Branded content is an essential part of any successful advertising strategy, and there are plenty of stats to prove its value. The Branded Content Project shares a quick animated video to help your teams understand the growing opportunity around branded content.
The data behind the “why does this work?”
Many of our favorite stats that prove the value of branded content from the video above come from Pressboard Media co-founder Jerrid Grimm, who shared with us 10 important stats.
“Branded content has become way more than a buzzword. This form of advertising has transformed since the early days of advertorial, with more publishers and advertisers investing in it than ever before,” Grimm said. “Even the biggest names in the business have overhauled their teams to make it an essential part of their digital ad sales. And yet, while we celebrate content studios like T Brand and WP Brand Studio for taking the industry to new heights, what do we really know about the impact of all these stories being created?
“The answer is, a lot more than we did a few years ago. Branded content is often a premium product (read: expensive), with prices ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 and above, depending on your partners and the size of the campaign. As such, more teams have taken it upon themselves to prove the effectiveness of branded content. The good news is that beyond being a powerful awareness tool, content can translate directly into more eyes on your brand’s website and more cash in your till.”
Branded content is 22 times more engaging than display ads because it contains compelling information that audiences are already seeking out.
Readers spend an average of 44 seconds engaging with written branded content, which is significantly higher than the average 1.6 seconds they spend with a banner ad.
“‘Banner blindness’ is a real issue for marketers today. Users have become so used to ignoring the ads that frame their content that click-through rates for banners has fallen to less than 0.1 percent. These ads are generally considered annoying and disruptive, so it’s no wonder that they’re less engaging than branded content, which offers information readers are already seeking out,” Grimm said.
But there’s more …
The Branded Content Project pulled five of our favorite stats that show the growth, benefits and opportunities open to local media organizations in the space. These stats from across the industry can help guide your planning for new 2021 initiatives. Should you build a branded content strategy for next year? The data says YES!
- Branded content drives higher brand recall than pre-roll ads. According to a Nielsen report, branded content produced 86 percent brand recall, compared to 65 percent with pre-roll.
- An IPG Media lab-led study shows that brand recall is 59 percent higher for branded content than for digital ads.
- It also pays to partner up. Nielsen reports that marketers who distributed their branded content through a publisher’s network see a 50 percent higher brand lift than those who publish on their own.
- We can only go up from here. AdYouLike expects native advertising revenue to grow from 85 billion dollars in 2020 to 402 billion by 2025.
- And according to Technavio, overall content marketing growth is expected to reach 412 billion dollars in 2021.
What about COVID?
Are you wondering how the landscape looks for advertisers in a post-COVID world? Storytelling as a strategy and brand marketing around cause and community continues to expand and grow.
According to a recent study by IAB, publishers are creating different content sponsorship opportunities or creating entirely new from scratch content adjacency/sponsorship opportunities that buyers can leverage.
Cause marketing platforms were an excellent and recommended strategy before COVID-19, and the benefits of launching a cause or mission-driven initiative have only been amplified by the current crisis.
When advertisers were asked in Borrell’s SMB Panel from June, “How will your spending on each media change once COVID-19 subsides?” 31 percent of advertisers plan to spend more on content marketing and 8 percent will spend for the first time. Content marketing is in 3rd place after broadcast TV and search advertising.
The data demonstrates that branded content is a growing area for advertisers. Adding in content strategies to your 2021 revenue planning can successfully drive revenue and profit while giving consumers what they want, quality and engaging content.
Looking for more data? Check out Pressboard’s 15,000+ word guide to branded content.
Wondering how to get started? Discover these stats plus more details on selling, building, and distributing branded content: VISIT BRANDEDCONTENTGUIDE.COM FOR THE FULL GUIDE!
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