(BPT) - What's next for branded content?

Branded content is a powerful, targeted way to connect with consumers, aligning your brand with their values. And it's highly effective. A Nielsen report found branded content produced 86% brand recall. According to the International Journal of Advertising, branded content is 22 times more effective than traditional advertising.

If it's not on your PR and marketing radar now, it should be. But, as the industry and technology evolve, branded content is evolving, too. For PR pros and marketers, it's important to stay current on how best to use this powerful tool.

David Olson, senior vice president at Brandpoint, the industry leader in creating and distributing branded content, offers his insights into the future of this powerful tool. (Spoiler: it's about leveraging AI correctly and focusing on personalization.)

Generative AI improvements and refinements

Longform content? Expert writers are the best at that. But AI can be a powerful ally in the process of creating that content. And it's getting better at it.

Generative AI is best at story ideation and brainstorming, coming up with different approaches to a topic, and optimizing headlines. It can also help adjust tone and style for customized outreach. AI previously struggled at research - a critical aspect of brand storytelling - but has recently made positive strides and can help save time, as long as you double-check all sources for accuracy.

AI can create different versions of the same content

AI can quickly create multiple versions of your content, customized for different target audiences.

A basic example would be a lawn mower company using different imagery when speaking to people in Mississippi versus Minnesota to reflect the regional landscape and weather conditions. They might highlight different benefits of the product based on what people need in those locations. Digging even deeper, it could use language that is more appealing to people in those locations, such as different dialects or idioms.

Augmented and virtual reality

Immersive experiences through augmented reality and virtual reality will be huge.

Let's say a museum is doing an exhibit on Ernest Hemingway that offers AR or VR where people scan or interact with artifacts to learn more. It may include photos of the writer and others at Hemingway's favorite haunt in Key West, Sloppy Joe's. You could use your phone to scan a code next to the photos to learn the history of this venerable establishment, Hemingway's ties to it and to the owner, and that yes, the restaurant really does serve Sloppy Joes. Email yourself the recipe and enjoy one for dinner that night, in honor of Papa.

Even more personalization

Remember Tom Cruise in "Minority Report" and the customized advertisements as he walked through the mall? Spielberg was correct in seeing branded content as hyper-personalized. The more you can make content relevant to the individual, the more powerful the connection you create.

Inclusivity and diversity

Forget the broad strokes; we need to carefully consider things like age, ethnicity, abilities and sexual preference. In brand storytelling we must remember the people we're talking to and reflect the things that matter most to them. This aligns well with the idea of personalized content.

Search is not the holy grail it once was

Much of branded content is not indexable by Google. Search is changing because of AI, so ranking is going to be even more difficult now. If you're a brand putting out blog content, getting it to rank is challenging. It's tough for a lot of brands to let go of that as the holy grail.

It's not a quantity game we're playing anymore. It's not about posting more than your competitors. If you're just posting for the sake of getting something up and out into the digital world, you're doing yourself a disservice. You become the exact white noise you're hoping to break through. Focus on quality instead.

Branded content is always evolving

Ultra personalized branded content will be more interesting and relevant. But, things are always evolving, which means it will be key for brands to pivot and embrace change as it comes.

Brandpoint is the leader in creating and distributing branded content, with average results of 1,000 print and online placements and a site audience of 140 million-170 million. Contact Brandpoint today to learn more about how to put the power of branded content to work for you.