How Much Does Your Brand Need to Feature in Content to be Effective?

How much does your brand name or product need to feature in any image/video for it to be recognised by the audience and its message be communicated clearly and concisely? Is there an algorithm that can figure this out, or should the producer be obliged to push the brand as much as possible if they’re being paid to do so?

It can be hard convincing the person that signs the cheques, especially if it is a big cheque, that the brand/product doesn’t need to be the centre of an image or appearing every other minute in a video to be effective.

Of course there is a balance, and any good producer will know exactly where this for their audience on a case by case basis, depending on the type of brand they’re dealing with and how viewers may react to it. From potentially very dry and hard to push products such as bank accounts, insurance etc, to much easier and relaxed products such as kids toys, fun experiences, games etc.

We feel for any branded content it’s best (where/when possible) that the video/image should feature the product but not be “about” the product (of course ensuring brand messaging is communicated as organically as possible). This is usually a simple starting point to guarantee that content remains natural and relaxed, and so keeping the chance of engagement and sharing as high as possible, thus maximising the reach of the video (and overall, the brand message).

Alternatively, if the brand is pushed too heavily and/or the message too inorganic, this can result in low views, low engagement and cast both the producer and product in a negative light for future work.