Branded Entertainment is one of the fasted growing forms of media - from a 3.0% share in 2007, to nearly twice that projected in 2012 according to eMarketer. With Internet access now ubiquitous in the US, and further audience fragmentation due to Smartphones, DVRs and Social Media, Brands are looking for unique ways to connect content and marketing/advertising to effectively engage customers beyond traditional media.The main reasons marketers use branded entertainment is the opportunity to make a strong emotional connection with the consumer, align their brand with relevant content and to build brand affinity among a specific demographic/target group.For many years, Toyota has believed in branded content and experiences as a way to educate, enlighten and entertain their customers – ultimately providing a more authentic connection to the brand. Even when the Brand or Product is not integrated directly into the experience or content, the tone, attributes and messaging of the brand are inherent in every piece of content consumed on any platform.These branded experiences also provide stories and content for consumers to post on their Social Media circles, the water-cooler of the 21st century, generating an increase of earned media for the Brand.

Prior to the Summit, the Toyota Mother’s of Invention were introduced through branded magazine and digital components via Newsweek/The Daily Beast. All branded content showcasing Mother’s of Invention were posted on YouTube, Toyota.com and Facebook allowing audiences to learn their story and establish an emotional connection.To further amplify Toyota’s social footprint, 4 of the most active bloggers from the Toyota Women Influencer Network were invited to the Summit to meet the Mother’s of Invention and blog about their experience. In addition, the Toyota’s Solutions Studio encouraged social sharing for all attendees.

Toyota received overwhelmingly positive responses to the integration across all platforms and the event itself. The branded content, the core of the idea, came to life on stage in front of Nobel Prize Winners, Oscar Nominees, World Leaders, Social Entrepreneurs and CEOs…the grant presentation was received by a resounding standing ovation. This inspirational, real life event and branded videos generated over 1MM combined social impressions across Facebook, Twitters, Blogs and Forums.The first Mothers of Invention post was nearly 200% more ‘talked about’ (liked, commented upon, shared) than the established Facebook benchmarks for organic placement of integrated/branded program. Over 13k views of the branded videos on Toyota’s YouTube page delivered the highest organic view count for all videos posted during the same time. A majority of the Twitter conversations during the event centred on Toyota’s grant presentation and yielded positive sentiment. Toyota’s integration made no.9 on The Daily Beast Cheat Sheet, which covers, must read news stories across the globe. In addition to this editorial coverage, Toyota earned media on numerous media outlets, such as ESPNW.com, Yahoo!, BusinessWeek, New York Daily News and ABC News Radio – resulting in over $1.4MM PR value.Sources: eMarketer, Visible Technologies, Facebook Insight Data