How do you conceptualise branded content? An exploration of marketing communications discourse

This paper aims to identify the different conceptualisations of the term branded content which authors adopt when writing about this term within marketing communications discourse. The literature review-based research analysed... [ view full abstract ]

This paper aims to identify the different conceptualisations of the term branded content which authors adopt when writing about this term within marketing communications discourse. The literature review-based research analysed over 130 publications and produced two key findings. Firstly, a conceptual framework which shows that the term can be used in the context of five different perspectives. Secondly, a new definition of branded content was developed for the fifth, all-encompassing perspective. These two contributions help to identify how practitioners and academics define branded content. Improving the clarity of this complex phenomenon will support branded content discourse to progress and therefore help marketing communications as a whole to move forward.