In today’s fast-paced media landscape, brands are seeking deeper and more engaging ways to connect with consumers.
No longer satisfied with merely being featured in content, brands are striving to become the content itself, embedding their narratives deeply within the stories they tell. By becoming content creators, brands can exercise complete control over their narratives, ensuring that every piece of content aligns with their values, mission, and messaging.
At MBC Media Solutions (MMS), we’ve noticed a significant trend, especially in Saudi Arabia, where clients approach us to ideate, create, and produce bespoke shows that carry their brand’s DNA from start to finish.
These brands aim to be part of Saudi Arabia’s growing economy and to align with the objectives and goals of Vision 2030, and there is no better way to grow their brand than by creating authentic and genuine connections through bespoke content.
Leverage collaborations
MMS has collaborated with the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) on various bespoke projects. We created two seasons of Kiram in partnership with STA to promote Saudi Arabia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The show featured Saudi travel bloggers who journeyed across the kingdom, partaking in cultural and culinary experiences crafted by local talent.
Collaborating with these travel blogger influencers and content creators allowed STA to tap into existing audiences who trust and value their recommendations and by being a part of the show’s high-quality and engaging content, they significantly increased the likelihood of organic sharing across social media platforms.
Kiram for example, which aired across TV, Shahid, and social media, reached 10.1 million people on social media and received 10,000 submissions of tourism experiences in nine weeks. Adopting such an approach allows brands to engage with their audience on a more personal level, fostering trust and loyalty.
Script in brand integrations
Another powerful solution is brand integration in scripted content. We work with show producers and writers to create scripts that naturally integrate the product or service into the storyline in a seamless and non-invasive way. We’ve done this with the popular Saudi soap opera, Mojama 75, where we integrated Mentos into the storyline. The scene featured an actor eating a spicy meal and the other telling him to have a Mentos to freshen up after it but in a natural comical way that is associated with the actor’s on-screen personality.
Investing in unscripted content such as MBC Group’s big format shows Top Chef, Arab’s Got Talent, and Million Dollar Land can also help brands stand out in a crowded content landscape.
Additionally, if brands are unable to meet these show’s production deadlines, they can integrate their products post-production with our ‘In-Content Integration’ (ICI) solution, which allows brands to include their products even after production timelines have passed.
The value of this technology lies in its ability to help brands identify specific scenes they want to associate with. This helps us determine the exact scenes and duration of brand exposure throughout the entire season of a show during the proposal phase with a brand.
Success stories
One of our success stories with ICI is our integration of Carolina Herrera’s ‘Good Girl Blush’ feminine fragrance in Crystal as part of a multi-format connected TV strategy implemented by MMS for the brand.
As a result of this partnership, Carolina Herrera became the first luxury brand to pioneer digital post-production integration, digitally incorporating ‘Good Girl Blush’ in product placement and outdoor visuals throughout the show.
Crystal is one of MBC Group’s top-performing Turkish adaptations, receiving high TV ratings, more than 230 million plays on Shahid, and around one billion views across MBC Group social media as of February 2024.
The marketing campaign concluded with remarkable results, recording a significant increase in awareness across the GCC by 52 percent, favorability by 25 percent, and perception by 33 percent. This uplift in awareness, favorability, and perception was also reflected in the sales of ‘Good Girl Blush’, which increased by an exponential 39 percent, elevating the fragrance to become the No. 1 SKU for Carolina Herrera in 2023 and a top 5 SKU in the region within the top 100 feminine fragrances.
This collaboration not only elevated the brand’s visibility but also set a new standard for impactful brand communication and business growth in the GCC region. Pre-production or post-production placement allows brands to seamlessly insert their products into existing content, reaching audiences in an unobtrusive way.
At MMS, we work with brands to ensure that their integrations enhance viewers’ content experience and provide brands with immediate visibility and deeper connections with their audiences.
By Hicham Fakhoury, Content Solutions Lead at MBC Media Solutions (MMS)
