Branded for profit

The new name of the game in the world of advertising is branded entertainment (BE). Media watchers say BE is not just a lot more effective in reaching out to target audiences than a film or a normal ad, it is also more costefficient and profitable.

While the concept of BE is not new, it is being innovated upon to suit the needs of the day. Some of the new trends emerging in this space are branded music videos and advertiser-funded feature films (AFFs) where home-video players embed brands into a DVD after a film has had its theatrical release. Navin Shah, CEO, P9 Integrated, the branded entertainment arm of Percept Group, says: “While broadcasters are looking for higher revenue, brand marketers are looking for value additions over traditional advertising.”

Mark Popkiewicz, CEO, MirriAd, a leading embedded advertising specialist, says: “Embedded advertising or BE is a hugely cost-saving alternative to regular advertising.”

So, what exactly are these new trends in BE? It is when the brand in question is digitally embedded during the making of an ad. For instance, when Slice came up with a new campaign called “Aamsutra”, the brand’s logo was embedded on the ad during the “making of the ad” section. Brand marketers like Moser Baer are also looking at embedded advertising for DVD releases.

 

Advantages of BE Branded Entertainment (BE) is estimated to be a Rs 100 crore industry in India BE can mean embedding a brand logo on an ad, a film or a TV show BE is a more effective alternative to traditional advertising with better recall value BE is also three to four times cheaper compared to traditional promotional mediums, and offers higher returns

 

— Anusha Subramanian