In the US, Branded Entertainment has become a central component of a brand’s marketing mix. According to a recent survey by the Custom Content Council, 4 out of 5 marketers are increasing their focus on this growing and coveted space.

The reasons for using branded entertainment include driving awareness, engagement, purchase intent and brand loyalty. In the US, there are no overarching rules or restrictions imposed by the TV Networks when it comes to Branded Entertainment, other than the standard restrictions against nudity and cursing. In some instances, TV networks do restrict advertisers from running commercials and/or branded content featuring talent during the commercial time of a show that the same talent stars in. These restrictions are at the discretion of individual networks.

The opportunities for Branded Entertainment increase daily, fueled by the rise of digital innovations and mobile device penetration in the US and across the world. Branded Entertainment is primarily focused in the digital realm in the US. Recently, however, it has extended into new platforms, such as film, live events, gaming and TV, due to its strong and validated ROI.

The videos brought the idea that "Every Move Counts" to life by starring the best extreme sports athletes in action, creating an immersive experience that generated a visceral response from our target.

We initiated a phased video rollout, seeding them first with influencers who were more likely to share the content if they “discovered it.” We provided 48-hour exclusives to specific bloggers strongly identified with extreme sports. Once a grassroots engagement had been established, content was disseminated to video snacking sites (Metacafe, DailyMotion, etc.) and ultimately to traditional media partners (ESPN, Break.com) to maximize views.

Content was showcased immediately before high-adrenaline/action films to further establish the link between the brand and the action.

A destination hub, The Adrenalist, was created, offering videos, articles about extreme adventure and breathtaking visuals. Twitter and Facebook were leveraged to stir conversation and Twitter trend was leveraged to help promote the videos

• 3X average benchmark for branded content campaigns in male grooming category over the last 5 years

• In top 10 social video campaigns by True Reach in category over last 15 months

• Sales increased 15% pre-campaign launch, lifting Degree’s SOM.5%.

• Produced 9.1 million video views in first week, of which 93 percent watched entire video.

• 41MM long form video views, exceeded KPI nearly 3x

• Engagement scores (avg percentage of video viewed) for all five promoted assets outperformed benchmarks by more than 2 to 1 (79% vs. 35% industry average)

• Degree Men Facebook page had 1.6MM organic/viral impressions and over 4,000 likes