200 words on current Branded Content situation in NZ

Branded Content in New Zealand is normally limited to products or Fast Moving Consumer Goods ¬– not Government messages. This distinction is even more profound when it comes to PSAs, which traditionally have only appeared as prime time, 60 second television ads. It was always considered highly unlikely that you would be able to get a disinterested, and sometimes actively hostile audience motivated enough to want to actually seek out a PSA online, let alone engage with something longer than a few seconds in duration.

Blazed bucked this trend and proved that Branded Content can be a powerful method of communicating with a niche audience in New Zealand.

We formed a collaborative partnership with the Maori audience's favourite TV channel; Maori TV. They became the main messenger – not the Government.

We then worked together to create a short film called ‘Blazed’. This focused on children discussing their dad's stoned driving behaviour in a humorous fashion.

Maori TV premiered ‘Blazed’ during one of the channel’s most popular peak shows ‘Homai Te Pakipaki’. It was introduced via the hosts, within the live show. No end-line, no call to action, not an advert to be tuned out. Just a very emotive short film. It only ran on-air once.

The audience was told they could only see it again on the show’s YouTube page, thereby re-enforcing the legitimacy of the message ownership.

In the weeks post-premiere Maori TV presenters and newscasters continued to fuel conversation in TV and on-line, helping guide the virality of the film.

From a starting place of just 15,000 carefully chosen viewers, Blazed quickly went viral.

It was reposted by gang members, and went on to feature globally in articles at places like TIME, ABC, Fast Company and BuzzFeed.