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Current Branded content is welcomed into the measurement tent
That all sounds great, but how can it be measured and how can planners build up the layers around it that are essential success factors, such as driving traffic to the programming or the event or reinforcing the brand link, which may need to be played down for editorial reasons in the live material? Pointlogic in cooperation with OTX (a leading research company) and the UK-based BCMA (Branded Content Marketing Association) have been working on an innovative method to measure the performance and ROI of branded content. We’ve just finished some cases studies, which we are able to share, and we've distilled the results into what the BCMA have labelled the new Golden Rules for successful branded content.
Clients and planners around the globe are being tempted by the lure of branded content. Branded content is editorially led marketing that puts an advertising brand into the position of co-producer. Instead of being confronted by hard-selling messages, consumers are instead immersed in a warm bath with a brand for half an hour around a topic they are interested in, and subtle and deep associations with the brand are formed.
That all sounds great, but how can it be measured and how can planners build up the layers around it that are essential success factors, such as driving traffic to the programming or the event or reinforcing the brand link, which may need to be played down for editorial reasons in the live material? Pointlogic in cooperation with OTX (a leading research company) and the UK-based BCMA (Branded Content Marketing Association) have been working on an innovative method to measure the performance and ROI of branded content. We’ve just finished some cases studies, which we are able to share, and we've distilled the results into what the BCMA have labelled the new Golden Rules for successful branded content.
The work has shown that branded content is very effective, particularly in driving brand goals that involve emotional associations with a brand. However, it has also shown that when branded content is used together with traditional advertising in the right combination it dramatically increases the power of the branded content.
The new Golden Rules are:
1. Reactions to branded content are more positive than to traditional advertising.
2. Original and interesting branded content can impact positively on your brand.
3. Branded content can have a strong synergy with traditional advertising.
4. The promotion of branded content can itself have a powerful impact on a brand.
5. Combined campaigns can be informative and emotive.
6. Branded content helps you to stand out from your competitors.
7. Branded content is powerful – and with web support is even more powerful.
BCES is the BCMA's licensed industry-supported effectiveness measurement tool for branded content. To understand the BCES (Branded Content Evaluation System) we can review the first case study, which was commissioned by ITV, the UK's leading commercial broadcaster. It was to evaluate the new children's factual show Farm Camp, which follows the exploits of nine children as they embark on a unique adventure of discovery, swapping their city lives for country living to follow the real-life story of just where our food comes from. The show was funded by Morrison's supermarket to support their Let’s Grow initiative, and the campaign was tailored to both parents and children. We analysed four elements: programme, promotional trailers, website and press ads.
After just one exposure to the programme around 80% either liked the show 'a lot' or 'a little', which ranks highly compared with other benchmarks. For the first time we were able to measure the effect of each individual element of the campaign, which identified what impacted most positively on the target audience. We were also able to measure how different combinations of campaign elements worked together. For example, in the test group who saw one episode of Farm Camp, their association of Morrison's with the Let’s Grow initiative increased by 24% compared to those in the control cell. When all three elements are analysed together this increases to 37%.
While OTX carried out the research for BCES, Pointlogic brought the ability to transform the results into real-world scenarios so that we could go from a research measure of performance to understand what would happen if we took the activity out to the real world, incorporating reach and costs and the way the campaign message would build. This helped in particular to show the significant value of trailers, even if viewers did not see the full programme.
Sarah Messer, ITV's Head of Commercial Research, Central Strategy, said: "The BCES study that we conducted into Morrison's AFP Farm Camp has given ITV a deeper understanding of how to develop branded content projects, and has shown us that the support media for the content is critical to ensure maximum benefit for the brand. We recognise that the BCES methodology is a sophisticated and unique way of isolating the individual elements that make up a branded content campaign."
Andrew Canter, BCMA's Managing Director and CEO of contentworx (part of Experience Communications), added: "We are thrilled to have these great case studies to kick-start the process of ensuring the BCES becomes the industry standard and universally accepted measurement technique for branded content. The BCES has finally given us the evidence the industry desperately needed that branded content is an extremely powerful marketing solution and will continue to grow in popularity. Importantly it gives marketers the accountability and decision support system they require to sign off branded content campaigns."
From a Pointlogic perspective, we see great potential for branded content and for this measurement technique. There is a deep underlying need for accountability around all pitches for branded content work, and now that question can be answered with a powerful and actionable technique developed by the BCMA.
