Branded entertainment in the UK is an increasingly rich and diverse area of marketing for brands underneath the umbrella of content marketing.

Like all advertising in the UK it is governed by statute, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and OfCom. There are ASA Codes of Conduct that all brands need to be aware of when developing advertising content. This includes emerging areas like native advertising.

OfCom, the regulator for communications and mainstream media in the UK, also gives brands principles to live by when producing advertising:

• To ensure that broadcasters maintain editorial independence and control over programming

• To ensure that there is a distinction between editorial content and advertising

• To protect audiences from surreptitious advertising

• To ensure that audiences are protected from the risk of financial harm

• To ensure that unsuitable sponsorship is prevented

One growing tension in area of branded entertainment and content marketing is the issue of disclosure within ‘native advertising’ formats. We were keen to ensure that Robinson’s declared disclosure when collaborating with our content creators and ensure the audience were made aware of the brand’s association with the creation and publication of the content we commissioned.

A content and participation platform showcasing the world of opportunity SQUASH’D delivered.

Firstly we partnered up with the team behind Oscar winning film ‘Gravity’ to make squash in the extreme – in zero gravity. Then we handed the product to some of the internet’s most famous Vloggers (football freestylers, freerunners, Frisbee throwers) to make some jaw-dropping product demonstrations of their own. Then we passed the baton on to our consumers with #getsquashd, handing out samples to thousands of people who signed up online and in exchange they created a wealth of creative films showcasing their own usage occasions.

The campaign’s content achieved millions of views and 100,000s of engagements across social media channels. It also inspired genuine participation with thousands of viewers demonstrating their own ways to #GETSQUASHD.

In a 12 week campaign, we created a £7 million brand, and with competitors arriving, grabbed a whopping 86% share of this new category.

Most impressively, 61% of SQUASH’D sales were incremental to the squash category - proof that we have brought new squash drinkers in and created entirely new squash-drinking occasions.

We can now proudly say that #GETSQUASHD didn’t just launch a new product, it broke entirely new ground.