Recognizing that traditional advertising is expensive and not always effective, companies across various sectors are now building owned and operated content destinations designed to attract and educate prospective customers.
But what do consumers think of brand content? And are there specific types of content that resonate more with customers? In collaboration with National Research Group, Toolkits surveyed digital content consumers (those that subscribe to at least one digital publication) to ask them about their attitudes towards brand content.
The top takeaways
Consumers are open to brand-created content
Whether it’s due to declining rates of trust in media or simply a desire for a variety of information sources, audiences are open to consuming content produced by brands – and they are willing to engage with it and share it. This presents an opportunity for brands to take this as permission from audiences to lend credible expertise to certain areas, and recognize that their content can truly educate and build long-lasting relationships with consumers.
Quality content is critical
For too long, content marketing focused on placement on search engine results: Trying to get high up on a search query order to get readers onto websites. That’s changing. Savvier consumers, changing search algorithms and the advent of generative AI mean that brands must ensure the content they create is of premium quality and in tune with audience desires and needs. Not doing so risks endangering the company and the brand itself. And they should consider borrowing from journalism organizations – and even hiring journalists – to ensure the content is premium and worth consuming.
Companies should think carefully about disclosures and transparency
Consumers do not appear to care if a brand produced the content they are consuming – as long as it is of high quality and that a brand makes an effort to disclose Brands must consider how much savvier consumers have become, and think carefully about how they put in place certain disclosures that clearly tell readers who created the content they’re reading, how it was made and who funded it.
Audiences trust brand content
The study found that 36% trust content published by brands more than content from traditional media organizations – including TV news, newspapers, magazines or online news sites. Only 26% said they trust brand content less than they do content published by media companies. The rest – 38% – said they were unsure.
The research also found 43% of respondents find content from brands more interesting and engaging than the content from traditional media organizations. About 20% said they found brand content less interesting and engaging.
In terms of utility, 36% said they find content from brands more useful than content from media companies, compared with 22% of respondents who said content from brands is less useful than content from traditional media outlets.
The data dovetails with research suggesting trust in mainstream media in the U.S. is declining. This October, Gallup reported that 32% of Americans said they trust mass media “a great deal” or a “fair amount” to report the news in a full, fair and accurate way – matching Gallup’s lowest reading ever, which was recorded in 2016 amid the throes of the Presidential election.
The consumers who are most likely to trust content from brands more than content from traditional media outlets include: men (37%), African Americans (42%), conservatives (41%), and Gen Z (39%).
Key takeaways
Brands can produce high-quality content
The data has noteworthy implications for brands already investing in content, as well as those considering if they should. One ongoing debate has been whether brand-produced content can match the quality of that produced by “media companies.” Brands that produce content are often incentivized to prioritize different performance metrics than media organizations – which can result in less audience-focused content.
The data implies that brands can produce high-quality content that audiences are willing to consume. It also suggests that brands can produce content audiences trust. But quality content remains critical. In an era where generative AI soars in popularity and audiences are inundated with content, quality has become the key differentiating factor for brand publishers – more so than volume. Brands have found that high-quality content can help boost credibility and legitimacy, bring down acquisition costs, retain customers and contribute to the bottom line.
Audiences are receptive to brand-produced content
Many brands have attempted to build brand publications that operate relatively independently from other parts of their businesses. They’ve hired journalists and editors, put publications on separate URLs, and borrowed journalistic practices to create publishing brands that can stand on their own.
The data suggests that audiences may care less about whether a brand or media organization produces the content, as long as it is of high quality – and that audiences have permission from the audience to truly act as authoritative publishers. That could indicate that brands that have put in the time to create standalone publishing brands may be on the right track and that audiences don’t necessarily mind who is bankrolling the content. And with only 26% of consumers saying they trust traditional media over content from brands, it indicates that audiences are open to consuming and trusting brand content. For brand publishers, this may suggest a gap in the market they may be well positioned to capitalize on. Audiences are receptive to new sources of information and entertainment, and brand publishers should consider how they may be able to step in and satisfy those needs.
Brand publishing adds knowledge and expertise in critical areas
Brand publishers are increasingly distancing their output from so-called content marketing, eschewing product-focused content in favor of serving audience needs and interests as a priority. It’s been an important shift – brands are focused more on trying to understand exactly what audiences want, versus pushing products or their agendas. And an increasing number of brands have publicly proclaimed their intentions to not cover their products or services, and are instead committing to serving a community first and foremost, versus corporate interests.
