In the Era Of Engagement, Advertorial Makes a Mark

The term ‘advertorial’ originated on the pages of newspapers and magazines, circa 1946, in the form of a seemingly objective article that contained an advertisement at heart. In TV, infomercials were some of the first ‘advertorials’ around with the viewer being clearly aware that they’re being advertised to in that moment. Since then, the line between editorial and advertising has not only blurred further but became more sophisticated too. Advertorial content has always had a place in fashion magazines where, alongside the editorially-selected products, brands would pay for full-page spreads featuring just their products, though the practice was clearly marked as ‘advertorial’ or similar. Today, advertorial exists in its own category as ‘branded entertainment’ – there’s ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ and ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ films, both proving huge hits with audiences across the globe. And then there’s the franchise that, arguably, kicked this whole thing off: ‘Star Wars’. 

Of course, we can’t forget one of 2023’s biggest grossing films (and a favourably reviewed one too), the pink extravaganza that was ‘Barbie’. Its success currently has Mattel (the toy company and owner of the Barbie IP) developing more projects based on its vast catalogue in a bid to continue capitalising on the ‘product-placement-on-steroids’ format. A subtler example of this very phenomenon is the ‘Magic Mike’s Last Dance’ film which – instead of being a satisfying conclusion to the narrative arcs of part one and two – turned out to be a whole lacklustre ad for the Magic Mike Live show at London’s Hippodrome. It’s like product placement. 

Still, when done well, the advertorial format presents plenty of advantages to brands. Consumers are constantly bombarded with ads – in public, in private, outdoors, and on social media. The challenge for brands is cutting through the noise (that so many consumers have learned to tune out) and capturing attention in a meaningful and relevant way. Thinking outside the box of the typical car ad, Volvo worked with Channel 4 on the launch of its first all-electric car, Volvo XC40 Recharge. The collaboration resulted in ‘Celebrity School Run’; in it, comedian Ellie Taylor took over from parents in the front seat to answer children’s questions on a range of topics, including sustainability – the theme relevant to Volvo’s new launch. 

Producer Jonny Kight, who served as producer and EP the show (and many others like it), sees brands’ move into advertorial as the natural progression of advertising in an oversaturated landscape. “It’s more of a creative risk for the brand,” Jonny says, “but the pay off, if it works, is huge.” But what is the risk for a brand? “While the brand, Volvo in this case, can ask for its product to be featured, they don’t have control over how it’s done – there are no shot lists for the brand to review and sign off since whatever's been commissioned has to adhere to the broadcaster’s editorial standards. Basically, it’s not that it acts like a film or a TV show, it is a film or a TV show because it was produced like one; from pre-production, script development with writers and producers, through to final development and delivery.” Besides promoting the product, this approach creates an emotional narrative that consumers can connect with. For Volvo, who aim to be fully electric by 2030, it’s about creating an association in the consumers’ minds with sustainability and the brand’s position as family friendly. “Through ‘Celebrity School Run’ Volvo became associated with the values it knows its customers care about,” says Jonny, which is far more valuable long-term than a simple awareness campaign around a new launch. 

‘Flex Kitchen’, in partnership with Heinz, is another example of advertorial that aired on the Channel 4 platform, All 4 as well as Channel 4 Comedy Youtube channel. The five-part show saw comedians Alex Brooker, Kerry Godliman, Suzi Ruffell, Lou Sanders and Phil Wang challenged to recreate their favourite dish for demanding diners, with an unexpected twist while using Heinz products. Jonny, who was also a producer and EP on ‘Flex Kitchen’, notes that these partnerships have a “great synergy” and though it’s still an advert, the editorial dimension necessarily provides a different kind of value to consumers. “It promotes the product without being in your face. If it made it onto the screen, then it means that the core idea was interesting enough for the broadcaster and their platform, free from the bias of brand and advertising executives.” 

 

In Jonny’s opinion, this kind of format has to have the right platform partner. For example, a broadcaster like Channel 4 has a prestigious reputation and an in-built audience that brands can tap into through an advertorial partnership. But a brand attempting to create advertorial content independently, and simply releasing on their own platforms – social media channels or Youtube – doesn’t necessarily work. It reads too simply self-promotional, skewing more towards the ‘ad’ part in the ‘advertorial’ equation. Sometimes, though, releasing advertorial content on a brand’s platform works really well. Consider the case of IKEA Spain’s ‘Trapped in the ‘90s’ where six IKEA-native contestants (born after 1996) had to live in a house without the brand’s slick home solutions. The show blurred the lines between reality, fiction, editorial, and advertising. The series still lives on the IKEA website and it’s “the most successful branded content campaign we’ve ever done,” per Laura Durán, marketing and insights director for IKEA in Spain.

Outside of benefits to brands, there are benefits to the creatives working on this type of content too – it allows them to gain the necessary experience to transition into the world of TV or simply add even more skills to their CV. Another possibility for creatives is developing their own idea, with financial backing from a brand, and pitching it to a broadcaster while retaining rights to the IP. This means if the format is successful, it can be sold to other networks like in the recent case of ‘The Traitors’ and plenty of other TV shows before it, think ‘The X Factor’ or ‘Big Brother’. 

Jonny thinks that brands are just now starting to properly crack the advertorial equation, spurred on by the success of ‘Barbie’. “We’re going to see more of this format; it’s going to move beyond celebrity-led shows and into bigger and more drama-based TV productions too,” he predicts. And it’s as much about the product itself (the film, the TV show) as the wider marketing and communication campaigns around it, amplifying the core brand message and reaching even more consumers in the process. Ultimately Jessica Lovell, the founder and chief strategy officer at Wonderhood Studios points to advertorial’s “power of longer-form narratives to create a deeper cultural value for a brand,” speaking specifically about ‘Barbie’. But it’s a lesson every brand can ruminate on.