Brands and marketers alike have struggled to come up with a definition for branded content, partly because the industry is constantly changing. At Pressboard, we define branded content as any published media that a brand has had a hand in producing. This means content created specifically for the purpose of publication with a publisher, such as NBCUniversal, USA Today or Bustle. Brands leverage the trust, expertise and reach of premium publishers, allowing them to connect with new, highly targeted audiences.

Keeping up with an industry that is constantly evolving

It is no longer just a buzzword to talk about branded content. Publishers and advertisers are investing more than ever before in this form of advertising since the early days of advertorial.

Whether you’re a startup aiming to disrupt an industry or a Fortune 500 company like IBM or JP Morgan Chase trying to build relationships with new generations of customers, both small and large businesses are looking for innovative ways to engage with audiences — and storytelling is the best way to do that.

Branded content is becoming a major revenue opportunity for most publishers in addition to serving as a tool for building relationships. Digital advertisers have revamped their teams to make branded content an essential part of their revenue streams.

Banner ads should be banned

Content must be more than traditional advertising, regardless of what you create. The reason is? There is no longer any interest in banner ads among consumers (and perhaps there never was).

According to data, 25 percent of internet users use ad-blockers; Netflix, which is ad-free, grew from 50 million to 125 million subscribers between 2014 and 2018. It’s a simple fact that people dislike ads, and they’re willing to pay to avoid them online and on television. To make marketing work, marketers must provide consumers with something that resonates with their brand values.

It’s less about selling products and more about providing value for consumers with branded content. According to Ascend Integrated Media, 70% of consumers want to learn about products through content and respond positively to brands that provide thoughtful subject matter expertise.