VIEQUES, Puerto Rico — Branded content is easy to pull off in the online video world, but that doesn’t always mean it should be done, says Rob Norman, Chief Digital Officer at GroupM Global, during an interview with Beet.TV at the Beet Retreat 2013 in Vieques, Puerto Rico.
Branded content has been around for years and is becoming more popular thanks to the ease of online video, but there are several guidelines brands and programmers should follow to be successful. The most desirable branded content is the kind that distributors consider good enough to fit into their regular programming slates and even to pay for, he explained. He points to A&E’s “Fix This Kitchen” that integrates GroupM client IKEA into a classic makeover style show.
The show has helped elevate the brand image, is in its third season for the network and has also been licensed in Holland, he adds. Other types of branded content include those where the brand creates the programming, which is then distrrbuted on another platform for broader reach. There is also content a brand creates for its own platforms, such as its YouTube or Facebook page or its Web site. “In an online video world, both sellers and buyers of those integrations have to keep the viewer experience in mind,” Norman tells us.
-Daisy Whitney