The data indicates that this audience-first approach can pay off – over a third of respondents to the survey said they find brand content more useful than content produced by traditional publishers. Brand publishers therefore have an opportunity to add knowledge and expertise in critical areas that are perhaps undercovered by traditional media.
It is worth noting that brands don’t operate under the similar pressures of news organizations to cover breaking news, world events, or even topical or timely themes, which in some ways gives them the freedom to cover only exactly what their specific audiences are looking for. That may explain why many said they find brand content more useful than content produced by traditional media.
Entertainment is an opportunity
Most brand content focuses on education and utility, but there has been an uptick recently in brands trying to fulfill another key audience need: To be entertained. Brands are increasingly investing in creating content such as series, music albums or even full-length movies. Mattel, BMW, Saint Laurent, and Fender, for example, have all launched movies within the past year. With 43% of respondents saying they find brand content more engaging and interesting than content from traditional media, it indicates an opportunity for brands to do more in that realm. Particularly as competition for attention grows, entertainment can be a successful strategy for brand content.
What factors influence audience trust?
Consumers trust brand content more when it’s produced by professional journalists and when it clearly discloses who it’s funded and created by: 43% said they’re more likely to trust branded content if it is created by professional journalists. Forty-eight percent said it had no impact, while 9% said it would make them trust it less.
Clear labeling indicating that the content is created by a brand also helps engender trust: 42% said clear disclosure makes them trust brand content more, while 13% said it makes them trust it less. Forty-five percent said it had no impact.
The factor likeliest to drive trust in brand content was an existing relationship with the brand (54%), while a close second was the presence of data and statistics.
Consumers appear to trust certain content types more than others: The most trusted type of brand content was recipes, followed by how-to- content and interviews with experts. This indicates that consumers are more likely to trust content that clearly shows how it came about and relies more on expert thinking versus opinion.
Key takeaways
Reporting and journalism are differentiating factors
Brand content has a sameness problem. Nearly every brand publishes content, and much of it is similar. But to build audience trust – an important currency for any company – brand publishers should consider investing in reporting and journalism instead of amorphous “content.” Consumer appetite for brand content exists, and audiences are willing to consume and trust brand-produced content if it’s of high quality. The data indicates that brands should seek to incorporate new information via reporting in their publishing initiatives as a way to differentiate.
Brands should consider hiring reporters and journalists
Consumers trust content that is produced by professional journalists, so brand publishers should consider if and how they can bring that talent into their organizations. This has already been happening for a few years; we’ve seen top editors and reporters leave traditional media in favor of brand publishing. Brands may even find that they have distinct advantages when it comes to hiring reporters since they can pay better, offer more flexibility, and even give them new challenges to work on. At the same time, journalists who move to brands often say they get frustrated by unclear goals and requirements and struggle to adapt. Brands should consider how they can build publishing divisions that attract reporters.
Show, don’t tell
Audiences trust content that looks and feels original and authoritative. The top most trusted types of content are recipes, interviews with experts, and how-to content. The data implies that audiences trust content when they can see how it is made, or what the information within is based on.
Data journalism presents an opportunity
Data and data-driven insights can be powerful tools for anyone creating content. Data-driven information is likelier to be trusted by audiences, and the presence of data and statistics is a top factor for readers when deciding whether they should trust content. We’ve noted before that brands have recognized the potential of data to help build their audiences – brands such as McKinsey and Slack, for example, have used internal data and polling to act as foundational elements for their brand publishing. Brands should consider if they have existing assets that can help them integrate more data into their content; and if not, if they should consider investing in research as a core function of their brand publishing initiatives.
Labeling and disclosures
Consumers are extremely savvy, and they said they can tell brand content from non-brand content. This in and of itself implies that the lines between journalism and brand publishing are becoming clearer. Taken one step further, the data implies that brands should put clear labeling of who produced the content, and who funded it, and make this a priority in how they present and package their work. Consumers trust content more when it’s clearly labeled and disclosed, and only 13% said that they would trust it less if it’s labeled as being produced by a brand. As we’ve noted earlier, this is yet another indication of audience receptiveness to brand-produced content.
Content can build brand trust
High-quality content can help brands build trust with audiences, but low-value content also risks significantly damaging consumers’ brand perceptions
Seventy-one percent of digital content consumers said engaging and interesting content from a brand makes them trust that brand more. The exact same number (71%) said that when they encounter poor-quality content produced by a brand it makes them trust that brand less.
