ListenFirst’s Report for Media Publishing Industry Reveals Social Branded Content Nearly Doubled in 2017

Social Branded Content up 98%, Fatherly with New York Life Insurance Lands #1 Branded Post

ListenFirst, the most comprehensive social analytics solution for the enterprise, today released its Media Publishing: Social Branded Content Report with key insights into the adoption, effectiveness, and strength of social branded content as a new advertising opportunity. ListenFirst’s report reveals social branded content on Facebook grew by 98 percent in 2017 and outperformed all other posts published by the media publishing industry by 5 percent.

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“As the most recent Facebook algorithm update has demonstrated, it’s increasingly difficult for brands to achieve escape velocity for the distribution of their content marketing programs on their own. Working with publishers gives marketers an edge as they’re leveraging the media property’s credibility, not just with consumers, but with platforms as well. ListenFirst is the only measurement partner Fatherly has worked with that can contextualize the value of branded content in a marketer’s media mix while also helping publishers understand how their performance in a distributed environment stacks up against the competition,” said Mike Rothman, CEO and Co-Founder, Fatherly.

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“The return advertisers are getting by partnering with publishers on social branded content illustrates the value of partnering with a great media brand that creates engaging content and has a loyal following. While Facebook’s news-feed algorithm change might cause uncertainty across the media and advertising industries, advertisers who partner with premium media companies still stand to benefit from their combination of scale, targeting, and ability to create meaningful interactions with passionate communities,” says Jason Klein, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, ListenFirst.

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Key takeaways from the report include:

1. Branded content represent less than one percent of all media publishing posts: The number of publishers posting branded content grew by 34 percent in 2017, yet only 20 publishers account for more than half of the social branded content posted by media publishers on Facebook
2. Social branded content is the most effective post-type in media publishing: Media publishing’s social branded content began outpacing non-branded content in average post responses in Q2 by 23 percent, with the trend continuing through Q4 2017
3. Fatherly and Buzzfeed’s Tasty grab top posts: Fatherly’s partnership with New York Life Insurance Company was the #1 branded post in 2017 with 853M responses and 46.6M views, followed by Tasty’s partnerships with Frank’s RedHot with 651M responses at #2, and Kraft Natural Cheese with 601M responses at #3
4. Automotive and CPG are top advertisers: Automotive was the #1 advertiser category led by Toyota USA, Ford Motor Company, and Ford Trucks, followed by CPG-Food at #2 led by Pringles, and Alcoholic Beverages at #3 with Coors Light and Miller Lite taking the lead

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