A new way for brands to connect people's hearts
The BCMA is in a privileged position to have access to the leading experts and pioneers of the branded content industry. This interview is a part of ‘For The Love of Branded Content’ series which brings together ‘thought-leaders’ from across the globe to share their ‘love’ and advice on what it takes to succeed in the ever-evolving world of branded content.
Patricia Weiss, Chairwoman BCMA South America, Strategic Consultant for Branded Content & Entertainment and Exec. Producer at ASAS.BR.COM, thinks branded content brings a new way for brands to connect people's hearts.
Learn more in her short interview below.
1. Why do you love branded content?
Branded Content is about the powerful intersection between brands and people: it refers to a new way for brands to connect people's hearts without interrupting their lives in the old self-centered marketing way but instead, bringing relevant messages that make sense while entertains the audience.
Branded Content has two essential drivers: to generate relevance and value to the audience being useful. And in its best way, it is the encounter of the brand’s purpose with the human insight.
A rich territory of experiences and relevant stories that transfers values and is fully oriented by what is really important to the audience – otherwise it will not involve nor engage – because people simply seek, get involved and dedicate their time to what is interesting and meaningful to them and not because it belongs to a brand.
2. What do you love the most about branded content?
Branded Content could mean brand legacy. When a brand with purpose tells meaningful stories about people, not about itself, acting as a catalyst of a broader conversation where the hero and protagonist is the audience, not the brand, and the brand's truth is in tune with people's truth through humanistic stories, it really creates value and can transform the culture taking the conversation to another level.
So, Branded Content with purpose, relevance, authenticity and original human stories are the most powerful ways of establishing emotional connection between brands and audiences.
3. One piece of advice you’d love to give someone undertaking branded content?
Choosing the path of meaningful narratives where stories are connected to reality - with a humanistic truth, has proven to work very well. A choice that is directly related to the brand's purpose, its vocation and role in the world and to what is relevant and makes sense to the audiences. So Brands must address the truth with honesty, amplitude and depth because this is what really matters to people, taking over the moral duty to represent the society and to transform the culture. Brands that generalize, for example, don't talk to everyone and generalization has become disposable in ads or any form of content and entertainment today, giving space to what spells the difference, to what is peculiar, types and genres. But brands need to do that responsibly and with consistency. This can't be done only to generate controversy and social sharing, but through humanistic stories, must be original and authentic narratives with human values, based on truth and made for real people. At the end of the day it should be about to create human connection.
4. What is the best example of branded content you love?
- The Spanish Lottery’s Justino - The Christmas Lottery
- Guiness’s The Sapeurs short documentary
- Chipotle’s recent brand story called “A Love Story”
- Always #LikeAGirl: “Girl Emojis”
- By Molico milk (a Nestlé brand): “Humanity In Me” - the series of 12 short movies with true stories, to propose a reflection about the importance of feminine values that live in all of us, regardless of gender.
- GE Sci-fi podcast series “The Message”