In his regular column for INMA, communications manager Lewis Boulton reveals how content partnerships represent a compelling blend of editorial rigour and advertising effectiveness
Surrounded by bits of the Sunday newspaper, a reader flicks through one of the supplements and happens upon an interesting article. It’s a celebration of the long weekend: scenic routes to city breaks, picnics in parks, lazy days in the garden knowing work is one more day away than it should be.
Another is scrolling through TikTok on the way to work. They’ve been stopped in their tracks: a video full of holiday hacks to optimise their packing before their next getaway. They mentally file a few of those tips for later.
Then they notice a brand’s logo in the corner. It’s not usual news brand editorial — this is a paid-for brand partnership.
That instinctively feels like the end of the story. The reader realises the whole thing is just advertising masquerading as something deeper. If a brand is behind this content, surely there’s an ulterior motive. Surely the publisher is compromising their editorial integrity the moment the narrative isn’t theirs.
Except 90% of readers we surveyed agree it’s clear that a content partnership is sponsored by a brand. They know what they’re looking at, and they know what to expect. What’s more, more than half would still consider that brand, while three in four people 35 and younger want more of this content style. Readers value what content partnerships bring.
And what do they bring? For advertisers, content partnerships represent a key opportunity to develop a brand’s narrative well beyond what simple display can do. The readers we asked said such content not only engages them, but it also says more about a brand than more traditional forms of advertising can.
Read Lewis’s full INMA column on content partnerships.
