Branded entertainment

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Branded Entertainment is the combination of an audio-visual programme (TV, radio, podcast, etc.) and a brand. It can be initiated either by the brand or by the broadcaster. The purpose of a branded entertainment programme is first to entertain. The other purpose is to give the opportunity for brands to echo their commercial benefits and the positioning they want to defend.

Originally, branded entertainment started some 50 years ago under the name of "soap operas". Now they have become the way for advertisers to let their messages come across in a "not so commercial" way, e.g. Product placement or Advertiser Funded Programming. This development is one of the consequences of the fragmentation of media and the fact that the traditional 30-second TV spot has become less and less effective to reach consumers fragmented over hundreds of channels and the Internet.

Branded Entertainment is not product advertising or product placement - branded entertainment is a piece of entertainment that perfectly aligns with the brand attributes, it's a reflection of the brand personality. ie: a piece of branded entertainment for Jack Daniels for example doesn't need to feature a bottle of Jack Daniels, it merely has to fit within the entertainment preferences of its audience, to stick the experience of the entertainment to the brand, then it could be distributed on the Jack Daniels site - making it branded entertainment.

A example of true branded entertainment is "City Hunters", an animated TV series for AXE Body Spray. The series premiered throughout Latin America on October 2006 on the FOX network. It was co-produced by Unilever for the AXE brand. It is a male-targeted series that integrates the AXE brand into the storyline. The animated series follows the antics of an aging Casanova, Dr. Lynch, and the young man he's training in the art of seducing women. The series was created by Catmandu Branded Entertainment, a branded entertainment firm in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The characters were developed by Italian illustrator Milo Manara. The series, also has an on-line component: http://www.cityhunters.tv/ar

For examples of Branded Entertainment, go to http://www.tivoteflon.com, or http://www.ScienceandFiction.com , http://www.CTURookie.com, http://www.RedBullCopilot.com