There’s a lot of discussion around branded content in the UK market at the moment, but few brands are delivering their own high quality content at scale. Fewer still have created regular content with an aim to build a returning fan base.

However, we felt that at a time when consumers are experiencing ‘feature fatigue’ when it comes to mobile technology, it was important for a brand like Sony Mobile to stand for something more emotive and give customers a reason to engage beyond enthusiasm for the technology itself.

The single legal factor pertinent to the project was the need to secure the correct licensing permissions from the owners of the content we feature on the show. This was an unknown factor at the project outset, due to the novel way we were creating and distributing the content, and the success of the show hinged on being able to source content of the highest quality. Luckily, content owners were happy to share their content once they understood that inclusion in the show was an accolade that would help promote them too.

We initially launched The Take Out through Sony Mobile’s social and CRM channels – to their existing social community. We then launched the show to a wider audience, drawing them in with offbeat YouTube advertising.

We know from YouTube’s audience research that nearly all video content is discovered through sharing, so we developed a show concept designed to exploit this. The content we select for the show is chosen to ensure freshness and discoverability, because this resonates with our audience of ‘curious consumers’ who want to be the first to know about new content online and are enthusiastic about new developments in mobile.

From a standing start with no media push, The Take Out has now reached a monthly audience of over 240,000. We achieve a regular, organic audience of over 10,000 resulting in a significant level of brand engagement; over 500 on Google+ in January for instance. Demographic statistics suggest we've been successful in reaching out beyond Sony’s existing fan base, and in creating advocates amongst new online communities. Reception of the show has been overwhelmingly positive – every week we receive enthusiastic comments from viewers on YouTube, Google+, Facebook et al. And what’s more the show has gathered positive coverage in the press, featuring in articles on best practice in content marketing in The Guardian and The Drum. YouTube itself has commended Sony for having one of the channel’s most successful branded content series.

Perhaps the most valuable outcome, though not the most obvious, is the number of learnings and new opportunities we've been able to identify. The show has changed attitudes within the client’s organisation and has proven the value of branded content, and we hope to develop it further in the year to come.