Branded content is becoming a staple in brands’ communications plans in the U.S. today. It’s no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have. This medium is changing the way brands purchase their media and, most important, the way they are telling their stories.

It’s everywhere, so brands can no longer stand out just by creating more content. They need a way to connect their brands with human truths that relate to the viewer and keep them coming back for more.

The videos were released on Dove’s Facebook page during the two weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day and posted to the brand YouTube channel, with both platforms supported with a small media budget.

For additional reach, we partnered with two influencers who shared the videos and their own stories of Love Less Ordinary with their followers and in national and local media outlets where the real couples lived.

The campaign proved successful on-shelf. During a season where the category was declining, Dove grew share by 0.4 during the 2015 Valentine’s Day season.

The videos successfully fostered engagement with consumers, exceeding benchmarks across action rate (goal .86%, achieved 4.17%), and average duration of video viewed (goal 15%, achieved 22%).

The consumer feedback to our videos was overwhelmingly positive. Consumer comments received: “I’m in love with their love”, “I hope to love my wife in a “less ordinary” way every day”. This helped us earn the title of “#1 Most Loved Chocolate Brand on Social Media” according to NetBase.

Historically known for being “mom’s chocolate,” we were able to use this content to effectively reach a new, younger audience (over 50% of viewership came from 13-to-24-year-olds) as well as gain the attention of males (prime purchasers of chocolate on Valentine’s Day) with an even balance of viewership from both genders.