How branded content sparks rich connections with your audience

This post is sponsored by Yahoo.

Grabbing consumers’ attention online can be challenging in today’s hyper-connected world as brands furiously compete for eyeballs and engagement. Our Yahoo “Building Brands” study revealed that 60% of brands struggle to break through the content clutter, and 54% of users say there is so much content online that they tune it out.

Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for brands, and studies have shown that when people are told something through a narrative, they are more likely to relate, absorb, and remain engaged.

But there are many ways to tell a tale, and some will stand out more than others. Branded content is an effective approach to presenting a business in an interesting way that humanises the brand – attracting new audiences, forming deeper connections, and providing more meaningful engagement.

When executed well, and delivered with true value for audiences, branded content on premium platforms can help your brand connect audiences to their passions – and inspire them to take the desired action.

Build trust in premium environments

Branded content comes in various formats – interactive long-form articles, videos, podcasts, shoppable guides, and immersive AR/XR experiences – and each will have its merits based on your business goals. No matter what format you decide on, authentic connections need to be built on a solid foundation of trust.

With audiences having had their fair share of fake news and misinformation, there is an immense opportunity and value for brands to win people over with authenticity and trust. In Singapore, for example, trust in media organisations increased significantly amid COVID-19 according to Reuters.

The environment where your branded content appears is just as important as what it says. Fifty per cent of consumers place more trust in and are more likely to consider brands that appear adjacent to quality content. And 1.5x users have shown to prefer professionally made content over social.

Ensure that your campaigns are “haloed” with trust and positivity by running them in high-quality, trusted content environments such as Yahoo – 91% of users associate “trust” with Yahoo’s properties and brands.

Higher brand impact fosters desired actions

An Omnibus Brand Love Report shows that great branded content can foster higher affinity among audiences by 14%. Another Kantar third-party study found that branded content led to a higher ad association on Yahoo Ad Tech by 110%, with a 70% greater purchase intent.

Higher brand impact leads to higher intention. When you are able to capture audiences’ attention in premium, trusted environments, consumers feel more confident in making purchase decisions.

Creating high-impact content that speaks to your audiences, and ensuring it reaches the right people, can help your brand break through – but what good is great content if no one sees it?

Yahoo can help brands reach quality audiences at scale, and ensure they are getting more of what they love through its unified stack across demand, content, and supply, amplified by privacy-centric tools that power precision through millions of data signals on Yahoo’s suite of identity solutions such as Yahoo ConnectID and Next-Gen Solutions.

A great example of this was the OCBC Cycle 2021. Once a physical-only experience, the event sought to elevate its new virtual cycling event amid the pandemic and tap into people’s new-found love for cycling.

Through a branded content campaign on Yahoo, the event engaged participants effectively online and contributed to getting its participants continuously motivated throughout the event and after. Beyond great content that fulfilled audience needs, it was supercharged to scale through Yahoo’s native ads, that saw the campaign exceeding KPIs by an average of 90%.

Lean into innovative storytelling

Consumers today expect more from brands and desire innovation – a Yahoo study found that 66% of consumers are more likely to remember brands and content that use innovative technologies. While 75% said that brands who adopt new storytelling technologies are considered more innovative.

Storytelling carries its ability to influence and persuade – and technology has and continues to change storytelling and the human experience, evolving the parameters of exploring new narratives and facilitating experiences in multisensory ways.

The exploration of the metaverse, and the emergence of the “phygital” world, comes amid the shift to an age of experience, and cutting-edge technologies and formats continue to blur the lines between the virtual and physical realms.

Extended reality (XR) such as AR/VR technologies are having a moment, especially as 5G continues to mature. One of the best examples of this? The widely successful and award-winning gamified AR branded experience that Yahoo Creative Studios created with Doritos, where Filipinos played and hunted for virtual Doritos within their homes.

When leveraged well, XR experiences deliver a unique, unforgettable, and high-impact experience to audiences, and surpass business goals with flying colours.

If content is a competition, the prize is consumer attention. The foundation to winning this competition is built with a full-funnel approach to branded content: experiences that consumers trust, within premium environments, are seen by quality audiences at scale and fulfil a need. Then, up your game with the latest innovative and immersive technologies that provide creative applications and reimagine human connections.

A multiverse of possibilities is available for your next branded content in the new world of media and technology – all within your reach on Yahoo. Whether it might be building brand love and affinity, or driving lifts in consideration and conversions, there are always new ways to tell your brand’s story.

Explore Yahoo’s branded content solution here.