Branded content is the future of effective advertising, according to Launch Factory managing director Spero Patricios, who believes it is the best way to get around consumer frustration.
As the media pushes for increased revenue, marketing and advertisements have become more popular to create profit.
However it has not gone down well with viewers who have been bombarded with interruptions between programmes, leading to branded content.
Patricios, of South African agency Launch Factory which creates branded content, said it is the middle ground reached by the media and brands as audiences dictate their wishes and preferences.
He said despite the explosion of the internet, broadcasters still have the most reach to audiences and so broadcasters and brands must collaborate.
“The secret of branded content is to make it not seem like marketing,” Patricios said.
Without noticing, he said, the world’s best companies are the best storytellers. He cited companies such as Airtel and Coca-Cola.
The art of branded content, he said, relies on making sure broadcasters and brands have what they want and the viewer getting as much programming without interruptions as they would wish.
“Branded content makes consumers stop thinking with their minds and makes them think with their heart,” he added.
Branded content, he said, is the future of advertising so long as they remain honest, engaging and relevant and keep their style of making the story bigger and disguise the brand being marketed.
