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Letters: Branded content needs to offer users more

Platform: Internet | Author: Dan Williamson, Head of content, Cimex Media | Source: NMA magazine | Published: 08.05.08

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Mark Maddox makes a great case for the value of branded content in an increasingly ad-averse climate (Profile, NMA 17.04.08), but it's important to note just how easy it is to get content wrong.

A good example is the recent scramble towards social media marketing. You only have to look at some of Facebook's fan sites to see brands trying to start conversations with users, assuming that their presence on the network alone will attract people in their millions. Alas, clogging...

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... up Facebook users' inboxes with weekly updates on their latest screensaver is of little value. It's also just as interruptive as the ads Maddox says users are trying to avoid with on-demand content.

Customer publishing isn't new, but many forget that content needs to give the user a genuine reason to return to your site, subscribe to your RSS feed or become your friend on a social network.

From Dan Williamson, head of content, Cimex Media