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BRANDED
ENTERTAINMENT

A S S I G N M E N T- 2
RHEA SEHGAL
FA S H I O N M A N A G E M E N T S T U D I E S
N I F T, M U M B A I
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INTRODUCTION
• Branded Entertainment is the insertion of a brand within an entertainment property in
such a way that the line between entertainment and advertising becomes blurred (
Moore, 2006 ). Branded entertainment blends editorial content (e.g., a television
program) and advertising content (e.g., brand messages) in a wide range of formats
that include from advergames to fashion films or branded user-generated-content.
• Branded entertainment is a new form of advertising. The term basically refers to the
act of integrating an advertising message or a brand with other entertainment content
with the use of media like TV shows, movies or video games (Also known
as Branded Content ).
• Ultimately, the content gives the brand an opportunity to connect with its audience in a
unique, engaging way. By using media to tell an entertaining story, you establish a
connection between the positive feelings viewers felt while consuming your content
and your brand.
• In contrast to content marketing (in which content is presented first and foremost as a
marketing ploy for a brand) and product placement (where advertisers pay to have
references to their brands incorporated into outside creative works, such as films and
television series), branded content is designed to build awareness for a brand by
associating it with content that shares its values. The content does not necessarily
need to be a promotion for the brand, although it may still include product placement.
• In 2003, the Branded Content Marketing Association was formed in order to promote
branded content to a wider, international audience. In January 2008, the BCMA
conducted a study intending to analyze the efficacy of branded content compared to
traditional advertising. Reportedly, over one-third of people were skeptical about
traditional ads, and only one-tenth trusted the companies producing such adverts. The
study concluded that "in the overwhelming majority of cases consumers preferred the
more innovative approach compared with traditional advertising". Over 95% of the
time, web sites that feature branded content were more successful than web sites
featuring typical advertisements, and are 24% more effective at increasing the
purchase intent of viewers. Branded content is most effective in the 18-34 age group,
who tend to react with more positive opinions and being overall more responsive to
branded sites. Online Publishers Association’s President Pam Horan concluded, “In
nearly every category measured, ad effectiveness scores on branded content sites
were numerically higher than on the web in general, on portals or on ad networks.

Source: www.igi-global.com, tarproductions.com, en.wikipedia.org, Marken, G.A.

"Andy" (2006). "Branded Entertainment". Public Relations Quarterly
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I M P O RTA N C E O F B R A N D E D
E N T E RTA I N M E N T I N
MODERN ERA
• Kids of this generation and even the young adults hate being interrupted in between
any sorts of online entertainment they are watching, be it YouTube or Netflix. They
usually tend to skip the adverts which come in the start, in the middle or at the end of
any series/movie/ song they are watching.
• Consumers of this generation have become more aware about everything around
them and new brands coming in. So they become annoyed by the advertisements
they see which they feel are interrupting their entertainment.
• Money is now moving from traditional to digital media; according to eMarketer, "digital
spending will see double-digit growth ... soaring from $83.00 billion in 2017 to $129.23
billion in 2021. Digital ad expenditures surpassed TV for the first time in 2016, and the
gap will widen by roughly $10 billion this year.“
• Brands need some sort of advertisements for their brands in order to improve their
sales. But they have dilemmas here; they can’t make traditional advertisements and
waste their money. This is because in this modern era, no one actually watches ads.
So, to give a solution to this problem, branded entertainment was introduced.
• There is a rise of brands moving towards producing, sponsoring, and being a part of
movies and other forms of media. This new trend is brand integration.
• A modern-day brand/product integration is different from as it was in 1950’s. The
content is more entertaining, engaging, and the brand is molded in it in such a way
that despite it being an hour long advertisement, people still watch it and have a want
for more.
• Branded Entertainment Growth v/s Traditional Advertising and Marketing , GDP 2013-
2022:

Source: www.feedough.com, Global Branded Entertainment Marketing Forecast 2018, PQ Media

