A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Branded Entertainment By Lee Kaplan, Senior Associate Producer, O2 Media, Inc. Television advertising has certainly come a long way since the 1950’s. That’s when advertising agencies determined that the most effective way to reach consumers would be by creating shows that featured a single product or line of products from a single company. From this concept came television shows, including titles like “Kraft Television Theater,” “Colgate Comedy Hour,” and “Coke Time.” These television programs were typically produced by advertising agencies for their clients. This practice worked well for the clients for a while. However, as television gained popularity and viewership increased, the television networks were raising the costs of doing business. This upward pressure on the cost of delivering a production over television forced a massive change in the relationship of all parties which included; advertising agencies, client/sponsors and television networks. A solution had to be found if this powerful advertising medium was to continue to be cost effective for the sponsors. An NBC executive came up with a solution when he introduced the "magazine concept" of television advertising, in which sponsors would purchase blocks of time (typically one to two minutes) in a show rather than be a sponsor of the entire show. This idea would allow a variety of sponsors for a program. Like a magazine, the networks would now control the content as no one advertiser would "own" a particular show. By 1960, the magazine concept dominated television advertising and has ever since. Instead of relying on audience identification with a specific show, sponsors now spread their messages across the schedule in an effort to reach as many consumers as possible. The ability to spread their advertising dollars out to reach a broader segment of the population proved very effective for the sponsors. Fast forward to today where viewers can watch their favorite shows by using a DVR. This technology completely changed the effectiveness of television advertising for companies. Even before such technology existed, commercials breaks were known to be times for “bathroom breaks” and “snack runs.” Now, when programs are recorded and watched at the viewer’s leisure, the fast forward button allows that viewer to speed straight through those commercials that companies have paid to be aired.
What is a company to do? How do they get their message to the consumer? The answer…. “Brandutainment™.” In other words, Branded Entertainment television shows that are completely solution driven. A recent example of how a company reached viewers through a branded entertainment platform was InCharge® Debt Solutions on “The Balancing Act” on Lifetime. The challenge that InCharge had was breaking through the clutter in the credit counseling industry. With hundreds of companies with potential solutions to families in financial trouble, InCharge had to separate themselves from the pack. InCharge® Debt Solutions partnered with “The Balancing Act” to bring viewers a 13-‐week-‐series called “Money 411,” whereby viewers were educated about various financial solutions such as being smart about debt and credit, household budgeting, foreclosure prevention, etc. Each week a solution to a common financial issue facing families was presented in an entertaining, non-‐commercial manner. By using a Branded Entertainment venue such as “The Balancing Act,” the benefits to InCharge were far greater than purchasing traditional commercial time. They educated viewers on important and relevant topics, they were positioned as an expert in their field by appearing on a national television show in a non-‐commercial manner, providing solutions to viewers, and they had the ability to use assets and the footage from the 13 weekly segments on their website and on the Internet. Television advertising certainly has evolved since the 1950’s. Today’s advertisers have more options than they did in the 50’s and 60’s, some of which have been necessitated by technology and busy lifestyle. No longer does a television viewer have to, or want to, spend their time watching a commercial where they are overtly being sold a product. Today’s viewer demands more and Branded Entertainment is a platform whereby a company can entertain, educate, and provide relevant solutions to viewers. A funny thing happened on the way to Branded Entertainment.