Fiona Milburn talks with Brent Kennedy of Camaraderie about compelling storytelling, audience engagement, and values integration in the fast evolving world of branded entertainment.

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Brent Kennedy has been involved in a lot of what he calls Trojan Horses, i.e. marketing campaigns where audiences are brought to brands indirectly.  He is also the founder and managing partner of Camaraderie, a content marketing company 'focused on fostering collaboration between content creators and brand marketers'.  This made him the perfect person with whom to discuss the fast evolving world of branded entertainment.  What does it mean for both brands and storytellers?  Here are the edited highlights of our conversation.

1.  Branded entertainment is about engaging and creating conversations with audiences.

Brands have been moving away from one way communication for quite some time.  We don't see many brand ads in the traditional form now.  It’s all about participation, it’s all about growing involvement with your brand and having conversations.

Brands traditionally created content in terms of an advertising message.  Now there’s an opportunity to create a more engaging story which goes beyond a one to five word headline.  They have to think in terms of being a publisher, what will people want to view and share?  Think beyond the tactical, what is the overall story you want to be associated with your brand.

Farmed and Dangerous is a smart, four-part comedy series on Hulu, and a premium example of what branded video might be.  It was created by Chipotle Mexican Grill and uses values integration, rather than product integration, to call attention to the repercussions of genetically modified foods and industrial farming.

Chipotle - Farmed and Dangerous Case Study

Rather than interrupting someone else’s content, brands can create their own content that people want to watch and share.

2.  Audiences don't care where content is, if it's compelling and entertaining, they'll watch it.

The fragmentation of distribution channels has dramatically changed the television and film worlds over the past five years.  This fragmentation brings more ways of viewing content and also affects how audiences are viewing it.  There's been phenomenal growth in terms of mobile viewing with people consuming content outside of the home, on the go.  But, they're using their tablets and phones in the house as well.  We’ve now got a situation where people can both binge on content, or snack on content that’s just a few minutes long. Audiences are less concerned about where they consume their content than marketers, or filmmakers, or televisual creators.  If it’s something they find entertaining and compelling, then they'll watch it.

Air New Zealand are having huge success with their safety videos.  That’s branded content which can be seen inside the capsule of an aircraft.  That’s brilliant!

The Most Epic Safety Video Ever Made #airnzhobbit

Everything is changing in terms of where things come from and how people view it.  And that's an opportunity for filmmakers and TV content makers.

3.  Longer format storytelling creates emotional connections with brands.

Film and television storytelling creates an emotional connection.  It allows you to draw people in with imagery, with music, with sound, they become more immersed.  That used to be done in advertising with beautiful 60 second [plus] ads such as the old Crunchie story.  You don't see those ads anymore.  They're being expressed in different ways.

Great Crunchie Train Robbery [1975]

Every brand needs the "decision to purchase" and with some brands it is an emotional decision.  To purchase a car is a very emotional decision.  The truth is that most people viewing car ads are the people that have just bought cars.  They want reassurance.  With longer format storytelling you can tell more about your brand, and validate that emotional decision.  Same with alcohol, buying a beer is an emotional decision.

The Magic of Heineken is a 90 minute film, which tells the story of Heineken beer, and [was initially launched] alongside the other documentaries on Hulu.  It’s not about creating frequency, you're already seeing a lot of ads.  It’s about trying to create something that’s memorable, that tells the brand’s story, and gets brand involvement.  Brands are looking for more immersive relationships, so this is going to happen more and more.

The Magic of Heineken - Trailer

Audiences today are far more savvy.  They understand what’s going on in terms of product placement and the commercialisation of what they're watching.  Today’s generation are raised on reality shows, so these forms of branded entertainment are an oasis compared to that.

4.  Branded entertainment is about values integration, not product integration.

Wes Anderson created the short film, Castello Cavalcanti, for Prada.  Basically, the only branding you see in the entire film is when our hero has his back to the camera and you see Prada [on his race suit].

CASTELLO CAVALCANTI

It's about values integration.  You might see the product, but in a natural way.  It’s more about acknowledging that you're part of their community, and that the brand sees the world as you see it.

5.  Brands should collaborate early with filmmakers for more compelling stories.

Often brands have audiences that content creators don't have, and content creators have the content that brands are aspiring to produce, content that comes from a more authentic place.  Previously, filmmakers might get involved with a brand by being commissioned to produce an ad. Camaraderie want brands coming to them saying, "we need a story; this is where we think our brand strategy takes us; who could you put us with?" They see themselves evolving to be the Tinder for brands and film & television content producers.  Rather than, "we need to commission an ad" it should be, "we need a story, we need a compelling story, can you find someone who would best tell our story?"  "Who has the right skill base, the right tone, the right aesthetic, has the right insight into our world?"

Camaraderie Content Marketing

The great thing about the television and film world is that it’s an industry built on collaboration.

Thanks Brent.