Branded Content is a practice that is being defined in recent years as brands and marketers are trying to define a concept that can no longer be associated with the advertisement for many reasons. Branded Content can be defined from a holistic and all-encompassing perspective as “any manifestation associated with a particular brand in the eye of the beholder”. From a managerial perspective, Branded Content is any output fully/partly funded or at least endorsed by the legal owner of the brand which promotes the owner’s brand values, and makes audiences choose to engage with the brand based on a pull logic due to its entertainment, informative and/or education value” [1,2].
This study aims to explain how Branded Content is positioned in the broader scenario of Content Marketing
and describe its peculiarities that distinguish it from advertisement. In particular, one of the most important
features that characterise Branded Content will be analysed. This facet is called “Engagement“. This
exploratory study is developed through the support of many professionals and practitioners all over the UK. These experts are willing to share their expertise and knowledge acquired over the years to conceptualise a new practice that is rapidly growing within brands of a great number of sectors [1,2]
