Branded Content Effectiveness: How to Measure It

Summary

The use of branded content has taken on many different forms in recent years, yet marketers lack reliable tools to measure their effectiveness. Generally, branded content has emerged as an effective tool for reaching audiences at scale “while they are in an engaged state of mind and more receptive to branded messages,” which potentially can reduce advertising avoidance, according to Gian M. Fulgoni, former chairman, CEO, and co-founder of comScore.  

 “The increasing prominence of branded content in the marketing mix creates an imperative around measurement that aligns it with traditional marketing metrics,” the authors observed. But metrics also must “capture the value of (branded content’s) uniquely engaging context”: 

• Television and digital each “allow instances to be translated into standard metrics such as reach, frequency, and demographics.”
• “Deeper metrics of engagement, social amplification, or brand- and behavioral-effectiveness measurement also can assist in the proper valuation of these impressions, where context matters greatly,” the authors asserted.