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- What is brand journalism - definition<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Brand journalism vs content marketing<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Brand journalism statistics<\/a> <\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Brand journalism examples<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nWhat is brand journalism - definition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
These days, pretty much every company has some kind of a corporate blog. And there\u2019s a good reason behind it. As Daniel Newman<\/a>, the founder and president at Broadsuite, explains: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consider the way we buy. Knowing that trust is the biggest factor in driving an online buyer from interested to a customer, brands have been trying to find a way to infuse trust in the consumer in a way that is non-intrusive and moreover helpful.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Put simply, brand journalism is the concept of a company creating content that covers their business or industry from a thought-leadership standpoint, in-house. Essentially, it\u2019s marketing through journalism. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead of using content that directly promotes the brand through traditional marketing tactics, corporate journalism focuses on telling stories and offering informational content that highlights the value of the brand from a different perspective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are some highlights from Ike Pigott\u2019s<\/strong> (spokesman for Alabama Power) Demand Success presentation on what corporate journalism is:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Brand](\"http:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Brand-journalism-quote-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nOf course, there are different models of corporate journalism. Some companies create content in order to generate leads. For them, \u201cnews\u201d is just another form of content, and it has to attract an audience of readers who might be converted into paying customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others produce news as a kind of service to their customers. For them brand journalism is communicating without selling; they don\u2019t expect a direct return on investment. The goal for them is brand awareness<\/a> and using storytelling<\/a> to create a new image of the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brand journalism vs content marketing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nHow is brand journalism different than content marketing, then? Regardless of all \u201cnon-believers\u201d, both content marketing and brand journalism are now recognized in the industry and academic terms and have been around in various forms for years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brand journalism has come out of the boom of branded magazines aimed at consumers.<\/strong> The continuously expanding list of (online) communication tools at the brand\u2019s disposal to directly reach and interact with their customers didn\u2019t hurt either, as it enabled picking the right content for what the customers are seeking at different stages in the business cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What about content marketing? Michael Brenner (Senior Director, Global Marketing, SAP) defines it as: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Content marketing means delivering the content your audience is seeking in all the places they are searching for it. It is the effective combination of created, curated, and syndicated content.<\/em> <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joe Pulizzi (The Content Marketing Institute<\/a>) adds that content marketing is a marketing and business process for creating and distributing valuable and compelling content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience \u2013 with the objective of driving profitable customer action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his opinion, that is the difference between content marketing and the other informational garbage you get from companies trying to sell you \u201cstuff\u201d<\/strong>. The buying process and the generating of leads are often the main arguments why you should not use these two terms interchangeably. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stories written by brand journalists are meant to more strongly connect on a personal level and create a favorable impression of the brand<\/strong>. Its goal is to find and tell the stories that convey a brand\u2019s \u201cpersonality.\u201d
<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Maria Perez, Director of Online Community Services for ProfNet and PR Newswire for Journalists highlights: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Consumers want more from companies than just products and services \u2013 they want to know companies care about them, about their goals, their dreams, and their lives<\/em><\/strong>. <\/em>When done right, brand journalism allows companies to connect with consumers more personally than through a traditional ad.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brand journalism statistics <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIf you\u2019re still on the fence, here are some stats that prove the power of brand journalism:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 80% of business decision-makers prefer to get company information<\/a> in a series of articles versus an advertisement<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 70% say content marketing makes them feel closer<\/a> to the sponsoring company<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 82% of consumers feel more positive about a company after reading custom content<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 90% of consumers find custom content useful, and 78 percent believe<\/a> that organizations providing custom content are interested in building good relationships with them<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2022 content marketing costs less than traditional outbound marketing<\/a>. Statistics show that content marketing costs 62 percent less per lead than outbound marketing<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Any brand, any kind of organization, or for any cause, can use brand journalism. Just like Andy Bull, journalist and educator, said: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Andy](\"http:\/\/prowly.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Andy-Bulls-quote-on-brand-journalism-1.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf your company has a collection of topics that fills a missing niche for your consumers, create your own newsroom<\/a>. Take a look at how Allegro<\/a>, a European e-commerce giant, and Spotify<\/a> did it with Prowly\u2019s help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking for more examples in the field of brand journalism? <\/strong>Adobe, American Express, Red Bull, and Coca-Cola. They all know how to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brand journalism examples<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nUsually, companies that embrace brand journalism use interviews and article-based websites that provide journalistic information to support their offerings. But corporate journalism comes in different shapes and sizes, for example: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Backing America\u2019s Backbone<\/a> by U.S. Cellular<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- HSBC News and Insight<\/a> from HSBC Holdings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Still, some brands like Heineken<\/strong> seemed to have taken brand journalism to the next level and understood that it\u2019s not only about creating great content; it\u2019s more about presenting it right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s precisely what Heineken did with its 80-page long sustainability report <\/strong>\u2013 not only did they publish it on their blog for the very curious ones, they also asked a Dutch rapper, Kevin \u2018Blaxtar\u2019 de Randamie, to read it and express it in his own words. Their 2-minute video is not only full of information \u2013 it is also presented in an accessible way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- HSBC News and Insight<\/a> from HSBC Holdings<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Brand journalism vs content marketing<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n