The U.S. is relatively unconstrained by regulation. However, people are exposed to ludicrous amounts of content on an everyday basis. The biggest barriers relate to the age-old problem of creating something that consumers actually care to engage with, that also happens to be related to the needs of the brand.

Making it even harder to crack is that we’re beyond the point where branded content might be considered

‘clean space’; it is a well-established, competitive environment. By 2012, 63% of advertisers were planning to participate in branded entertainment, and in 2014, spend on branded entertainment, including non-fiction, is expected to reach over $38 billion.

Another key challenge relates to scale in a highly fragmented media landscape. In a market where branded entertainment is unlikely to make it onto the prime-time television sets across the country, creation of compelling content is only one piece of the puzzle. You also have to devise a plan that will ensure your desired audience will actually see it. Gone are the days of posting on YouTube and hoping for the best! Branded entertainment projects achieve success only by skillfully combining two parts: one great idea, and one sophisticated and targeted distribution plan.

To put hair re-growth into context, we developed a lifestyle content series, “GROW YOUR GAME™”.

But ROGAINE® brands heritage didn't exactly scream ‘men’s lifestyle content’, so rolling out our story required the right blend of art and science.

Art: For credibility, we partnered with Men’s Health, launching across their trans-media properties to support our 5 storylines across the year.

Science: A microsite became a home base and a heartbeat for content syndication. Data partnerships (including

in-store sales data) meant we would only engage the right people (in the category) with the relevant chapters of the relevant story.

The content proved genuinely compelling to guys across the country. Over 350,000 visited the GROW YOUR GAME™ microsite, with an overall return user rate of 31% (40% above our target!).

In addition, over 2 million YouTube and video views were delivered outside of the microsite.

But the core objective of GROW YOUR GAME™ from the outset was to grow consideration amongst younger men, and that’s exactly what our story delivered. Content lifted purchase intent by 39%, compared to the industry norm of 6.3% lift for cross-media content.

We also saw incredible shifts in our most crucial brand measures including:

•“Brand Favorability”: +28.2% lift

•“Is for someone like me”: +32% lift

•“Makes hair feel / look thicker and fuller”: +30% lift

•“Product that actually works”: +25% lift

•“Regrows your hair”: +25% lift

We had succeeded in a mass re-education program, grabbing an entire new generation of users by the follicles; which helped reverse a 5-month negative sales trend, and deliver 7-months of positive consecutive growth.

But perhaps most importantly, all five of our guys came through the program as changed men, all of whom of course re-grew hair!