Cannes in 2002. Slowly more advertisers started releasing branded video content online in the elusive search for consumer-driven, exponentially increasing views. Further boosted by the advent of social media such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, this practice is now firmly part of mainstream marketing. 89BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 91. However, uploading a branded video that you think is funny, without any paid distribution, in the hope of it attracting cartloads of earned (free) media, is the strategic equivalent of shoving your hand in a haystack and expecting to pull out a needle. Just as technology and social media have evolved, so too has online video. These days, the word “viral” is simply unhelpful. It suggests something that is random, untargeted and out of control. Videos that go viral are the exception, not the rule, and that’s why seeking viral success is a terrible tactic to focus on for your brand. Instead, advertisers should focus on a marketing strategy that’s predictable, repeatable and measurable: social video. Open your company wish list and replace “make a viral video” with “create and distribute highly shareable content, repeatedly and at scale”. What exactly is social video? According to the Internet Advertising Bureau, it’s “a non-interruptive, user- initiated video format sold on a cost-per- engagement basis”. In other words, it’s the perfect union of online video and social media – content plus conversation. There’s no need to force people to sit through a badly edited TV commercial for toilet cleaner before they watch the thing they really want to watch. As we’ve seen with recent campaigns by Dove and Volvo Trucks, the social video ad is the star! People choose to watch it. Viewers have total control of the viewing experience, including the ability to comment, share, re-post, pause and replay. After all, everyone likes to be the one holding the remote. Social video is fundamentally changing the rules of advertising. Long gone are the Mad Men days when all an advertiser needed to do was buy the airtime, create the spot, blast it out to a captive audience, and raise a glass of Scotch for a job well done. Today consumers pick and choose what they watch with a fickle flick of their DVR remote. So rather than releasing a video and keeping your fingers crossed that it will go viral, try focusing on optimising the 'shareability' of your video content and distribution strategy. 2. Make it emotional Marketers hoping to attract significant earned media should think less about creative appeal and more about emotional appeal. Videos that elicit strong emotions – positive or negative – from an audience are twice as likely to be shared as those that elicit a weak emotional response. ‘Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing’ explains that professional video creators may be aiming to create hilarious, exhilarating and inspiring material, 90BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 92. however the vast majority are falling short. In fact, 70% of all commercial videos provoke only “low-arousal” emotional reactions. 3. Be positive Video content that draws a strong, positive emotional response is 30% more likely to be shared than content that elicits strong negative emotions. Strong negative emotions, such as anger or shock, can prompt viewers to share your content, but you risk alienating your consumers. Focussing on positive emotions is a much safer bet.  4. Feature personal triumphs It’s a myth that featuring a cute cat will make your video go viral. Such creative devices are ineffective, unless your content also elicits strong emotions from its audience. However, there are some underused creative devices that are more likely to attract large amounts of sharing. One is personal triumph, as used for example in P&G’s 'Best Job' from the 2012 Olympics. 5. Big up your brand Using poorly branded advertising is like throwing away your marketing budget.
 According to Dr. Nelson-Field’s research, there’s no relationship between how much sharing across social media a video achieves and the level of branding it uses. Nor does overt branding reduce a video’s emotional impact. So when you consider that the average social video has one third of the branding of the average TV commercial, there’s a huge opportunity for marketers to promote their brands via social video marketing. 6. Exhilaration can make a lasting impression Eliciting a strong, positive emotional reaction will not only boost your content’s shareability, but also help your audience to remember you – often for years to come. Which positive emotion is most likely to cut through the clutter and help viewers recall your message? At the individual emotion level, exhilaration is the most successful, followed by hilarity. However, exhilaration is an emotion that has been largely ignored as a creative hook by brands over the years, as bemoaned by Dr. Nelson-Field. In 2013, that started to change. We saw more examples of brands, such as GoPro, Ford, Red Bull and Volvo Trucks, embracing exhilaration and using it as the main focus of their video campaigns. 91BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 93. This highlights the importance of brands making shareable content for a reason. It’s not just about racking up a huge number of views among potential customers. It’s about being remembered, favoured and bought in the process. Throughout 2014, the trend of eliciting top-performing emotional reactions in social video content will only get stronger as the world’s gaze falls upon Brazil for the FIFA World Cup. When we trained Unruly’s algorithmic tool to predict viral success in the Brazilian market, we discovered that exhilaration was the most effective emotional trigger in the Latin American country – more effective than humour which is the most popular emotional sharing trigger in the US and UK. 7. Don’t under-invest in distribution and over-invest in creativity It’s all very well being the best violinist in the world, but if you’re playing in your bathroom, no one will hear you. The same goes with creating video content. Even if you have the most shareable video in the world, if you start with a small viewer base, the total shares and views will typically be small.  Investing in seeding your campaign across a variety of platforms will make it easier to deliver good sharing metrics over a shorter period of time. 8. Quality reach is key Reach is important, but it needs to be quality reach in order to maintain and increase your video views and shares.  There’s no point in simply placing your videos on your company’s Facebook or Twitter profiles – you’re already preaching to the converted. Besides, Facebook and Twitter brand profiles are inefficient at providing vast reach to consumers. To build the market share of your brand, reach out to light and medium buyers outside of your own social media channels. Find out all about Unruly and their global social video testing, distribution, sharing and analytics services. Watch this video of Dr. Karen Nelson- Field discussing key findings from ‘Viral Marketing: The Science of Sharing’. 92BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 94. Overview Little research has been conducted to date in the area of branded content, in spite of the rising use of this key marketing concept, and the estimated US $4bn value of the branded content market. As part of the Branded Content Marketing Association’s (BCMA’s) strategy to establish academic understanding as well as champion best practice and share learning, it has commissioned a study entitled ‘Defining Branded Content for the Digital Age’. Conducted by Oxford Brookes University and the BCMA’s global research partner Ipsos MORI, this study has two main purposes: 1. Identify and understand the different conceptualisations people use when talking about branded content 2. Develop a definition that helps to clarify the concept for a broad range of stakeholders and therefore supports the progress of branded content marketing practice By Bjoern Asmussen, Andrew Canter, Andrew Butler and Dr. Nicolette Michels RESEARCH Towards the future of branded content ‘Defining Branded Content for the Digital Age’, Findings of the Research Project, Phase One BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 95. The first phase of the study – a literature review of practitioner and academic publications – has resulted in the development of a new definition of branded content and the uncovering of emerging themes that will help organisations to harness the power of branded content. These initial findings are presented in this chapter. Why does branded content matter? Organisations creating branded content is nothing new, however the advancement of technology, particularly the evolution of social media, has made the process of content creation and dissemination much easier – even for end-consumers. Likewise, the consumption of branded content has changed dramatically and continues to do so. Today, consumers have an unprecedented freedom of choice when it comes to what they want to read, watch, or listen to. The best way for an organisation to get through to its target audience and receive positive attention in this challenging environment is therefore by creating great content. How? The study revealed four key strategies that organisations use to produce successful branded content: the content is either entertaining, informative, educational, or something that serves a function (e.g. the branded content could be an app that the target audience can 94 RESEARCHTEAM Bjoern Asmussen, Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Oxford Brookes University Business School Bjoern leads the Branded Content Research Team at Oxford Brookes University, which includes Andrew Butler and Dr. Nicolette Michels. Sarah Gale, Senior Director, Ipsos MORI, Media, Content and Technology Division “We’re delighted with the first phase of the results. One of the other elements of the study is that we’ve developed a new methodology for brands to plan effectively for branded content, using it as a core part of their marketing strategy.” Andrew Canter, CEO, BCMA “Content, in all its shapes and forms, is core to everything we do as marketers.” Econsultancy, 2013 PLAY AUDIO BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 96. download to make their life easier). The research also showed that these content strategies can be combined. The initial findings of the study indicate so far that organisations are using branded content mainly to meet two objectives: to create a positive brand meaning or image, and to engage with certain stakeholders. So it’s not predominantly about a quick win with a campaign or promotion – it’s more about developing deeper engagement and long-term relationships. The BCMA and Ipsos MORI have noticed an increasing emphasis on the use of branded content among marketers, with many major organisations integrating it now as a core element in their marketing strategies. This observation is supported by a survey conducted by Econsultancy in which 39% of digital marketing professionals nominated content marketing as one of their top priorities in 2013. We now live in a world in which virtually every digitally literate individual can become a branded content creator and distributor on an unprecedented scale, and this is a considerable paradigm shift, not only for marketers and their organisations but also for media companies. 95 “The future of the marketing department is half marketing and half publishing.” Joe Palazzo, Founder, Content Marketing Institute, 2012 BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 97. How are people talking about and using branded content? 96 “The concept of branded content is fundamentally flawed.” David Martin, Forbes, 2011 “The term ‘content’ seems a bit of a broad stroke owing to its multi-dimensional nature.” Amar Trivedi, Social Media Strategist, 2012 “There is a significant amount of confusion and controversy out there around what content is, what it does and how to use it.” Robin Thornton, Shaman Marketing, 2013 “‘Content’ is such a broad and fuzzy term that it tends to make any discussion of it broad and fuzzy as well.” Cindy Gallop, If We Ran The World, 2013 BACK TO CONTENTS
  • 98. Branded content comes in numerous different forms, such as native advertising, branded entertainment, advertiser funded programming, viral videos, and many more. It is therefore no surprise that the term ‘branded content’ means different things to different people, leading to misunderstandings and confusion. The first phase of the study has concluded so far that people talk about branded content in five different ways. These are categorised as: 1) The Traditional Trademark Owner (TMO) Perspective This perspective was originally developed in the pre-digital age when branded content was usually controlled by the trademark owner of the brand, who financed the production of the content. Since it was the pre-digital age, the content was most likely to be communicated via traditional media channels, such as TV, radio and print. For example, in the 1950s and 1960s, companies such as Procter & Gamble not only sponsored soap operas, but also paid for the entire production of TV shows, aiming to create some positive brand associations in the target audience’s mind. This perspective, where the trademark owner of the brand is in control of the created content, is still used nowadays. Some organisations produce and distribute branded content without the help of sophisticated digital media technologies. For example, in 2013 McDonald’s produced millions of books in the UK to replace the toys that accompanied its Happy Meals for children. In terms of volume, McDonald’s has subsequently become one of the UK’s leading book publishers and distributors, while the branded content activity aims to add educational values to its brand image. 2) The Digital TMO Perspective This second perspective refers to branded content initiated by the trademark owner of the brand and distributed on digital channels. The trademark owning organisation behind the brand is initially in control of the digital channel and the content they choose to publish or broadcast, however it is not in control of what happens to the content after release – for example, the amount of views online, or viewer comments that are made about a branded content video and published on the YouTube website. 97BACK TO CONTENTS