‘The era of content going viral is over’
The era of brands relying on content going viral and giving advertisers a free kick is coming to an end, with content distribution channels the key to the future of connecting audiences with branded content, claims a new report into the local landscape.
Air New Zealand has moved to an ‘always on’ branded content strategy
The 2016 Best of Branded Content Marketing Report said the budgets for branded content would continue to increase, but that brands needed to invest in getting their content seen rather than simply relying on audiences to share it organically.
“Going viral is a thing of the past,” the report said.
Let me get this straight:
1. Brands need to put more money in being seen. Virality is over.
2. Success isn’t measured in reach. It’s measured in social media success.
All credit to the writers of the report; they’ll get a correct prediction one way or the other.
For 99.9% of all content – going viral was always wishful thinking and was never going to happen.
Who is the report by? Where can I find it?
It’s not news that branded content needs paid amplification but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t or can’t create and optimise for social sharing. The increasing emphasis on paid content distribution channels does however place the onus on intent (and return) of your content strategy, which is often lacking – particularly in the social marketing field.