Here’s the relevant info, from Digiday‘s recent Beat report. Another third (36 percent) say they’re putting in a “somewhat significant” investment. It’s not a massive shift, but it’s a clear indicator of the branding industry’s intentions.
What It Means
The move has been a long time coming. Citing a Glossy article, Digiday notes that editors are increasing creating stand-alone content solely for brands, rather than for an unaffiliated newsroom: As native branding is beginning to offer less and less of an effect, brands are realizing that they don’t need to rely on an established, trustworthy name. After all, 44 percent of online news readers can’t recall the name of a news source that they had read within the past day, according to a recent Pew Research Center study. If all that matters is the content, why bother getting it branded by a respectable source?
