Hits, Views, And Clicks

The rise of digital marketing and original content creation.

Remember The Hire back in the early 2000s? It was a series of Web-only short films that featured a man (Clive Owen) who is hired as a driver using different cars. The short films were funded by German carmaker BMW and directed by renowned directors, including Guy Ritchie, Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, Ang Lee, John Woo, and Tony Scott.

What stood out was that these short films focused more on the various aspects of the driver’s situations rather than just the car. The narrative was central to the stories and deftly averted from heavily marketing the BMW marquee. Each one focused on a distinct story with the stark intention to just entertain.

BMW is among the early adapters of digital content marketing. In addition, the strategy of shifting marketing gears toward original content worked well for BMW; the German automaker saw two-digit growth in sales the year that the short films were released.

Softly selling a product

Closer to home, Jollibee is among the local companies that is able to incorporate digital content marketing into their traditional media advertising. They released a series of Kwentong Jollibee Valentines Web videos, which were laden with emotion and where Jollibee products became merely props to the narrative.

Not surprisingly, the videos went viral, collectively generating over 40 million views on Facebook and an additional 4 million views on YouTube.

These videos were released initially on the Web before they landed spots on TV. Not only that, but the videos themselves generated a lot of discussion on social media as well as features on traditional media outlets.

Telecom firms Globe and Smart, and broadcast firms ABS-CBN and GMA-7 have also dabbled in content marketing and have achieved various levels of success.

Paid, earned, and owned media