People love it!
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.
João Belmar, Project manager at Bro, says people love it!
Learn more in his short interview below.
1. Why do you love branded content?
What I like the most about today’s Branded Content is the increased proximity of brands to people, through contents that are relevant to them, that entertain or move them.
2. What do you love the most about branded content?
The respect for the audience. The audience is increasingly more "intelligent", completely saturated with the classic advertising message, which ends up creating the exact opposite effect on people and often even aversion and disgust for brands. Branded Content brought a glamour (a different perfume) lost in advertising, brought another truth sometimes even reality, made the brands speak eye to eye with the consumer! An excellent example was the coming together of two areas that have often lived apart, Advertising and Cinema, which nowadays go hand in hand as it is everyday more common to see a short made for a brand and directed by renowned filmmakers. People love it!
3. One piece of advice you’d love to give someone undertaking branded content?
Not all good content will necessarily be ideal for a brand. Content has to be good of course, but it also has to be part of a good strategy, a concept that fits the values of the brand that we want to convey. It’s fundamental! If we impose content to a brand, the consumer will understand right away and it will create the exact opposite feeling of what we intended. The secret of Branded Content is the mastery of adapting content or telling stories where the protagonist and hero should always be the consumer, not the brand, making sense for the audience, informing and conveying the meaning and values of the brand, without forcing the sale of the product. If all of this is well done, it will surely make the brand stick to the consumer's mind for a longer period of time and almost always in a positive way.
4. What is the best example of branded content you love?
I like Branded Content, which I define as "real", with real people and real stories. When a brand "appropriates" itself, without being forced of course, of a beautiful or inspiring true story, the message has a tremendous impact and the brand acquires the patrimony of these same feelings for itself. Of course this does not happen by chance and this whole reality needs to be integrated into a concept or have a great strategy behind. I like to give as an example a 2013 campaign "Dove Real Beauty Sketches" that I believe materializes what I just mentioned: reality with a great concept behind. A powerful idea and creative solution that helped humanize the Dove brand and enthralled people for various reasons: it focused on the audience, as a protagonist and hero, touched on relevant human issues, weaving into the story the consumer insight and Brand Truth, the truth of the brand, its purpose, and with mastery, transferring authenticity, transparency and originality to the content.
Another example of Branded Content that I love, with a true story, was the movie we did with BRO last year for BPI Bank. Daniel's story thrilled and inspired us. It was a great help in improving the bank's image before the public!
As I mentioned earlier, I'm also passionate about fiction Branded Content, which are authentic movies! Short films written and produced representing the brands without them being necessarily and massively present at all time. In essence, what matters is the experience the viewer / consumer will have watching these pieces and the goodwill created in relation to the brand. Estrella Damm brand has done a brilliant job in this field and the short film "Vale" is a great example.