69% of brands predict budget increase on branded content in coming year
Two thirds of brands (66 per cent) and agencies (65 per cent) say that branded content marketing has become very important or most important to their marketing mix, research from MailOnline has discovered.
A survey of over 600 online advertising and marketing executives has found that both brands (70 per cent) and agencies (77 per cent) have employed branded content marketing for advertising purposes in the last year.
It was discovered that 83 per cent of brands have used content marketing for their website or email, while 67 per cent have purchased it as a form of advertising.
Sean O’Neal, global chief marketing officer for MailOnline, said: "There are many 'flavours' of branded content marketing from native advertising to content hubs, from advertorials to branded entertainment and even custom video, but given the onset of social media, there has been an evolution of this marketing approach and a new emphasis placed on it by both clients and their agencies. It is now a top tactic for driving brand lift and sales lift online.”
In terms of branded content, 72 brands said their spending on branded content increased in the past year, with 69 per cent predicting a budget increase in the coming year. On the agency side, 71 per cent said their clients spent more in the last 12 months on branded content marketing and 73 per cent added that their clients’ spending on branded content marketing will increase over the coming 12 months.
Agencies suggested that brand lift was the most important method of measuring the effectiveness of a campaign, while the top response for brands was sales lift.
O’Neal added: "Content marketing is intended to take advantage of the one key difference between marketing and content which is that consumers are more guarded against marketing messages. For this reason, many brands are becoming adept 'publishers' of information and content, and tapping into the more trusted nature of valuable content vs. advertising."
Of the buyers who haven’t yet tested branded content marketing, 57 per cent of brands said they plan to test in the next year and 84 per cent of agencies said they plan to test in the next year.