A company that teaches media organizations the types of video content that perform well on social platforms and sales teams to be successful with social video will help attendees at the upcoming Innovation Mission in New York City understand how to unlock the power of branded content video.
During the mission, we’ll hear from Tubular Labs, which will review best practices for selling and distributing branded video content on social media. We caught up with Jason Whitney, director of sales at Tubular Labs, to learn more about how they are helping media organizations monetize branded content video.
Here’s our interview with him.
First, tell us a little about your organization. 
Tubular Labs is a software company focused on measuring distributed video content. We have direct relationships with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Twitch that give us raw access to all of the public video consumption data on these platforms.
Our early customers have been digital-first media companies like Buzzfeed and Vice, but we have since branched out to traditional publishers who are looking for ways to monetize and grow the video engagement away from their core owned and operated media properties. Viacom, CNN, Disney, Graham Media, and the Washington Post are all great examples.
What are the most important trends you’re seeing in branded content today that media companies should be aware of?
The platforms want media companies to put out entire slates of video programming that look a lot like television programming. When we look at our video performance data, we can see that longer videos are getting significantly more viewership on average, even on Instagram. So, when you go to figure out your content strategy, don’t think that crazy cat videos are going to move the needle for you. Focus on the story arch, the on-air talent, and other factors that make great TV.
Media companies now more than ever are paying more attention to branded content. Why do you think it could and should be a significant part of their future business model?
If your organization already sells directly to advertisers – versus a programmatic-only advertising model – then branded content should be a key revenue stream. These activations are often undervalued and should be priced between a $0.10 and $0.15 cost-per-view.
For the print and broadcast folks out there, branded content can be a key product for solving demographic gaps in your ads offering. I’m 30 and I don’t watch the 5 o’clock news. I never will. I have a Sunday-only delivery of the NY Times print edition and it piles up next to my cat’s litter box. For contrast, I just checked my iPhone and I spend about 90 minutes every day on social networking apps. Building audiences on major apps and selling branded content against those audiences is the most straightforward way to create advertising products for targeting working-age consumers.
Are there niches or areas of focus that you think media companies should be looking at when they’re considering their branded content strategies?
The most profitable branded content businesses will integrate the most valuable group of advertisers’ products into the best performing content themes.
Start with which types of content perform best on your website and social channels. Where are your audiences most engaged? Develop an idea for a show or a segment based on these facts. For example: local news companies often see outsized performance from Facebook videos featuring musical performances, outdoor recreational activities, fashion (specifically shoes), and animal rescues.
Next, creatively think about how you could make a slate of programming that integrates the products and services of your most valuable blocks of advertisers. What kind of car did your show host drive to get to the trail head? What supplier provided the food for the event? Which store can you buy this season’s new look?
What will attendees learn from your team on this unique branded-content focused Innovation Mission?
We want to walk attendees through the the branded content sales process. What should you make? Who should you sell it to? What do you say in the sales meeting? What are the post-campaign expectations?
Attendees will leave with a simple checklist for what needs to get done to be successful.
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