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• BRAND INTEGRITY: While on one hand, product placement increases the sale of the
product, brand integration helps in increasing the brand equity. Usual promotional
mediums are so saturated and predictable that brands have had to shift to a different
and integrated content medium to promote themselves and their product. When talked
about usual ad mediums, consumers can now tune out ads from rest of the content
and ads get less attention, retention and benefit as compared to the price brands pay
for it.
• PULL EFFECT: Unlike advertisements, which push the consumer to watch the
content, brand integrations are a content of their interest. This marketing strategy pulls
the consumer to watch the content and get a positive image of the brand in their mind
at the same time.
• BRAND EXPOSURE AND ENGAGEMENT: The financial investments involved in
executing a brand integration strategy maybe huge as many influencers and
strategists may be involved in the production process. But this investment may do
wonders for the brand like it was seen in the case of Dell when it made What Lives
Inside which generated more than 6 million engagement. Intel and Toshiba played a
similar move when they came up with “The Beauty Inside”. The campaign resulted in
an 8 to 12 per cent increase in both brand awareness and purchase intent across all
four films.
• VIDEOS ARE MORE ATTRACTIVE: According to a recent study, viewers spend more
time watching digital videos than social networks. According to a Custom Content
Council survey, 73% percent of respondents said that branded content is better than
magazine ads, 63% percent preferred it to TV advertising, 62% favored it over direct
mail, and 59% said it trumps public relations.
• VIEWERS EVEN PAY FOR IT: The high costs of brand integration strategy may be
transferred to the user if the brand plays a clever move and release the motion picture
as a movie or on any paid platform like Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc.
• Brands are entering a new era where digital innovation is the new trend. They are
moving to where the millennials are. Brand Integration is nothing but a form of
authentic storytelling which is crafted according to the trend and needs and wants of
the consumer and the brand.
• To make it more precise, branded entertainment converge the needs and wants of
both the consumer (who want more entertainment), and brands (which want more
exposure and brand engagement). This along with an increase in video content
engagement during the past years have made it easy to conclude about the success
of this marketing strategy in the coming years. Many marketers will be seen investing
in brand integration practices and users can expect amazing content from them.
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B R A N D E D E N T E RTA I N M E N T
FRAMEWORK
• There are certain steps every brand has to follow when they decide to make a
Branded Entertainment for their brand. These steps are very crucial in making the
piece of media entertaining and relevant for the target audience to watch. These steps
are also important for devising the budget for their medium. Some brands have a
higher budget for advertising and some have lower. Following this framework, brands
can ensure about the medium getting maximum hits and watches and hence ensure
the right promotion of the brand to the correct target audience. The branded
entertainment framework comprises of 4 main stages.

MEDIUM OF

01 ENTERTAINMENT
CONTENT

02 IDENTIFYING TARGET
GROUP

IMPACT OF VARIABLES IN
03 SCRIPT MAKING

PURPOSE OF

04 ENTERTAINMENT
CONTENT
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1. MEDIUM OF ENTERTAINMENT
• The first step in this framework is the choosing of medium; what exactly would the
branded entertainment be? Would it be a movie, a song, an album, a play, a web
series, a sports event, a game show, a TV series or a reality show. This depends
a lot on the budget allotted and to the type of the brand. This also depends on the
other partner of the business. E.g. Drivezy collaborated with TVF for their web
series Tripling-2.

2. IDENTIFYING TARGET GROUP

• This is the part of Market Segmentation, where the audience who’ll relate to the
medium is identified. This is mostly the target audience for the brand.
• Geographic: This defines the target customer groups based on geographical
boundaries. Because potential customers have needs, preferences, and interests
that differ according to their geographies, understanding the climates and
geographic regions of customer groups can help determine where to sell and
advertise, as well as where to expand the business.
• Demographic: This sorts a audience by demographic elements such as age,
education, income, family size, race, gender, occupation, nationality, and more.
This defines the products and services customers buy, how they use them, and
how much they are willing to spend on them is most often based on demographic
factors.
• Behavioral: This divides audiences by behaviors and decision-making patterns
such as purchase, consumption, lifestyle, and usage. For instance, younger
buyers may tend to purchase body wash, while older consumer groups may lean
towards soap bars. Deciding on the basis of purchase behaviors enables brands
to develop a more targeted approach.
• Psychographic: This takes into account the psychological aspects of consumer
behavior by knowing the audience according to their lifestyle, personality traits,
values, opinions, and interests. This is important in case of large markets like the
fitness market whose customers into people who care about healthy living and
exercise.
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3. IMPACT OF VARIABLES IN SCRIPT MAKING

• This is the most crucial step when devising the screenplay and the backdrop of
the entertainment medium. This includes all the factors like the shoot location, the
storyline, the anchors, the actors, background of stages, timings of inserting the
brand in the script etc. For example, in the web series TVF Tripling-2, the actors
were chosen who were the exact replicas of the target audience of the brand. And
these were the characters, the audience will relate the most to.
4. PURPOSE OF ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT
• Lastly, it is very important to state the purpose of making any branded
entertainment for the brand. This follows the tri-component attitude model for
consumer behavior-

160 160 160

80 220 80 220 80 220
0 280 0 280 0 280
COGNITIVE EMOTIVE CONATIVE

The knowledge and How a particular viewer The likelihood or

perceptions that are
acquired by a
combination of direct
experience with the
brand and related
information from various
sources.
will relate to the brand; tendency that a viewer
his feelings and will undertake a specific
emotions action or behave in a
particular way with
regard to the brand.

• This is important to know what the brand wants; whether it wants the customer to
make a repeat purchase, or to be a loyal customer or to be a brand advocate.
• After following all these steps of the framework, a successful branded entertainment
can be made!