The data demonstrate why companies should think carefully about the nature and quality of content they associate with their brands – and that value is becoming an important competitive differentiator as brand-produced content proliferates. When executed well, content can help brands build meaningful, trusted relationships with consumers. But if executed poorly, content could risk alienating them altogether.
The research also indicates the power of high-quality content for brands. Fifty-nine percent of respondents said they find branded content to be more interesting than commercials or advertising, and 65% said they would share high-quality pieces of brand-produced content with friends and family.
Key takeaways
Quality is king
We’ve noted before that publishing is a long game, and brands should avoid falling into the trap of approaching it like they do some other marketing tactics – expecting results fast. Brands that don’t or aren’t able to prioritize quality may wish to reconsider whether brand publishing is the right marketing strategy for them. As Raju Narisetti, who runs publishing at McKinsey puts it, “quality has become table stakes.”
Less is more
Sophisticated brand publishers have understood that the success of their efforts hinges on reaching the right people – not just a large number of people. That same mindset applies to the content they produce as well. Until a few years ago, content marketing prized volume above all; flooding the Internet with a lot of content was a popular tactic. But the data above implies that those days are gone. In order to reach consumers meaningfully, brands will need to create high-quality content that can stand out. Brands should ensure that they are prioritizing quality, even if that means producing less over time.
Artificial intelligence
As more brands leverage AI tools to help with ideation and content creation, they must ask themselves if AI-produced content is likely to help or hinder the perception of their brands. Already, brand marketers experimenting with AI are running into issues of quality, forcing them to put into place more stringent mechanisms to ensure error-ridden or poor-value content doesn’t get published. As generative AI tools soar in popularity, those kinds of checks will need to become more common.
The role of platforms
Platforms have also rushed to prioritize quality over clickbait, driven in no small part by Google’s changes to its “Helpful Content” guidance. Google has long stated its search algorithms are designed to favor content that helps and informs searchers best, and in recent months has stated that its algorithm will now deprioritize thin-value content that’s primarily designed to generate traffic rather than satisfy the needs of users after the click. Already, companies whose content is not satisfying those requirements are finding their traffic has plummeted.
Shifts in marketing
The data indicated that content may actually be quite a successful way to do true brand-building. There are some indications that brand publishing may actually be a much more effective way to reach and speak to potential and current customers.
And as paid marketing continues to get more expensive, content may actually be a more cost-efficient way to reach more people. With 65% of consumers saying that they’re likely to share high-quality content with friends and family, brands should consider refocusing their energies on producing premium content that is truly in sync with their target customers.
What brand content engages audiences
Consumers are most receptive to content from brands when it’s useful and when it tells them something they don’t know. 43% of digital content consumers said they’re more likely to engage with content from a brand if it contains new or innovative information. Forty percent said they are more likely to engage with content from brands they already know and trust, and 38% said they’re more likely to engage with content that contains useful or practical recommendations.
The types of brand content consumers find most useful include how-to content (67% finding this “very useful”), recipes (66%), news & journalism (57%), analysis (56%), and podcasts and audio content (54%).
53% of consumers recall engaging with TV film and video content from brands. Just over half (51%) recalled engaging with social media content, followed by recipes (46%), memes and humor content (44%) and games (40%.) Perhaps surprisingly, consumers were least engaged with analysis content (26% recall engaging) and insights/data-driven content.
Perhaps surprisingly, consumers were least engaged with analysis content (26% recall engaging) and insights/data-driven content.
Key takeaways
New information matters
Content comes in a variety of shapes and forms. But for consumers, what is likeliest to catch their eye and engage them is content that is new to them. One way to do this is through reporting and research. One of the key tactics brands have used is to borrow from journalism organizations and hire reporters that can go out in the field and find new information. Having reporters as part of a brand publishing team can lead to more engaging content, specifically because they can engage in original research or reporting to produce that content.
One side-effect of these tactics: Brands that focus on new information also have to put in place processes that ensure fact-checking, analysis and editing, which can mean editorial rigor that leads to overall high-quality content.
Brands must think audience-first
One of the key differences between the current era of brand publishing vs. prior eras of content marketing has been the shift from brands to think carefully about who their audiences are and what they need. The data implies that this shift is extremely critical for success. Brands must carefully consider what exactly their audience considers new, and what this audience may find useful, then put in place strategies to meet those needs.
