Don't call it TV on the internet; TV
for the internet is more accurate. Better yet, drop the TV part altogether and call it what it truly is -- branded entertainment -- because it's going places television has yet to venture. Sure, you've seen sitcom characters drink their favorite brand of cola in a scene, or reality-television contestants compete to win a new car the host just talked up. But have you seen a network series in which a consumer product plays a major role in the storyline? How about one built entirely around a product?
To see either of those, you'll have to turn off your TV and get online.
They're called branded web series, and they're becoming more polished, more sophisticated, more engaging, and nearly on par with network television when it comes to production value and star power. Like any series, they're by no means a sure thing (Bud.tv, Anheuser-Busch's now-defunct online channel devoted to AB-branded content, immediately comes to mind). Yet, every day more and more brands are taking the plunge to sponsor a web series.
We asked three leading players in the arena of creating, and marketing, branded entertainment for their thoughts on making a successful web series. And what's in it -- both the benefits and challenges -- for a brand thinking of sponsoring one.
Why spend precious ad dollars on a web series?
"One of the things the internet is revolutionizing is this idea of branded entertainment," says Jonathan Small, VP/editorial director of The Creative Lab for Break Media, which owns eight entertainment websites, most notably their flagship entertainment site for 18- to 34-year-old males, Break.com. "On television, you see 15- or 30-second commercials. On the internet, you see web series that are entertaining but, at the same time, pushing a brand's message. It's a more subtle approach to advertising."
"While the audiences might not be as big as network TV, the level of engagement and the targeting you can do is much better," says Miles Beckett, co-founder and CEO of the social entertainment firm EQAL, which has produced some of the web's most successful series, including "lonelygirl15", "KateModern", and "Harper's Globe", a companion series to CBS' "Harper's Island".
Targeting is currently aimed primarily at younger viewers, and for good reason. This younger demographic has more free time to spend online, and they're typically more willing to engage in the social-media components built around most web series, which include commenting on episodes, playing games, participating in polls and quizzes, making plot suggestions, and remixing videos, to name but a few.
"What we've seen with the shows that we've produced, and the brands that we've worked with," adds Beckett, "is that, because of the two-way communication of the internet, there is so much engagement and so much more mindshare the brand gets from the audience members."
Of course, a viewer isn't obligated to take his or her engagement to the next level. But if the web series is doing its job in engaging the viewer, participation is, hopefully, a natural byproduct.
Is deep engagement essential?
"We wouldn't be doing it if we didn't really provide the deep level of engagement," says Karla Geci, director of marketing for Bebo, one of the world's largest social media networks and a leader in branded online entertainment. "The user on Bebo is not there for the advertising; they're there for the content. But they also really like to engage with the brands that are important to them. That's why it works."
Beckett, who credits the social aspect of a web series as the main reason "lonelygirl15" became such a hit, believes that, without the engagement and interactivity from the viewers, "It's just TV on the internet." Not that he's against that; he confesses to watching most of his television on the web. "But it's definitely not an interactive show or, as we call them, a 'social show,'" he adds. "That's what makes a web series special and different."
But are brands taking full advantage of this engagement by talking back?
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