Why TV Producers Make the Best Branded Content

Branded Content is a brand’s most powerful tool. A direct collaboration between brands, content producers, and publishers and/or distributors, branded content shares brand values and ethos by telling value-added stories that resonate with consumers. While branded content campaigns continue to evolve to meet the needs of the modern consumer, the core of branded content, and its best creators, have remained consistent since the early 1900’s.

The origins of branded content can be traced back to the early 1930’s with the emergence of radio Soap Operas: dramas sponsored by soap manufacturers. Innovative and forward-thinking brands recognized the power and influence of storytelling, incentivizing them to wholly finance productions. In these early days, brands created and produced the content in-house, resulting in crude content that closely resembled traditional advertising. Understandably, it didn’t take long for audiences to grow weary of this new form of content, dismissing it alongside the other more interruptive advertisements they disliked. Audiences wanted to be entertained; they didn’t want to be constantly subjected to overt sales pitches. If brands were going to talk to their consumers, they had to offer something audiences actually wanted: an entertaining story.

With the understanding that story was king, the modern era of branded content was born. As brands told more stories, audiences grew more and more engaged. To fully capitalize on this attention-generating phenomenon, brands began to onboard TV Producers to helm their new productions. The thought-process was simple: as the individuals most experienced in producing stories, TV Producers would apply all of their already-honed skills into developing brand-financed content.

With brands on-boarding TV Producers it allows them to create more engaging content and enables them to expand on their storytelling. (Image Source: Unsplash - Sam McGhee)

With TV producers now at the helm of branded content, the content quickly become of a higher quality. Producers shined in all the areas that brands did not. The nature of television already provided TV Producers with a unique insight into team-building and collaboration, so they were immediately comfortable with coordinating multiple teams: a vital and indispensable part of the process when the content had to satisfy brands, broadcasters, and audiences alike. TV Producers could also use their key negotiation skills to manage multiple expectations and foster an amicable environment.

TV Producers are used to collaborating and working within teams; an indispensable part of creating satisfying content. (Image Source: Pexels - Lê Minh)

All great content comes down to one thing: story. A brand’s values are its story, and TV Producers are master crafters of stories. They understand how to transform brand stories into engaging, stimulating, and emotional journeys that provide value-added experiences for viewers. From 1930’s Soap Operas, to HBO’s brand integrations, to Huawei’s art films about indigenous female artists, the key to branded content is, and has always been, TV Producers.

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