As publishers grapple with ad fraud, bots, ad blockers, and more, diversifying revenue streams has never been more important. And advertisers are hungry for new opportunities to reach audiences. Perhaps the biggest opportunity for publishers — and the advertisers they serve — has been the advent of branded content. Whereas publishers got their feet wet by accepting and then commissioning textual articles from advertisers, there is now an arms race to provide the best client service and the most bells and whistles to the world’s largest advertisers. We reached out to dozens of publishers with a number of questions about their offerings. Below you will find their answers (some edited for clarity). In addition, we’ve listed other publishers and what we know about their offerings.
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Atlantic Media| Complex Media| Hearst | IDG | Little Things| New York Media | New York Times
Atlantic Media
Atlantic Media has two content studios: Atlantic Media Strategies, which creates content that is published across the web, and Re:Think, an in-house creative group that creates content that runs on Atlantic properties. The answers below pertain to Atlantic Media Strategies.
Name
Atlantic Media Strategies (AMS) helps organizations advance ideas that move the world. Part creative agency and part consulting firm, we create content strategies and large-scale content campaigns that extend an organization’s mission across the web.
Head of Studio
Jean Ellen Cowgill
Contact
Kristin Hume, [email protected]
Employees
30+
Founded
2012
Can clients run the content on external sites as well as yours?
Yes
Types of Content Created
Articles/text
Short-form video
Long-form video
Audio (e.g. podcasts)
Social Media
How is the content promoted?
We promote through social media organically and through paid social media
Do you also allow brands to run native ads with content not created by your studio?
No
Sample Clients
American Cancer Society, Truth Initiative, Allstate, 1776, and Marketplace
Complex
Name
Complex Studios
Formed
2013
Head of studio
Julia Rodack; Director, Branded Content
Serving the following publications
Complex and Complex Media Network
Contact
None given
Number of employees
20-29
Do editorial employees contribute?
Yes
Types of content produced
Complex provides full-service capabilities that include video, text-based content, social programs, and influencer campaigns.
Can clients run the content on external sites as well as yours?
Yes
How is the content promoted?
Brands handle social themselves
We promote through social media organically
We promote through paid social media
We include in newsletters
Do you also allow brands to run native ads with content not created by your studio?
No
Sample Clients
Pepsi, Intel, Google, Verizon, Powerade, Nike
Examples here, here, here, and here
Hearst Corporation
Name
Unnamed
Formed
2014
Head of studio
Laura Kalehoff, Director, Branded Content Studio
Contact
Todd Haskell, SVP/Chief Revenue Officer, Hearst Magazines Digital Media
Serving the following publications
Cosmopolitan.com, Elle.com, HarpersBazaar.com, MarieClaire.com, Esquire.com, GoodHousekeeping.com, HouseBeautiful.com, Delish.com, and others
Employees
10-19
Do editorial employees contribute?
Yes
Types of Content Created
As part of larger advertising/media engagements, Hearst Magazine Digital Media creates articles, video, galleries and listicles for distribution on Hearst platforms (owned, as well as social).
Can clients run the content on external sites as well as yours?
Yes
How is the content promoted?
We promote through social media organically
We promote through paid social media
We include in newsletters
We distribute branded content via our editorial feeds on-site.
Do you also allow brands to run native ads with content not created by your studio?
No
Sample Clients
None supplied
IDG
Name of company
IDG Content Marketing Practice
Serving the following publications
IDG Owned & Operated publications, including: CIO, Computerworld, PCWorld, and Macworld. (See all IDG properties here: http://idg.me/1NZuOgq).
Contact Information
[email protected]
Employees
30+
Founded
IDG has been producing branded and custom content since the 1990s. We formalized the practice in 2015.
