Branded Content that Works

What if the best branded content campaign you ever produced almost never saw the light of day - not once, but three times?On this episode of Branded Content That Works, we're breaking down how Fortune Brand Studio turned three years of rejection, a broken wind turbine, floods, and a national grid outage into an award-winning masterpiece.Host Stine Holmgaard sits down with Megan Gilbert, Vice President of Fortune Brand Studio, and Lauren Chomiuk, Executive Director of Program Management for Fortune Brand Studio, to unpack their six-year journey with Iberdrola, a global energy company based in Spain.Megan and Lauren share the story behind their brand film Staying Power and its accompanying content hub, including how they pitched the client for three years before winning the business, why a single mechanical failure off the coast of Massachusetts sent them scrambling to Spain, and how constant communication and deep trust turned a string of force majeure events into a campaign that overperformed Fortune's benchmarks by 3x in impressions and 14x in engagement.This episodes was recorded in FBS's podcast studio in New York.Produced by Pia de SoizaFilmed by Youssef LehninEdited by Jonathan HarrisKeywords:Branded content, Fortune Brand Studio, Iberdrola, Brand film production, Energy marketing, Global branded content strategyAppendix: https://fortune.com/brandstudio/iberdrola/how-energy-storage-is-redefining-power-on-the-iberian-peninsula/

What if the same football clips, posted the exact same way, could either flop or generate 3 million views a month? On this episode of Branded Content that Works, we're breaking down exactly what made the difference.Host Stine Holmgaard sits down with Toni Janjiš, Head of Content Studio at Tportal, Hrvatski Telkom (Croatia's leading digital news platform and part of Deutsche Telekom Group), to unpack how a telco-owned media brand turned exclusive football rights into a thriving social media community. Toni shares the strategic thinking behind Tportal Sport's award-winning campaign, and winner of the Global Branded Content Award for Best Use of Social, including how they built platform-specific content, grew from zero to tens of thousands of followers in a year, and reached millions monthly, all without treating social media as just a distribution channel.Keywords:Branded content, Social media strategy, Sports marketing, Community building, Digital media (Tportal/Croatia)Appendix:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sport.tportal.hr/?locale=hr_HRInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tportalsport/Reference links to the Shed of Dulwich: https://www.vice.com/en/article/i-made-my-shed-the-top-rated-restaurant-on-tripadvisor/

Description:Yvonne Beister, Director at Axel Springer Brand Studios, shares her perspective on reinventing branded content through AI-powered interactive storytelling, exploring how to push the boundaries of native advertising while staying brand-safe and editorially credible. Drawing on her extensive experience leading content and strategy across more than 20 media brands reaching 52 million Germans, she presents a detailed case study of Axel Springer's groundbreaking partnership with Samsung, outlining how they invented and launched a first-of-its-kind AI story format — and the remarkable results it delivered in engagement, dwell time, and purchase intent.Keywords:Branded content, AI storytelling, Interactive content, Axel Springer, Samsung, Gamification, Native AdvertisingAppendix:Samsung Campaign: https://hey.bild.de/experience/besser-schlafen-fit-in-den-tag-starten-04ba51e6Sixt: https://www.sixt.de/mietwagenleitfaden/werbung/

Hayley Anne Sharp, Managing Director of Global Brand Partnerships at Vox Media, shares her perspective on building impactful brand partnerships at international scale, exploring how to balance editorial integrity with client expectations while telling complex stories through engaging content. Drawing on her extensive experience, she presents a detailed case study of Vox Media's award-winning partnership with the European Commission, outlining how they found and filmed three extraordinary real-life stories across Bangladesh, South Africa, and El Salvador - and the key lessons learned along the way.KeywordsBranded content, brand partnerships, Vox Media, European Commission, documentary storytelling, global campaigns, raw talent, content strategy, native advertising, international mediaChapters00:00 Building Brand Partnerships at Global Scale02:18 What Makes Vox Media a Modern-Day Publisher05:32 Anecdote: Selling a Pen and the Power of Relationships09:40 Case Study: The Of the Future Campaign32:48 Karaoke Song: Don't Stop BelievingAppendixCampaign - Thandisile :https://www.vox.com/ad/398442/how-one-south-african-is-leading-the-way-for-a-greener-economyCampaign - Valeria Zavaleta: https://www.vox.com/ad/461213/leading-the-way-for-el-salvadors-diCampaign - Reshma: https://www.vox.com/ad/461250/what-happens-when-women-lead-a-new-future-for-bangladesh

Per Karlsson, Senior Pitch Director at Bonnier News, shares his perspective on the art of pitching branded content, exploring how to balance commercial ambitions with authentic storytelling while meeting evolving client expectations. Drawing on his extensive experience, he presents a detailed case study of the successful Go Live a Little campaign for Apollo, outlining the strategies that drove its strong performance and the key lessons learned along the way.keywordsbranded content, pitching, advertising, media, Apollo campaign, content strategy, AI in media, client relationships, industry trends, content marketingChapters00:00 The Art of Pitching Branded Content02:18 Understanding the Role of a Pitch Director03:52 Defining Branded Content: Clarity and Confusion07:31 A Personal Anecdote: Lessons from a High-Stakes Pitch10:40 AI in Branded Content: A Tool for Authenticity12:12 Case Study: The Apollo Campaign27:46 Measuring Success: KPIs and Outcomes35:19 Lessons Learned: Challenging Client Expectations37:12 Trends in Branded Content: Shifts in Client ExpectationsAppendix:Hemkop Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hemkop_sverige