BCMA and Havas Play partner to launch practice guide on creating meaningful branded content
Branded Content Marketing Association (BCMA), the global authority for branded content and influencer marketing, has published a new best practice guide to creating meaningful branded content.
The BCMA’s latest resource for the marketing industry has been produced in partnership with Havas Play – Havas’ network dedicated to earning consumers’ attention and creating enduring business impact through meaningful experiences at the intersection of entertainment, sports, technology, and fandom.
“The Best Practice Guide to Branded Content Made Meaningfully” will function as a living document, which will be continually updated to reflect culture, society and changing attitudes to what we define as ‘meaningful’. This guide is intended as both a resource that companies can consult to increase the meaningfulness of their branded content initiatives, as well as a commitment that organizations can take to hold themselves accountable for the ethics and transparency of these efforts.
The best practice guide expands on four key principles for creating meaningful branded content:
Safety: Prioritizing the safety and mental wellbeing of staff, colleagues, and client, and ensuring that content does not encourage taking risks or acting irresponsibly.
Honesty: Adhering to the Institute of Advertising Ethics’ principles & practices to ensure content is created to the highest standards of truth, transparency, and protection.
Representation: Actively encouraging casting for the widest and most diverse representation as possible and providing bias training to the moderators of creative sessions to ensure everyone is heard.
Sustainability: Using AdGreen’s carbon calculator and supplier lists to measure carbon footprint throughout production and identify renewable energy partners to reduce emissions to the absolute minimum.
Organizations that make the public commitment to adhere to these guidelines pledge to make these principles transparent and visible across their ecosystem, and to hold suppliers, partners, and freelancers to these standards. The principles have initially been designed to provide guidance for the North America market and will be adapted by the BCMA and Havas Play for implantation in other global markets.
Andrew Canter, Global Chairman, BCMA: “We are proud to publish this important best practice guide in partnership with our global BCMA member, Havas Media Network. Making branded content meaningfully will ensure that the industry benefits from creating powerful and engaging content responsibly to organically grow brands.”
Greg James, Global Chief Transformation Officer, Havas Media Network : “Our years of research into building meaningful brands show that safety, honesty, representation, and sustainability are integral to building relationships with consumers that are meaningful and enduring. We’re proud to partner with the BCMA to create this resource to guide our industry in creating meaningful branded content that resonates with consumers and is rooted in authenticity.”
