With REAL TIME INSIGHTS, the CNBC Brand Studio demonstrated game-changing creativity by executing a first-of-its-kind branded series, shot on a custom set and airing in commercial time on CNBC and multiple digital channels. For this thought leadership franchise, we maintained timeliness through short production cycles and weekly episode airings. The series established EY as a strategic authority by continued output over an extended period of almost twelve months and across multiple channels, which increased visibility for the brand and awareness of its expertise across a wide array of topics, including tax, sustainability and ESG, transformation, data and technology and more.

REAL TIME INSIGHTS was borne from the global business breakdown caused by the pandemic and its aftermath, which created an enormous demand for strategic insight as companies across all verticals struggled to adapt to volatile business conditions and ever-evolving “new norms.” EY observed a growing demand for a trusted voice to help executives navigate an unprecedented business landscape. Wanting to seize that opportunity, EY challenged the CNBC Brand Studio to develop a content program that would position EY as the most trusted strategic advisor for enterprise across sectors. They asked for a series of 30-minute branded episodes hosted by EY leaders that could run in commercial time, a huge ask that had very little chance of being approved by the leads at CNBC. We recommended they consider a cross-channel approach that would meet their objectives, extend their budget and, importantly, had a chance of getting signoff by senior leadership.

REAL TIME INSIGHTS is a weekly, cross-channel branded video series hosted by esteemed financial journalist Caroline Woods. Episodes are shot on a custom set built within the CNBC studios featuring a sleek design and subtle EY branding, both of which were calibrated to reinforce EY’s identity as a vibrant, forward-thinking company. Each 90-second episode features a conversation on a single topic between Caroline, an EY subject matter expert and, occasionally, a thought leader representing one of EY’s client businesses, which allows EY to leverage the series for relationship building with its partners. Episode topics are deliberately far-reaching to demonstrate EY’s wide-ranging authority across many enterprise sectors. At the same time, topics are selected to be as timely as possible to maximize relevance to CNBC editorial content and to provide utmost utility to the CNBC audience.

Our internal analysis demonstrates that the CNBC audience expects all CNBC content to be insightful, actionable, high-value and easy to ingest. No matter the platform, they prefer short videos and nonvideo business news content with a direct point of view and clear takeaways. We knew the best way to deliver on that for EY was to create an all-new franchise that offered analysis of topical issues and clear recommendations by credible experts, delivered in 90-second episodes of the highest quality. For REAL TIME INSIGHTS, we effectively stretched the boundaries of editorial and branded content with a format that resembles, without duplicating, the style of news delivery that audiences prefer. To make that happen, we successfully demonstrated that delivering advertiser content in a format that is complementary to editorial content creates a richer, more meaningful viewer experience without jeopardizing editorial credibility.

For the program, linear presence was a client imperative. New episodes debuted weekly during “Squawk Box” commercial time, CNBC’s highest-rated hours of programming. To maximize exposure, each episode aired an additional two times during CNBC Business Day. The program, however, was fully cross-channel. All episodes live within a dedicated channel on CNBC.com, which also features related EY content to further establish the company as a trusted strategic resource. Episodes were further syndicated using our Content Portal, a brand-new format of highly engaging rich-media content ad unit developed specifically for this campaign. The Content Portals were displayed to the prescribed audience and allowed users to watch videos in their entirety from within the ad unit itself without redirecting to a web page. Each episode was organically promoted socially by the CNBC editorial team, after which that post was amplified via paid media.

The Content Portals generated millions of video views, shattering previous records for promotional unit performance in a CNBC Brand Studio branded content campaign. Users didn’t just tune into the videos; they completed each one at a rate almost 3x the VCR benchmark of standard rich media content units. Consistent headline, text and visual optimizations drove digital engagement across platforms. Native touts (promotional placements positioned within editorial content on the CNBC.com homepage and section fronts) saw click-through rates 40% higher than the site’s benchmark. Users scrolled through each landing page at rates 39% above the benchmark, and they clicked on 15x more hyperlinks than the average campaign. All of this was supplemental to the vast audience of viewers who watched episodes on CNBC linear and streaming platforms.

As a first of its kind program on CNBC, a major U.S. news network, it was imperative that the content strike the right tone and provide the utility the CNBC audience demands while being fully transparent about its status as paid advertising. While the CNBC digital audience is more accustomed to branded content, CNBC leadership was rightly concerned that a wrong step would confuse or even anger linear viewers who would be unfamiliar with this new format, especially in a “fake news” climate. We are extremely respectful of the editorial/commercial divide; without the credibility of our news organization, we’d have no ability to sell advertising of any kind. Ultimately, viewers expressed appreciation for the content via comments that made their way through both the sales and the editorial sides of our organization. With that happy confirmation, we are currently in discussions for a second season.