In the US, Branded Entertainment is an increasingly considered element of an advertisers marketing mix. According to a recent survey by the Custom Content Council, 39% of US companies expect to spend more on branded content in 2012.The reasons for using branded content vary from improved education of consumers, to retention and brand loyalty. Branded-content initiatives are considered more effective than other leading forms of advertising and marketing.The opportunities for Branded Entertainment grow by the day, fuelled by the rise of digital and technological innovations and devices in the US and across the world. Branded Entertainment primarily exists as digital video content in the US, but there is an increase in executions such as films, documentaries, TV series, events, books and games.A report created by the Custom Content Council and ContentWise suggests that 16% of the top 100 US corporate marketers feel that their companies are shifting aggressively from traditional marketing into branded content. In addition to that, 30% of respondents felt that their branded content budgets would rise again in 2012. The marketers are most bullish on growth of branded content in digital.

We developed a branded entertainment platform called Ocean Views Films, aimed at reaching an audience of prospects that have traditionally tuned cruising out. It also provided brand relevance linked to pop culture.

The campaign drew an audience by rolling out the films during ‘Wave Season’, the period of the year when a large cross section people are planning travel for the year ahead (January to late March). The launch had 5 phases •pre-launch buzz •star-studded red carpet launch and twitter party on ship•distribution to travel agents•leveraging of owned media channels •paid media

•Increased unaided brand awareness by over 200%•Respondents exposed to display campaign 2.5X more likely to indicate top of mind awareness •Non-cruisers exposed to display ads nearly 2X more likely to consider booking •Reached 8MM unique consumers and 4MM new prospects •Of the 506,000 views via syndicated social sharing partner, the 2 Ocean Views Films averaged a 6.72% share rate (free media) – the avg. is 1-2% •1.7m active views of the film content -+135% lift in visitation to Royal Caribbean brand sites-+69% lift in branded search queries-+6 Royal Caribbean competitive share of voice increase-Over 110,000 click throughs via in-text advertising, resulting in a cost per visit below the industry norm of $2 -In partnering with Travelweekly.com, we had a .2 click-through rate which is 200% greater than the industry average. •Drove 142MM total exposures •+47% greater exposure vs comparable historic Royal Caribbean TV investment •Viewers watched 7-9 minutes of content, which is 5x longer than an average TiVo viewer •TiVo viewers averaged watching 103% of the short form trailers•Click-to-call feature’s results around exceeded expectations by a factor of 4x