Current Branded content is welcomed into the measurement tent
Branded content is welcomed into the measurement tent
That all sounds great, but how can it be measured and how can planners build up the layers around it that are essential success factors, such as driving traffic to the programming or the event or reinforcing the brand link, which may need to be played down for editorial reasons in the live material? Pointlogic in cooperation with OTX (a leading research company) and the UK-based BCMA (Branded Content Marketing Association) have been working on an innovative method to measure the performance and ROI of branded content. We’ve just finished some cases studies, which we are able to share, and we've distilled the results into what the BCMA have labelled the new Golden Rules for successful branded content.
Clients and planners around the globe are being tempted by the lure of branded content. Branded content is editorially led marketing that puts an advertising brand into the position of co-producer. Instead of being confronted by hard-selling messages, consumers are instead immersed in a warm bath with a brand for half an hour around a topic they are interested in, and subtle and deep associations with the brand are formed.
That all sounds great, but how can it be measured and how can planners build up the layers around it that are essential success factors, such as driving traffic to the programming or the event or reinforcing the brand link, which may need to be played down for editorial reasons in the live material? Pointlogic in cooperation with OTX (a leading research company) and the UK-based BCMA (Branded Content Marketing Association) have been working on an innovative method to measure the performance and ROI of branded content. We’ve just finished some cases studies, which we are able to share, and we've distilled the results into what the BCMA have labelled the new Golden Rules for successful branded content.
The work has shown that branded content is very effective, particularly in driving brand goals that involve emotional associations with a brand. However, it has also shown that when branded content is used together with traditional advertising in the right combination it dramatically increases the power of the branded content.
The new Golden Rules are:
1. Reactions to branded content are more positive than to traditional advertising.
2. Original and interesting branded content can impact positively on your brand.
3. Branded content can have a strong synergy with traditional advertising.
4. The promotion of branded content can itself have a powerful impact on a brand.
5. Combined campaigns can be informative and emotive.
6. Branded content helps you to stand out from your competitors.
7. Branded content is powerful – and with web support is even more powerful.
BCES is the BCMA's licensed industry-supported effectiveness measurement tool for branded content. To understand the BCES (Branded Content Evaluation System) we can review the first case study, which was commissioned by ITV, the UK's leading commercial broadcaster. It was to evaluate the new children's factual show Farm Camp, which follows the exploits of nine children as they embark on a unique adventure of discovery, swapping their city lives for country living to follow the real-life story of just where our food comes from. The show was funded by Morrison's supermarket to support their Let’s Grow initiative, and the campaign was tailored to both parents and children. We analysed four elements: programme, promotional trailers, website and press ads.
After just one exposure to the programme around 80% either liked the show 'a lot' or 'a little', which ranks highly compared with other benchmarks. For the first time we were able to measure the effect of each individual element of the campaign, which identified what impacted most positively on the target audience. We were also able to measure how different combinations of campaign elements worked together. For example, in the test group who saw one episode of Farm Camp, their association of Morrison's with the Let’s Grow initiative increased by 24% compared to those in the control cell. When all three elements are analysed together this increases to 37%.
While OTX carried out the research for BCES, Pointlogic brought the ability to transform the results into real-world scenarios so that we could go from a research measure of performance to understand what would happen if we took the activity out to the real world, incorporating reach and costs and the way the campaign message would build. This helped in particular to show the significant value of trailers, even if viewers did not see the full programme.
Sarah Messer, ITV's Head of Commercial Research, Central Strategy, said: "The BCES study that we conducted into Morrison's AFP Farm Camp has given ITV a deeper understanding of how to develop branded content projects, and has shown us that the support media for the content is critical to ensure maximum benefit for the brand. We recognise that the BCES methodology is a sophisticated and unique way of isolating the individual elements that make up a branded content campaign."
Andrew Canter, BCMA's Managing Director and CEO of contentworx (part of Experience Communications), added: "We are thrilled to have these great case studies to kick-start the process of ensuring the BCES becomes the industry standard and universally accepted measurement technique for branded content. The BCES has finally given us the evidence the industry desperately needed that branded content is an extremely powerful marketing solution and will continue to grow in popularity. Importantly it gives marketers the accountability and decision support system they require to sign off branded content campaigns."
From a Pointlogic perspective, we see great potential for branded content and for this measurement technique. There is a deep underlying need for accountability around all pitches for branded content work, and now that question can be answered with a powerful and actionable technique developed by the BCMA.