BRANDED CONTENT

Films that transcend traditional, informational marketing videos

Branded Content builds stories around what your organization stands for, the people who your products or services are designed for, and the lifestyles that are made possible. Creating branded content films is an investment in viewers becoming emotionally connected, entertained by, and invested in your brand.

This high-level form of content marketing transcends traditional, informational product videos, in that their core foundation is built on creative storytelling and a human element. It is a way to connect with the hearts and minds of your audience that also links back to a product or service in innovative ways.

It is an exceptionally valuable form of digital marketing that focuses less on products or services, but instead develops an organization's ethos—it invests in the soul of the company and shares that with viewers to build connection and awareness, but also, over the long term, loyalty as well as investment.

Successful branded content enables viewers to understand the why of your organization—not just the what and the how. Branded Content generates stories about the people whose lives your products or services have changed and channels sources of inspiration that help viewers become invested in a bigger picture.

Marketing techniques and advertising practices change constantly, and in this new landscape, most people have a very low tolerance for anything that sounds even close to a sales pitch. Branded content does something a bit different. So, what is it anyway?

Its purpose is to drive engagement through content and often exists in mediums such as videos, podcasts, articles, and even live events. Branded content does not focus on the actual product as it does the quality of the brand itself.

The content usually tells a story, evokes an emotional response, is entertaining, or is making a social statement. Branded content is less focused on sale conversion and more interested in creating conversation around the brand. It is not a sales pitch nor is it an invasive form of marketing. Because branded content appears more consumer focused, trust can be built between the consumer and the brand, becoming a very effective marketing technique.

In our THOR Industries film feature on the Laird Family, entitled “Why We RV With Kids,” two women from Texas are raising their triplet daughters on the road, touring the most beautiful regions of the United States in an RV. The premise of this branded film was to illustrate an alternative way to see the country, a way for the parents to spend more consistent quality time with their children, and create excitement around the prospect of adventure as a lifestyle. The product, a Jayco RV, becomes a means to these ends, and the central focus of the branded content is the lives of these women choosing to raise their daughters in a unique way, on their own terms. The audience can relate to the Laird’s daily parental routines, be entertained by the delightful and loving personalities of the little girls, and become inspired to imagine their own adventure. The Jayco RV become an element of the story that has made all of this possible, and therefore represents excitement, a way to take life into one’s own hands, and something that can become not just a dwelling, but a home.

The THOR Industries film was shared on Facebook where it received more than 4 million views, 10k likes, and was shared over 700 times, which represents more than 400 percent exposure compared to other content engagement across the same platform.