Two years ago, when Fresh Baked was in its infancy and there were only a handful of branded web shows online, our conversations with marketers were sparked by a mix of curiosity and naivety. “What the heck is branded entertainment?” was how they typically started. At the time, those brave enough to wade into these waters ahead of others were largely doing so because it felt like the right thing to do. The case for branded entertainment, for them, would come from trial and error.

Today, the web is home to hundreds of marketer-supported, fresh and attention-getting branded web shows. Decision makers, anxious to not miss out, are asking a myriad of questions as they build the case for investing in a branded web series. Unfortunately, many of the questions they ask come from a place of historical familiarity - the models of marketing to consumers through advertising, and may not be providing answers that will create the ideal model to pull the trigger. They are still learning that social influence marketing is a whole new playing field. Here's but one example.

"How many people will watch my web show - what's a good number I should expect?"

This truthful answer is.... we'll see. The question itself however, illuminates a conflict between the old and new worlds. Decades of experience allowed marketers to build predictive models of success based on this question in an advertising context. “If we reach X consumers with our TV ad, we can expect Y product movement at retail”, was how the equation was tabled and considered. It placed great importance on “eyeballs”. The truth is, the world of social influence media works completely different, more like word-of-mouth influence, where “brains” outweigh the importance of “eyeballs.” Where engagement trumps awareness. It’s less important to know how many people you speak with, as it is who. And furthermore, it’s not what you say to them, but what they hear that is of greatest importance. As a result, for us success is better measured by listening than counting. Our focus is not on creating a tote board of views, likes, etc., and trying to beat benchmarks for the brand, competitor or category. We want to hear what people are saying, and understand if what they hear is forming the desired perceptions, and behavioral changes, for the brands.

If you’re a marketer, what are the important questions on your mind?

If you’re a branded web show creator, what other questions are you being challenged by?