Content in an age of

CRISIS

How branded content can become a beacon
in the storm

How branded content can become a beacon in the storm

Content in an age of crisis

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01 How branded content can become a beacon in the storm

Climate change, cost of living, global conflict, culture wars – we are living in turbulent times.

So stormy that, during the past five years, FT.com has published...

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articles featuring the word “crisis”. And, in 2022 "permacrisis” – meaning a complex tangle of challenges that seemingly has no end – was declared Collins Dictionary’s word of the year.

At these era-defining moments, every content decision made by a brand matters more than ever.

People need reassurance when the days seem dark. Branded content has the potential to be that lighthouse – that safe haven – in the storm.

02 Illuminating insight

Alpha Grid, a Financial Times Company, in partnership with FT Insights, collected and analysed data from more than 350 business leaders in order to:

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Better understand how senior decision-makers feel about and interact with branded content;

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Pinpoint what types of branded content break through, stand out and help build trust during times of crisis.

Our findings point to four key content actions that brands can take to cut through the chaos.

Be honest and authentic

Speak up and seek real solutions

Curate quality

Partner with purpose

Read on and discover how to deploy meaningful content effectively, how to tell stories that build trust, and how to connect with senior audiences during times of crisis.

03 Sphere of influence:

We surveyed more than 350 high-level, influential decision-makers.

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They represent a range of critical sectors.

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And they live and work all over the world.

04 How senior decision-makers consume and feel about branded content

Branded content is a weekly staple for almost half of the people we surveyed, and 65 per cent of them consume branded content more than once a month.

a scene of chaos (a crashing car and storm)

But here’s the hard truth: while almost one third of respondents feel positively about branded content, 40 per cent hold unfavourable opinions.

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It doesn't have to be this way. Here's what we heard from respondents on how brands can build trust and tell stories that reassure, resonate and emotionally connect with people in times of crisis and beyond.

05 Beacon: be honest and authentic

Honesty, timeliness and clear messaging are king when it comes to creating branded content that people want to engage with, and that builds trust with your brand among senior audiences.

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During an age of content overload, audiences are becoming savvier and more discerning about the content they consume, and can quickly tell if brands are trying to push a specific agenda. Many of our respondents revealed that they don’t trust branded content because they feel it’s self-serving or a disguised attempt to unravel reputational harm.

Authenticity isn’t just desired by senior decision-makers. Studies show that

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of consumers choose to spend more money with brands they feel are honest and upfront.

“I think it’s important that CEOs speak openly during [times of crisis], but I will always have an element of scepticism about the message”

Survey respondent

Words like

“frankness,”

“openness,”

“factual”

“credibility”

and “action”

were mentioned multiple times throughout our written surveyresponses.

Being proactive rather than reactive, owning up to past mistakes and addressing reputational elephants in the room also go far in brokering trust among the C-suite.

06 Beacon: speak up and seek real solutions

“In the age of misinformation we have seen the potential for negative content to mislead and amplify fear, but this new age of content everywhere has also highlighted the increasing need for content that is clear, factual, tested and which both directs and informs” – Dino Myers Lamptey, founding member of the Media for All group

We found that senior leaders want to hear from brands during tumultuous times. Almost all (90 per cent) of our respondents think it’s important that brands speak up and take a stance.

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a illustration of threats (money tearing, economic crash and a virus)

Existential threats, including climate change, and potential global shocks such as pandemics are top of mind for business leaders. It is during these types of emergencies that branded content can really shine and make a difference.

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But speaking up doesn’t mean pushing out content just for the sake of it. Many senior leaders told us they want to see real solutions and helpful guidance from brands during uncertain times.

Branded content can do this by showing (in the words of our respondents)

“how [organisations] are playing a role to resolve” the crisis, “proactive crisis management” and “clear ownership of issues and a credible roadmap of intervention to resolve the crisis.”

07 Beacon: curate quality

Unsurprisingly, people don’t want to read crap content. A powerful takeaway from our research is that, during the age of fast, disposable content, it is paramount that branded content is of high quality.

More than three quarters (86 per cent) of our senior leaders told us that branded content of quality – intelligent and of a high standard – is important to them.

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Almost half (0%)

of those we spoke to are also using in-depth quality content from relevant organisations to inform their business decisions during a crisis.

Quality is important for editorial content, too. We found that business leaders want to see consistent quality across editorial and branded pieces.

08 Beacon: partner with purpose

During almost every type of crisis, from climate change to economic uncertainty, senior audiences prefer to engage with branded content published by a news organisation – significantly more than branded content recommended to them by family members and trusted peers.

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of our audience find greater trust in branded content published by a news publisher, regardless of the type of crisis.

But our research also shows that it’s important to use a mix of platforms during uncertain times – brands’ own channels such as websites and social media are key sources of information for business leaders looking for brand messaging and positioning during times of crisis.

That’s why partnering with the right production house or publisher can both elevate and amplify branded content in a way that inspires brand trust among those critical senior audiences.

09 Embracing the light

Branded content can be a powerful guiding light during these rapidly evolving – often overwhelming – times. But first it needs to be truthful, solutions-focused, high quality and created with reputable partners.

It is worth remembering that content is often still seen as a high-volume, low-quality medium. What our findings show is that it is more crucial than ever for brands to step away from the high-volume game and, instead, focus efforts on producing honest content of genuine quality – particularly in times of crisis.

We are at a critical moment for humanity. The time to act is now. How will your brand answer the call?

“You can curate the debate. So you start to become associated with the solution. You want to own the solution rather than own the problem”

Alessandra Almeida Jones, Global Marketing Director at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LL