Capabilities
IDG offers a global Content-as-a-Service business providing clients with expert content strategy development, content architecture modeling and private label content creation services (visual content, articles, social content/blogs, white papers, etc.) We have a global resource infrastructure with expertise in B2B and B2C content, design, research, data analytics/intelligence and content syndication/amplification. IDG has nearly 50 years of content and audience engagement expertise, data intelligence and our exclusive influencer network. Our capabilities are uniquely targeted to tech-focused audiences. Our ability to scale globally provides content messaging and consistent quality, while providing local relevance into everything we do.
Type of content created
Articles/text
Short-form video
Long-form video
Audio (e.g. podcasts)
Social Media
Blogs
Primary research
Reviews
Visual content
Motion graphics
Case studies
Quizzes
Calculators
Can clients run the content on external sites as well as yours?
Yes
How is the content promoted?
Brands handle social themselves
We promote through social media organically
We promote through paid social media
We include in newsletters
Native advertising
Advertising on IDG properties, IDG TechNetwork, IDG Social Channels
Can clients run the content on external sites as well as yours?
Yes
Sample Clients
None supplied
LittleThings
Name
LittleThings Studios
Formed
We began testing in September 2015 in anticipation of rolling out our Direct Sales initiatives in the spring of 2016.
Head of Studio
Maia McCann, Editor-in-Chief, LittleThings
Contact
Employees
30+
Do editorial employees contribute?
Yes. In the interest of authenticity and transparency with our core audience, we have the same team overseeing content for both branded and editorial, which all rolls out of LittleThings Studios
Types of content produced
LittleThings and our brand partners develop themed custom content designed to build awareness, reinforce brand benefits, and drive meaningful activations.
Articles/text
Short-form video
Long-form video
Social Media
Other: Facebook Live; Facebook Native; Facebook Instant Articles; Original Illustrations; Original Photography; and Recipes Cards
Can clients run the content on external sites as well as yours?
Yes
How is the content promoted?
We promote through social media organically
We promote through paid social media
We include in newsletters
Editorial distribution
Do you also allow brands to run native ads with content not created by your studio?
Yes
Sample Clients
eBay, AvoDerm, Soma, Freshpet, PrideBites, Ford
New York Media
Name
Unnamed
Formed
2014
Head of studio
Justin Montanino, Senior Director of Branded Content
Serving the following publications
New York Magazine (incl. nymag.com), Vulture, The Cut, Science of Us, Grub Street, Select All
Contact
Justin Montanino, [email protected]
Number of employees
10-19
Do editorial employees contribute?
No
Types of content produced
Long-form and short-form posts
High-end photography and video
Interactives
Influencer casting
Event integrations and experiential activations
As well as the ability to dream up new capabilities not already mentioned here.
Can clients run the content on external sites as well as yours?
Yes
How is the content promoted?
We promote through social media organically
We promote through paid social media
We include in newsletters
Traffic drivers on our network of sites
Do you also allow brands to run native ads with content not created by your studio?
Yes
Sample Clients
HBO
Netflix
IBM
Tiffany & Co.
Guinness
Sephora
Bose
Bravo
Versace
The New York Times Company
Name
T Brand Studio
Formed
1/14
Head of studio
Sebastian Tomich
Serving the following publications
The New York Times
Contact
Number of employees
30+
Do editorial employees contribute?
No
Types of content produced
Reported articles
Documentary video and photography
Graphic and interactive design
In-house development
White label content consulting and production
Social media strategy and amplification
Can clients run the content on external sites as well as yours?
Yes
How is the content promoted?
We promote through on site drivers and paid social media
Do you also allow brands to run native ads with content not created by your studio?
Yes
Sample Clients
Visit Norway
Goldman Sachs
Cole Haan
Vanguard
Other Branded Content Studios (these did not respond to inquiries by press time)
BBC
BBC Storyworks
Bloomberg
Kinection
Business Insider
BI Studios
BuzzFeed
Unnamed
Conde Nast
23 Stories By Conde Nast
Gawker
Studio@Gawker
Guardian
Guardian Labs
Mashable
Unnamed
Mic
Unnamed
