Channel 4 and Vice describe the perfect client for branded shows

Amodio says that Channel 4 is more than open to briefs from advertisers: “It gives our commissioning teams more budget, it gives them another route to make great content.”

Advertiser-funded content sometimes happens because a publisher has an idea but needs extra budget, so goes out to the market. The most common scenario, however, is that a brand comes to the publisher with a brief.

It isn’t always a match made in heaven, however, and Amodio admits that Channel 4 has received some “really bad briefs” from agencies over the years. Some, he says, are nothing more than a long list of KPIs and he urges brands to trust the publisher and “always respect the viewer”.

“Treat branded entertainment exactly the same way as any other commission and respect the viewer by making stuff they really want to watch and not banging product against their heads,” he says.

For Channel 4, the majority of branded entertainment shows come through its in-house digital production arm, 4Studio, which partnered with Dominos in 2021 for the digital series Yodel Rap. Dominos approached Channel 4 and tasked it with bringing its Yodel brand platform into popular culture. The series amassed 3m views, had 40,000 engagements and a completion rate of 75%.

@channel4 Yodel rap is taking over the streets Add your bars #YodelBoiz #DuetChallenge #DuetWithMe #Dominos #YodelRap ♬ original sound - Channel 4

“Working with brands that have a clear idea of what they want to achieve and then us understanding that is the first ingredient, and then it is about working with the best production team,” explains Amodio.

While brands have spent decades trying to crack branded entertainment on linear TV, Amodio says digital might be an easy way in. “There is an appetite for brands to create digital content as it can be more versatile and not at the mercy of a schedule, where if it doesn’t land it’s an expensive mistake to make.”

For Carsten Meijer, the senior vice-president of commercial at Vice Media Group, half the battle is matching an advertiser with the right Vice brand. Among its portfolio are publications such as Refinery 29, ID and Vice News and Meijer says that to partner up with a Vice brand, an advertiser needs to come with a clear understanding of what they would like to achieve and what audience they want to target.

Recently, ID tied with Marc Jacobs to deliver a music series. The partnership evolved after the luxury fashion brand approached Vice to celebrate music’s crossover with fashion. While some brands seem like an obvious match, Meijer says the opportunity is open to a wide range of companies, such as a recent project with the European Commission.

“For FMCG brands and automotive it is harder, but that is where you need creativity and to consult those brands on how they can be in culture. As an advertiser, you now need to build your own tribe and that tribe can consist of many different subgenres that become one culture and support your brand because it stands for a topic.”