Brands like shoe stores and banks need quality content to feed their growing social media following. This has led to the rise of middlemen who pair non-media companies with publishers who can license their content. Read more at paidContent »
Display ads such as “lose your belly” and “professors hate him” are discrediting the familiar model of online advertising which is based on slapping banner ads on websites. Now, one company has a solution to keep the same ad format — but replace the crummy content. Read more at paidContent »
The publisher of supermarket giant Tesco’s custom magazine says it is now more read than any UK newspaper. That would be a milestone in branded content. But the claim merits closer inspection of the numbers. Read more at paidContent »
Despite that famous 1996 declaration, many publishers have struggled to find effective consumer offerings online. But now a perfect storm of new models and prospects gives renewed confidence for many. Read more at paidContent »
Numbers of people paying for digital content will take off thanks to new media devices, Forrester forecasts. If paid content becomes commonplace, will publishers turn their back on advertising, and what should marketers do instead? Read more at paidContent »
As long as there’s been Internet video, cats have dominated the medium — which is why it’s surprising that it took until 2012 for two separate entities (one branded, one independent) to finally give cat videos the serious consideration you may or may not think they deserve. Read more »
When we talk about making web content for niche audiences, moms come up a lot. But CafeMom, a web community for moms that is also now one of the latest participants in YouTube’s Made For Web channel initiative, believes that it has a unique approach. Read more »
Websites for women are a paradox in the media industry. Despite being among the most successful properties on the Web, they are rarely mentioned in the never-ending discussions about how to make money from online content.
Sugar Inc. is a case in point. Read more at paidContent »
A young woman held against her will, a mysterious Chinese takeout receipt, a laptop that offers access to YouTube and Facebook but not Google Earth: Those are some of the puzzle pieces of a new interactive movie called The Inside Experience, unveiled by Intel Monday. Read more »
While this year’s Emmy nominees once again neglected to recognize any web originals, that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from enlisting Internet-originating content for adaptation. But is Rhett and Link hopping to IFC and Lisa Kudrow moving Web Therapy to Showtime good or bad for web series? Read more »
In what might be a first in the digital space, Break Media has signed web actress/writer/producer Taryn Southern to an overall first-look deal, and will work to not just strengthen her brand, but push it out on other platforms beyond the web. Read more »
GE has YouTube star ShayCarl doing a road trip all around the country to highlight green technology as part of its Ecomagination campaign. The campaign was produced by Howcast, which last year was able to drive 15 million YouTube video views to GE-sponsored videos. Read more »
In the web series world, creators often rely on brands to get their content funded. But why do brands sign up for these series? And how do they measure their return on investment? We set out to find out. Read more »
Companies can now monitor in real time what people are saying about them on various BBC programs, thanks to a new cooperation between the broadcaster and media monitoring service Critical Mention. The service already indexes more than 30 hours of audio and video content per minute. Read more »
Writer/director Sebastian Gutierrez’s newest film has a very clear distribution strategy: Available for free on YouTube, with commercial interruptions by sponsor Lexus. Is the Carla Gugino-starring Girl Walks Into a Bar just an experiment in web distribution — or the potential future of independent film? Read more »
Branded entertainment can be a very effective way of communicating a brand’s message online. But despite its rapid growth, branded entertainment is often misunderstood by the advertisers choosing to use the medium online, who buy into myths about the format. Well, let the debunking begin! Read more »
Charlie Sheen is making “six figures” with his sponsored tweets, and his appearances on Ustream attract hundreds of thousands of views, despite the lack of any regular schedule. However, the future of his Ustream show is unclear: Sheen said yesterday that the show is for sale. Read more »
8 Dates, directed by Matt Koval, is a sweet-natured, amusing series about a young woman attempting to conquer the dating world. It’s also a great example of YouTube interactivity, the value of soliciting guest stars and working to minimize the brand’s involvement in branded content. Read more »
Thinking small might not be the best way to build a business — unless you’re Daniel Delaney, who’s come up with an innovative way to work directly with small brands for sponsorship opportunities on his new daily web series, and just maybe make a living at it. Read more »
YouTube has released their list of the 10 most watched commercials of 2010, and looking at it proves how when it comes to creating online advertising experiences, today’s Mad Men are finding real success by looking beyond the 30 second broadcast spot. Read more »
This holiday season, customer service start-up Zendesk is sponsoring a web series all about the importance of good customer service, written and directed by Scotty “Got an Office Job” Iseri. The first episode takes aim at one of web video’s most sacred cows. Read more »
The bar for interactive YouTube advertisements keeps getting higher and higher; today, we have a full-on choose your own “bear-venture.” Tipp-Ex, the European equivalent to White-Out, has launched the Tipp Experience, an innovative campaign that incorporates the corrective tape into the YouTube page. Read more »
YouTube has launched a new travel channel, called Vacationer, in conjunction with Norwegian Cruise Line for videos highlighting travel ideas and advice from multiple sources. The new travel channel includes videos from experts at Lonely Planet, National Geographic, Travel Channel and Howcast, among others. Read more »
By no means is Philips the first company to turn to web video as a means for spreading their brand — but the “online sitcom” Nigel and Victoria, launching internationally today on YouTube, does bring a big burst of meta with it. Read more »
The final round of voting for Kia’s “Who’s Next” online talent competition begins Sept. 6, with one of four finalists getting $10,000 for best conceptualizing the slogan “a new way to roll.” And, oddly enough, the finalists actually represent YouTube talent. Read more »
This interactive YouTube adventure (with zombies) isn’t exactly a triumph of originality. But as branded content for the New Zealand pizza company Hell Pizza, Deliver Me to Hell is a surprisingly engaging experience — one that offers actual rewards to those who play the game. Read more »
The actor, producer of multiple web series and senior vice-president of digital media at CJP Communications discusses web video’s trouble with discoverability, his secret crush on Clicker.com and the difficulties that come with producing branded content. Read more »
Give two talented dudes some cash from a brand partner, let them make comedy for the internets on their own terms — what could go wrong? Here’s the answer: The comedy could fail to be funny. Read more »
This branded series sponsored by Trident ran into a major roadblock given that it was constructed around the second annual Streamy Awards, which, um, didn’t go so well. Here, producer Wilson Cleveland explains what happened behind the scenes to keep the show alive. Read more »
Ever wanted to know what goes on during the creation of a piece of branded content? Break’s partnership with Captain Morgan for a new video meant six weeks of notes and negotiations, including determining the difference between a pirate and a “loveable rogue.” Read more »
