Unpacking an underrated opportunity

Advertiser funded programming needs to break away from the modern model of TV funding through sold advertising around the content, to brands getting involved in developing the content or an idea with a broadcaster, or a producer, and either fully or partly funds that content.

AFP is not new, but it is misunderstood – and the name does not do justice to what can actually be achieved. Many consider AFP as just a vehicle for brand promotion. It’s more than that. Unlike product placement – a dated term – that allows the brand to create an unobstructive yet lasting impression, AFP is an integral part of the production: content that resonates with large, engaged audiences because it is entertaining and/or informative, and adds value to the broadcaster’s line-up.

Better known (and perhaps better understood) as branded content, AFP has brands integrated into the actual content, fully showcased and built into the storyline. This approach enhances the viewers’ experience and the broadcasters’ offerings – and the brand wins. This is the future of an effective integrated marketing communications (IMC) strategy.

augmenting the brand via the show, to a targeted demographic, with the intention of enhancing the brand experience. Do it right, and it is a recipe for success – as proven by Ray Bans in Risky Business, McDonald’s in the Kingsman, and, who can forget that in Skyfall, Heineken paid $45 million to replace the Vodka Martini as the spy’s drink of choice back in 2012.

A Viable Audience

So why should AFPs become an integral part of brand strategies? Whether viewing is on linear TV or via mobile streaming services, publishing and broadcasting platforms are commissioning and buying movies like The Bullet Train (a massive promotion for both the Virginia

Not everyone fully understands the potential of integrating brands into content to enhance viewer experience. Brand integration is about train, and Japan; and local content to entice South African audiences. Advert-free OTT services will continue to grow audiences and even if advertising becomes a feature, it will invariably do so with opt out options. So how do you reach this viable audience? With AFPs, aka branded content, of course. We’re not suggesting that advertising doesn’t work, or should fall by the wayside. On the contrary, AFPs complement an advertising campaign and brands that are integrated into content should run advertising campaigns concurrently –especially around the premier broadcast. It is also important to remember that today, TV shows live beyond a single airing, so your brand is not just seen in the initial flighting; shows can sit on streaming platforms for years – and reach a much broader demographic. And as data prices drop and bandwidth becomes more accessible, more people will turn to streaming, as it gives them greater options.

Producing local content is costly – and broadcasters have limited budgets. AFP can (and does) boost local TV productions by funding programming.

This is needed, as international programming becomes more expensive with our currency rates. To fulfil their local production mandate, broadcasters who simply don’t have mega budgets needto bring in advertisers to fund the production. Done right, this is a win-win for producers, broadcasters and advertisers.

We live in a time-stressed world, where time is the new currency and our capacity for attention is limited. The Goldfish Effect, a marketing term used to describe our short attention span, of under nine seconds, illustrates the constraints of delivering a brand message in rapid time.

Balanced Integration

So it makes sense to showcase brands in a complementary or companion environment, catching the viewer when they are engrossed in their show. The next challenge is to ensure that the content integration is balanced; that the brand depiction blends with the storyline, and that broadcasters are strict about maintaining this balance.

TV is still the most popular leisure activity and serial TV shows (in whatever form) still attract a loyal and attentive audiences – and this is why brands will continue running TV campaigns.

TV shows are often a reflection of life, whether it be a soap, reality series, a game show, or even a movie. If an actor is washing dishes in the show, they need to use a dishwashing liquid; don’t hide the brand, show it as this is natural integration and it is believable. You can find this type of integration in a fully commissioned show, not just an AFP, but the difference is that an AFP allows sponsors to have a say in how their brand is shown. AFP also allows smaller or less known brands the opportunity to compete with the big guys.

In a show it is not about who has the biggest TV budget, but who does the most believable integration. The current season of Ultimate Braai Master is, we believe, a very good example of how to deliver an AFP that is designed for sponsors but puts the viewer first.

While brands grapple with their own spiralling costs to produce ads that can be skipped or deleted, AFP is a winning solution for those who value brand integration done right – by making sure your brand fits with the viewer demographic and resonates with the audience you want to attract.

You will be hard pressed to find another advertising medium that offers effective media reach in a receptive environment, and at the same time, builds brand equity with an engaged audience.

Media strategist Virginia Hollis-Cannon is co-founder of strategic communication agency Magnetic Connection, and co-founder of G2 Connection, delivering integrated content and creative solutions in the TV and digital space. A regular contributor to various media and marketing digital publications, speaker, lecturer, chair and judge for numerous local and international awards, HollisCannon was awarded Media Legend by the industry’s MOST Awards in 2011 and the AdFocus Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. She is the current chairperson of the Market Research Foundation) and on the board of the Advertising Media Foundation.