Branded content in the U.S. is an evolving, fast-growing business. As it rises a number of voluntary and official regulatory bodies are engaging in a discussion around guidance. It is widely understood that branded content should be clearly labeled as paid for by an advertiser, but the degree to which the content is labeled as such varies from publisher to publisher. The agency strives to be the clearest in the industry labeling of our native advertising work, going so far as to have our own distinct content studio — with no contact with our newsroom and journalists — whereas some of our peers produce content from the same editorial staff that produces content for their journalistic side of their publications. The space is currently regulated by three principal entities: the IAB (International Advertising Bureau), the 4As (American Association of Advertising Agencies) and the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). Legal standards are still being fully fleshed out by the FTC.

Cole Haan aspires to be a storytelling brand. To announce the launch of their new product collaboration with New York City Ballet, they wanted to generate awareness of the line through the lens of content and narrative. We worked with Cole Haan to refine the topic, starting with a broad discussion of the challenges facing a ballerina day in and day out. We then narrowed the focus on the mental toughness they exhibit by dancing over many years and often through many injuries. We worked with Cole Haan to profile three of New York City Ballet’s most promising ballerinas using film to highlight how they muster unrivaled grace on stage - while their bodies often take the toll.

We shot the video using an array of advanced camera rigs, such as a MoVI steadicam and a SnorriCam, a device that attaches to the ballerinas’ body. This gear enabled us to capture unique angles and focus on the dancers’ movement in a cinemagraphic way.

The final post was created by weaving together the documentary video and written article. The full page was produced by a team that included a writer, editors, a film crew, designers, illustrators, photographers and developers.

The results: With over 30,000 social referrals, the piece gathered praise from the advertising and ballet community and was widely regarded as a success - driving awareness to the Cole Haan brand all while maintaining an editorial, journalistic voice.

A brand lift study conducted through Insight Express showed that the post “drove significant increases in perceptions about what Cole Haan can offer in terms of content for readers, particularly that it provides interesting information [readers/viewers] never would have known about or known to look for, provides insightful information/content, inspires [them] to think about new ideas and provides captivating storytelling.”

- A mix of on-site native traffic drivers on NYTimes.com which drove to the Paid Post experience.

- Paid social media, including a native Facebook video ad.

- Organic sharing (over 30,000 social referrals)

- A custom landing page, including the sizzle reel on Cole Haan’s e-commerce site (www.colehaan.com/nycballet).

Consumers were highly engaged, spending a total 3,172 collective hours with the post cross-platform. Users were also very engaged on social media, taking over 12,000 social actions. Overall, the brand lift study conducted by Insight Express showed a 51% increase in brand favorability. The Avery en Point Ballet collection product pages saw traffic increase 33% from 1779 visits per day to 2374 visits per day. Views of these product SKUs increased 9% from 11,801 to 12,894 and 2% from 8,068 to 8,197.

Commissioned and paid for by Cole Haan, this paid post focuses on the personal stories of the day-to-day rituals, struggles and commitment of three world class ballerinas, access to whom was provided by Cole Haan via their relationship with New York City Ballet. This story, told through a reported article and documentary-style video, was enhanced by rich interactive design, custom illustration and still photography. The story is told without any direct product messaging yet successfully advances Cole Haan’s association with ballet, as well as furthering their brand promise of inspiring people to work for what they believe in. As context, the fashion brand worked with our three featured ballerinas to create a line of ballet flats. As viewers complete the native ad, they have the option to learn more at Cole Haan’s e-commerce site, where we also created a custom sizzle reel to complement this collection.