Generative AI makes expertise an important differentiator
We’ve noted before that generative AI posits a fork in the road for brand marketers. AI will fundamentally upend how consumers search for and consume content, and may make it very difficult for publishers to attract audiences to their websites. In response, brands have a choice: They either have to commit to creating new, useful, high-value content or simply focus on paid distribution.
Against this backdrop, “expertise” takes on a key role. Publishers that can position themselves as experts and their content as backed by expertise will find that this can be a differentiator for them – one that can enable them to stand out in a sea of sameness, and critically, provide information that isn’t found elsewhere.
The data implies that focusing on newness, originality and usefulness isn’t simply a way to engage customers, but will also be the only way brand publishers can win in a newly competitive arena where information has become a commodity.
The monetization opportunity
A growing number of brands are exploring ways to directly monetize their content, and the research found that a large portion of consumers would consider paying to access it: 86% of respondents said they’re open to paying for at least one type of branded content.
Sixty-three percent of respondents said they would be open to paying for TV, video, and film content produced by brands, while 53% said they would consider paying for live event content.
Considering paying for content and actually doing so are two vastly different things, of course, but the data does imply that some consumers would pay for brand-produced content provided it’s compelling enough.
The content that consumers said they’d least consider paying for were email newsletters, opinion pieces, and memes or humor content.
Putting a price tag on content may also help engender trust: 27% of consumers said that paying to access branded content would encourage them to trust it more, compared to 21% who said it would make them trust the content less. Twenty-six percent of respondents also said third-party advertising within brand content would drive them to trust it more, while 18% said they would trust it less and 56% said it would have no impact.
Key takeaways
The path to monetization is challenging, but not impossible
Precarious economic conditions have forced marketers to look for ways to offset the cost of running publishing operations – and maybe even generate a profit.. But sponsorships, advertising, and reader revenue are all new for many of these companies, and putting these in place requires commitment and resources. And the big question, of course, is: Will people pay? The research implies that at least a few may. Saying they would consider paying and actually doing so are two different things, and willingness to pay is dependent on a variety of factors, including quality of content. But the data implies it’s not necessarily impossible. Brands may not be able to monetize large swathes of their audiences and may need to set realistic expectations if they attempt to do so, but every little helps.
Events are an opportunity for brand publishers in the post-pandemic era
Companies are beginning to realize the power of communities, and many are capitalizing on peoples’ desires to connect through events. Events can be virtual or physical, and can be live extensions of a brand’s on-site content – and can also provide inspiration and fodder for future content initiatives as well. However, events can be costly to put on. The data implies that events are at the top of the list for many consumers as a type of brand-funded content they are actually willing to pay for. As with any content, brands will need to consider how they can align events to their audiences’ needs and desires, and ensure that they are of high quality enough to actually be worth paying for.
Branded entertainment can be promising for brand publishers
A growing number of brands have made entertainment a cornerstone of their publishing strategies. This year’s Barbie movie is probably the most well-known example, but other companies, such as Fender and YSL, have produced short films, while sportsbooks like DraftKings have launched streaming channels. The data implies that perhaps more so than other types of content, TV shows, films and other video formats may be more possible to monetize.
Monetization may legitimize brand content in the eyes of consumers.
Prior research has indicated that audiences are open and receptive to brand-funded content – as long as it’s of high quality. In some cases, they even trust it more than they do the content produced by traditional media. Monetizing content may actually make brand publishers seem more “legitimate” or “credible,” placing them alongside traditional media organizations in consumers’ minds.
People may assume paid content is of higher quality
Paying for access to content makes a portion of digital content consumers trust that content more – indicating an assumption among some people that paid content will be higher quality or have had more resources put into its production. When consumers are asked in general if they find 30% of consumers believe that paid content is higher quality, while 10% think that free content is higher quality. About 59% perceive them the same way. For brands, this means that if they choose to charge for access to content, they may find people trust that content more, but only if they ensure that the content is of high quality. Otherwise, there is the danger that they will not be able to meet consumers’ higher expectations.
Methodology
Research was conducted by Toolkits and National Research Group, a global research and insights firm that works with the world’s largest content creators and marketers. The study surveyed 1,007 U.S. consumers aged 18-64 who reported having a current or previous subscription to at least one digital publication and was conducted in October 2023. The audience for this sample was weighted to reflect the pool of total subscribers to digital publications in the U.S., based on a larger market-sizing study of 6,562 consumers.