According to a study conducted by the Custom Content Council, branded content marketing has increased by 13% over the past few years - a new record. This can be attributed to two things: The rapid pace of innovation in technology, digital and social media and brands recognizing the rich dialogue and dynamic communications experiences they can create with consumers through the creation and distribution of content, and the conversation it precipitates.

Good branded content/entertainment aims to tell a story and evoke an emotional connection between brands and consumers. We’re seeing this manifest in purposeful content that is disseminated across a brand’s owned, earned and paid media. Through these experiences, brands are able to create new avenues to increased awareness and brand affinity, virality of content and earned media, and in many cases increased sales. To date, there is little to no regulation in the United States for branded content and we are seeing it across all mediums from television to social media to mobile.

To fully engage the Target guest in the experience, the movie was cut into three parts so the time-starved guest wouldn’t be overwhelmed. We also made sure the shoppable experience was new and different than on any other site. As guests watched, they were able to save items from inside the movie into a shopping cart to purchase after the movie was over. This concept was promoted through earned media and banner-ads, Taxi TV, YouTube, and Target’s social media channels. In addition, the movie preview was viewed by the cast, friends and media to garner buzz and excitement.

The Target brand was accelerated in the category of innovation and guest experience. Falling for You is recognized as Target’s most innovative event to date because it blurred the lines of entertainment, shopping and branded content. It allowed the guests to interact with the product at their own pace and see it styled by celebrity stylists and set designers for Hollywood stars like Kristen Bell creating an aspirational component. Although branded content is not new, Target was able to fill a need for content that entertains and presents a way to multitask and shop at the same time.

Target’s Falling for You film and campaign exceeded expectations. Earned media numbers were staggering, finishing with over 387m impressions. The site Target.com/fallingforyou had 50 times the normal amount of visits during an event at 63,000 and on the day of the actual event, a live stream was watched on over 3,600 computers and mobile devices. An Associated Press story was reposted on more than 500 sites, and on Twitter #FallingForYou was used on its own 1,957 times.