And now a channel from our sponsors
Branded content is the way forward for advertisers, says patrick collister

June 06, 2006 - TheFirstPost

Ten years ago, when I was creative director of a large agency, a bigwig at Unilever said to me: "This online, interactive thing, we don't know if it's going to be as important as you say it will be. But here's some (inadequate) money to go and do something for Dove to show us what the future will be like."

We set to work. Well, the very talented Alun Howell set to work. What he and Marcus Vinton devised was theoasis.com, a website that was nothing less than the first health and beauty portal for women.

There were mini-documentaries about women who'd got to the top - a judge, a racing driver, a surgeon - general interest pieces, workout sections and so on. The material was involving and interesting and relevant to Dove's brand values.

I thought I saw the future of advertising. Branded content. Unilever thought it was not their kind of future. Having been media buyers for a century, the prospect of becoming media owners was too much of a headbang.

Now, Audi have just launched a new TV commercial, not for a car but for their TV station, Audi TV. It's on Sky channel 884, if you're interested. Today's schedule includes an interview with rugby star Matt Dawson "In the front seat", "A Day with Roddy Williams", captain of the British Polo team, designer Wayne Hemingway testing the new A4 cabriolet in Seville and a chance to see the new Q7.

Nothing to set the world alight - yet. But it is the beginning of a completely new kind of relationship between the brand and its customers. If I sigh, it's for Dove's missed opportunity.