Sponsored Content Gains Interest, Value, and Clicks

May 7, 2014: A recent study conducted by HubShout found that 72.8% of Internet users who have read sponsored content “believe it has equal or greater value as compared to non-sponsored content” on the same website. With social media platforms such as Facebook moving to a model where businesses will need to pay for visibility, the HubShout study suggests that consumers will in fact, engage and accept such ads without feeling that they are invasive or unsolicited.

The success of sponsored content will rely heavily on creativity of the ad and the ability of the marketer to connect with its target audience. Uber provides a great example of sponsored content, done right. In this article, Uber targets the millennial audience most likely to download its app and use its services. Engaging content, layered with soft selling and CTAs (call to actions) are the future of online ads. Even on messaging platforms such as SnapChat, which enable users to evade marketers, movie trailers are widely accepted and viewed due to the creativity with which the short disappearing clips are promoted.

Although Facebook’s recent moves to limit organic reach have caused a great deal of pushback, the truth is social media has never been free. Brands that win have always been willing to put money behind a team or agency that makes a carefully orchestrated marketing plan look effortless and spontaneous. You can read more here, where we discuss brands other than Samsung that stole the night at the Oscars.