Take a look at our 10 favourite pieces of custom content that brands and publishers partnered on in the month of April.
Check out March’s top 10 here.
1. The Water Diviner – Complex + Under Armour
This phenomenal piece of custom content profiles a typical day in the life of the world’s most decorated Olympian in history, Michael Phelps. The combination of top-notch writing and custom video that follows Phelps from the moment he wakes up make this piece a must-see for anyone in the branded content industry.
2. The Suit You Can Wear Anytime, Anywhere By Tommy Hilfiger – GQ + Tommy Hilfiger
What better way to tell the story of a new line of suits designed to stretch and accommodate active men from all walks of life than by profiling a handful of them around the world. This piece feels very organic because it reads like a typical street style blog you can find on almost every style publication. The addition of a custom video featuring the men profiled makes it even better.
3. 12 Faces That Are Too Real For Anyone With Credit Card Debt – Buzzfeed + Interac
Before you roll your eyes at yet another Buzfeed listicle of witty headlines and gifs, remember that deep down we all wish that we had been the ones to master the format. This piece hits you with a quick dose of funny and aligns perfectly with a short “dogumentary” that Interac made about pets with credit card debt.
4. 5 Tasty Treats To Look Forward To Eating This Summer – MTL Blog + Fibre 1
After our long winters, most Canadians are ecstatic about summer as soon as the first hints of warm weather hit in April. We really likes this recipe post because it integrates the brand seamlessly while still being fun and building excitement in readers.
(Full Disclosure: This story was created through the Pressboard Story Marketplace)
5. Making Our Skylines Smarter – The Atlantic + Microsoft Cloud
It’s been at least 4 years since “the cloud” was a hot topic to write about, but this custom piece is really interesting because I’m sure most readers had no idea that cloud software was changing the way skyscrapers are constructed. Using custom animation, infographics and video, The Atlantic was able to create an engaging case study for Microsoft Cloud that doesn’t feel like a sales pitch.
6. Tour of Beauty – The New York Times + The Florida Keys and Key West
Travel brands take note; this is what you should be striving for. The beautiful visuals and bright pops of colour immediately transport you to sunny Florida, where NYT’s custom content team, T Brand Studio, take you on a ride through the Keys through stunning video and an itinerary full of adventure.
7. Business Of The Heart – The Wall Street Journal + Starz
Like their collaboration with Netflix, which we previously featured as one of the best branded content partnerships of 2015, WSJ once again makes a TV show relevant to their audience by exploring its economics. Starz’s new show, The Girlfriend Experience, is about the world of high-end escort services, so this piece dives into the economics of everything to do with love.
For more insight into how the The Wall Street Journal creates branded content, check out our interview with their Global Head of Media Sales, Trevor Fellows.
8. How to Solve a Murder – The Guardian + Amazon
This campaign is actually from March, but it’s just too good to not feature! Playing off the popularity of true crime series like Serial and How To Make A Murderer, Amazon teamed up the The Guardian Labs to create a popular true crime series to promote their new criminal investigation show, Bosch.
9. Top 7 Ways First-Time Home Buyers Can Save For a Down Payment – Vancouver Is Awesome + Coast Capital Savings
Due to its ever-increasing prices, Vancouver’s real estate market is one of the most hotly discussed topics in the city. Seeing that opportunity, Coast Capital Savings was wise to team up with one of the city’s most influential local publications to highlight the creative ways in which they help first-time buyers save for a house.
(Full Disclosure: This story was created through the Pressboard Story Marketplace)
10. What’s a Real-Life Hitman Actually Like? – Gawker + Hitman
This piece is truly great, not just because it’s interesting and informative, but because I had to double-check that it actually was sponsored. The Studio@Gawker branded content team nailed it by interviewing one of the world’s leading experts on contract killers to promote the new video game Hitman.
What were your favourite custom content partnerships from the month of April? Let us know in the comments! For more content like this, check out our breakdown of the best branded content partnerships of 2015.
