The Brave New World Of Branded Entertainment
Posted by anastasia on 02-11-2008
I read PSFK's post titled "MTV's Game Plan & The Kids' Rejection Of Ads" and wanted to share some of my thoughts. When it comes to youth/advertising, I think the move is towards branded entertainment vs. traditional ads — sponsors can "bake in" contextual ads within video games or create immersive/branded experiences in virtual worlds. Product placement and branded entertainment on MTV and youth oriented television shows is already rampant. But most of the ads on social networking sites like MySpace are still just banner ads, even when they're "takeovers" or "skins." And when they try to be more immersive like with Beacon, they feel invasive. Like you can tolerate a contextual billboard in your video game when you're driving through a city or even enjoy flying your virtual Scion, but seeing your friends' purchases in their Newsfeed feels doesn't feel quite as natural — because you are wondering whether your friend is even aware that it's showing up there.
The question is what does branded entertainment look like within the social networking world? Until they figure that out, youth-heavy social networks will continue to struggle with advertising, ROI and monetizing their businesses.
The other bigger question or challenge in my mind, and something I'm thinking about focusing on for a keynote I'm giving at the Northeast Media Literacy conference in April is : How do you teach media literacy in a world of branded entertainment? I think there needs to be a curriculum that shows examples of in-game ads, sponsor integration into virtual worlds, product placement on television shows including actual scripted integration (like what Allstate has done on "Friday Night Lights" and now on "Girlfriends.") The old paradigm of clearly labeled and obvious advertising is dying as youth tune out, fast forward or switch screens. I get why the industry is moving in this direction, but I think it's our responsibility to be more transparent about who has paid for what in this brave new world of branded entertainment.
February 11th, 2008 at 11:03 am
Regarding transparency, a TV or movie should have to inform the audience at the beginning about product placements so that the audience can prepare to view the appearance of the product as an ad. Putting a notice in the closing credits isn't enough.
February 11th, 2008 at 11:30 am
It's all about brand competition & choice.
Always allowing the user to choose the amount of branding (and feel some element of control over it's presence), and then putting the pressure on the Brands for brand-on-brand competition–
1. To make better products in the real world. (If kids want it in RW, they'll want it online, or at least consider it a necessary representative of what THEY want people to associate with them)
2. To make better online products, that help ad to the overall 'cool' experience. Enhancing who they want OTHERS to think they are. Representations of awesomeness online.
3. But always remember they should feel some sort of privilege to be considered by the audience. Strategic empowerment benefits both sides.
February 11th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Actually, I disagree with both Eric and Izzy. I've heard alot of that before, and I don't think it's accurate anymore.
I think that if we want to understand where the future of branding is going, we should be looking at the "self-branding" phenomenon and turning those insights back around on traditional brands.
Brands need more depth. They need more engagement, more personality, more "human-ness" to them. To engage someone and keep them engaged, branding ought to be an ongoing process of interactivity between the customers and the people behind the brand. We should be eliminating the idea of a brand as something kids can interact with, because at the end of the day, a brand is only an abstract.
If you look at today's most successful brands - those brands have people that customers feel they have a virtual relationship with. Have you ever heard a loyalist discuss Steve jobs? It's like he thinks he knows what Jobs is thinking. Same goes for Disney as a brand. Same goes for Google. That's the future of branding.
I've rarely heard someone complain about seeing the newest Apple commercial.
February 12th, 2008 at 6:30 am
The brands you mention Kristen are distinguished by their ideology.
Eric: the FCC is looking into required disclosure for PP. Opt-in BE|BC will be made easier now with the advent of clickable hypervideo elements and dynamic brand insertion into online video, as is the case in IGA.
February 12th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Humanness & quality of service is one element within the over-all picture of needs. I definitely agree- there is a movement towards a higher level of assured customer service… but it's just one part of the over all picture towards choice.
If I'm standing in front of two like-restaurants, I have several decisions to make
1. quality of service, 2. bang for the buck, 3. choices in menu, 4. tone/experience.
All the new things in life seem to move towards our base initial reactions: improvement upon what we already expect and know.
And from a business side: improvements to make more money, compete, and grow.
I'm wondering if this is where Virtual worlds split: single-branded virtual world: depth. A virtual world of many brands: choice.
Pirates Online ROCKS because it has depth of story. Agreed for that one-brand MMO.
But how about Stardoll– a virtual quilt of brands, choices, company-competition-for your avatar's closet. I may not be able to fit in some of those designer jeans… but darn it! My avatar can. Sweet.
As a professional WITHIN the building/creation of this market… personally, I like companies to push the quality, in hopes of competition-for-market-improvement.
I want the best for the communities, and knowing that the bottom line doesn't always lean towards quality, I'm do know competition does help.
And if there is brand vs brand choice for the user, they get more bang for the buck in the end.
Perhaps I'm just too ideal… but I definitely don't want a community of lemmings, but if they have a choice to be a lemming for a brand? Well, there ya go.