A Q&A blog series featuring publisher content studios presenting at the IAB Content Studio Showcase on October 16: CBSi Studio 61, CNN Courageous Studios, 23 Stories x Condé Nast, Disney Co/Op, Hearst Magazines Digital Media, NBC Content Studio, News Corp. Storyful, Pandora for Brands, Refinery29, RYOT, The New York Times T-Brand Studio, and Time Inc. The Foundry.
Publisher content studios have swelled in number in recent years because marketers have recognized publisher’s unique ability to craft marketing communications that allow for longer, deeper, and more narrative than traditional media advertising. Contemporary publisher content studios develop a range of branded content for marketers, designed for the publishers’ owned-and-operated sites, as well as for distribution across other digital and multimedia properties. Content can include a mix of traditional editorial, full-length video programming, short-form video, mobile apps, podcasts, and more. And the name of the game is storytelling vs. overt selling.
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| Wendy Wildfeuer SVP The NBCU Content Studio |
We caught up with Wendy Wildfleur of The NBCU Content Studio to provide some insights about their content studio offering in advance of the IAB Content Studio Showcase event titled “Brand New Ideas.”
Tell us about your content studio.
NBCUniversal builds unparalleled stories for brand marketers across all genres, content categories and formats with a distribution ecosystem spanning all platforms – delivering access to the best in the business with ability to reach 91% of all US consumers.
Uniquely positioned to align brands with award-winning programming, best-in-class storytellers in front of and behind the camera, proprietary data and insights, and massive scale, NBCU builds performance-based content grounded in strategy, and proven to drive impact for a marketer’s business objectives.
The NBCU Content Studio gives marketers unequaled access to consumers by tapping into the expertise that drives the very culture and stories they love; creating digital-first, bespoke content built for the brand, programmed for the platform and distributed across digital, social, TV, and strategic partners like Apple News, BuzzFeed, Vox Media and Snapchat. By combining NBCU’s storytelling capabilities and cross-platform fluency with the data assets from its Audience Studio, The Content Studio ensures its product hits the mark every time and on every metric.
Why are publisher content studios so hot right now?
As audiences today are faced with an excess of content, the demand for brands to tell their own stories in unique and new ways rises – and becomes more complicated every day. Marketers need content that not only entertains, but also drives their key message in a way that will resonate on each platform. Publisher content studios are so hot right now because they are uniquely positioned to service this need.
Leveraging insights and creative resources to inform smart storytelling, plus the scale to drive multi-platform targeted distribution, publishers have become the right collaborators to fuel a content marketing strategy that can generate real impact for brands. Publishers make it possible for marketers across all industries, and varying budget sizes, to drive tune-in for their own brands by becoming programmers and publishers of original content.
What are some of the key questions you consistently get from brands and agencies about your content studio offerings?
- Do we have usage rights for the content on our owned and operated channels?
- What is the process – how do we get started?
- Can we have input into the content development?
- How can we measure performance and how can this impact purchase intent/conversion?
What makes for a great partnership for branded content success?
We believe that the best collaborations begin at the inception of the partnership. Through a consultative approach, our goal is to invest ourselves deeply into clients’ business challenges, goals, target audience and KPIs. With this knowledge as foundation, we can leverage the unique strengths and capabilities both sides bring to the table in order to build a blueprint for powerful brand storytelling.
It’s equally important to set expectations and have a clear understanding of the development process, so that all parties (the brands, agency and content studio teams) should be open to change and be willing to pivot in real-time to generate content that’s going to be right for the audience and platform.
Why is the IAB Content Studio Showcase event important? What’s in it for the brand attendees?
The IAB Content Studio Showcase enables publishers to amplify their capability to a qualified audience, educating decision makers on who they are, what they stand for and why they’re the right collaborators to drive powerful storytelling for brands. On the flipside, the Showcase is an opportunity for marketers to learn about the tactics and strategies that can help redefine their connection with consumers, getting a peek under the hood of successful campaigns that have driven ROI for the businesses of their colleagues.
IAB’s Content Studio Showcase is a one-day event in New York City that is open to Brand and Retail marketers only. Limited space is available for this free to attend event that will feature the capabilities of one dozen of some of the most prominent content studios in digital and multimedia publishing including: CBSi Studio 61, CNN Courageous Studios, 23 Stories x Condé Nast, Disney Co/Op, Hearst Magazines Digital Media, NBC Content Studio, News Corp. Storyful, Pandora for Brands, Refinery29, RYOT, The New York Times T-Brand Studio, and Time Inc. The Foundry.
Attendees will walk away with actionable insights about publisher studio partnerships, answering questions such as:
- How does a brand get started with a publisher content studio partnership?
- What are the key questions a brand should ask upfront to ensure a content studio program provides maximum value and meets their objectives?
- What are some best practices to ensure success?
- How is ROI evaluated?
Only 100 seats are available exclusively for qualified brand and retail marketers. Reserve your seat today
