As technology makes it easy to avoid advertising, a growing number of UK brands are looking to create entertainment, rather than disruption, to engage their customers.The most significant area for growth is digital media while broadcast remains highly regulated. Product placement on TV remains off limits for many brands and for those that can, screen time is limited by a requirement to only appear when editorially justified. This regulation combined with broadcasters’ protracted processes for commissioning programmes results in very few advertiser funded TV shows being made.

Instead, brands are creating content and experiences to engage their audiences on other screens, and distributing content via largely unrestricted digital channels that are under their control.

However, the UK audience is a discerning one so although a growing numbers of brands are creating entertainment; the competition for attention is fierce. Therefore, despite avoiding the regulation of broadcast TV, those creating digital content must be as entertaining as any other media in order to gain an audience.

Our research told us that our audience loved music, but avoided advertising, so we designed a content strategy specifically for music editorial environments and social networks. By creating activity with a band our audience loved, and producing music content they were genuinely seeking, we were able to credibly distribute the content in environments where they would naturally be e.g. the UK’s biggest music television event, a bespoke version for Facebook, music video channels and digital platforms, and their favourite celebrity twitter feeds.

Despite launching the PS Vita in February – a difficult time to launch an expensive technology product – the campaign proved to be a great success.

The film was seen over 1m times on YouTube within 7 days, the Facebook competition received over 30,000 entries in 5 days and through the various PR opportunities we were able to drive even more engagement with the activity over multiple platforms.

The quality of the content was acclaimed from various quarters – our audience complemented it across social networks, trade magazine Campaign awarded it Digital Film of the Week, celebrities tweeted about it (driving further views), and Rizzle Kicks’ label Universal described it as one of the best pieces of branded content they have ever produced.

Tracking research has demonstrated that the content positively shifted consideration of the brand, and increased purchase intent amongst our target audience.Most importantly, our client described it as the most successful piece of PS Vita activity they ran at launch and highlighted it as the key element to increasing week 1 sales target by 50%.