Four Examples of Successful Long-Form Branded Content

Posted by Jon Thomas, 18 Apr 2012

Time. We only wish we had more in the day, right? As technology has evolved over the years, the speed of our lives has increased exponentially. Interconnectivity has reduced our capability to stand tasks that demand a great deal of time, and the “normal” nine-to-five is simply no longer the norm. We get to work early; we work late. While in bed at night, we fight the urge to close our eyelids, instead opting to write one more blog post or send one more email.

So when it comes to advertising, it’s almost laughable to think that audiences would ever have the time for long-form content—no less long-form branded content. Maybe a 30-second spot could slip by, but audiences would never find 20 minutes to watch a sponsored video and then spend another 10 sharing it with their networks, simply because they loved it, right?

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The Future of (Auto)Mobile Advertising

Posted by Adam Uhrynowski, 25 Jan 2012

Growing up, all I wanted was a black Pontiac TransAm that spoke to me and helped me fight crime through a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of criminals operating above the law. What I got was a 1985 Peugeot 505s with cigarette burns on the canvas seats and a tape player that didn't have a reverse button. Cars have come a long way since the "forward-thinking" days of Knight Rider. Cars not only speak to us, they can drive for us, give us directions, and show the kids some Dora the Explorer while en route to a ski trip in Vermont. And this is just the beginning.

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When Political Ads Attack, Everyone Loses

Posted by Andrea Fjeld, 11 Jan 2012

With additional reporting by Adam Uhrynowski.

We’re all familiar with mudslinging in political commercials, debates and speeches. In the recent Iowa caucuses, negative advertising was more apparent than ever. But why do America’s leaders spend so much time pointing out the competition’s flaws and defending their political (and personal) histories rather than promoting themselves? Does it even work? What if brands reverted to this tactic? We’ll answer these questions and more after the jump.

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The Rejection Don Draper

Mad Men, Week 4: Indiscretion, Trickery, Secretarial Woes (and Advertising!)

Posted by Luke Dringoli, 16 Aug 2010
"Art in Advertising!...why would anyone do that after Warhol?"
Last night marked another new episode of everyone's favorite ad land drama, Mad Men. While things haven't quite picked up plot-wise, the show continues to interweave real 60's-era brands into the show's story-line and beat the drum for its sponsors. Call it prime-time ad integration, brand assimilation or what-have-you, it's a total advertiser's love fest. Our expert analysis after the jump.
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Mad Men Advertises About Advertisers Advertising Before Their Advertisements

Posted by Luke Dringoli, 09 Aug 2010
Let's start this week off right with a look back at yesterday's episode of Mad Men. As usual, we've been keeping a close watch on the show and its sponsors. While most of the folks at Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce were on a little New Year's holiday (for our dear protagonist, this mostly meant booze and hookers), the real ads supporting the show were working double time, hoping to ensnare the folks with advertising already on the brain through what appeared to be a more deeply integrated partnership with the program. Winners and losers after the jump.
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Post Ad Anachronisms of the Mad Men Season 4 Premiere

Posted by Luke Dringoli, 26 Jul 2010
If you're at all interested in the ad biz, we know where you were last night at 10pm: on the couch, eyes transfixed on the tube, eagerly ingesting the premiere of Mad Men's fourth season. We grinned and beared the commercial interruptions (surprisingly engaging and relevant, thanks in part to BMW) to spend our Sunday evening catching up with Don Draper and company. Surprisingly, there's a considerable amount of post-adness to be found in and around the new episode (it was broadcast live in Times Square, by the way). Let's have a look at the key takeaways.
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