Best Branded Content - xfinity's Content Storytelling

Last month, we introduced a new strategy to Best Branded Content - a strategy-first approach. This month's chosen spot comes as a a surprise, even to us, given the general public's general hatred toward the company. The brand, xfinity, is one with a notoriously terrible rep, one that's even gone viral. They've gone to the extent of changing their name to distance themselves from Comcast, and they want to be associated with the content they deliver (which is the benefit) not the wires that bring it (the feature).

So the strategy used in a spot that debuted Oscar Sunday is all about connection. And who would of thunk it? It actually worked, and the execution is as such that you may forget, if only for a magical movie moment, that you kind of hate the brand behind the message.

Emotionally Charged Content

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU7NU_fsaSU
This particular branded content helps xfinity tell the story about how they're storytellers - how they're more than deliverers of a product, but how they're innovators and creators, too. As seen in the video, Emily describes how she envisions Oz and all of its characters, based on the sounds she hears. What makes the ad extra special is Emily's concept is actually built out for the audience, so we then see what Emily does.

The purpose: to explain that people with visual disabilities can still have a special experience with Comcast's "talking guide." A sort of voice guidance with one-touch access to closed captioning. Ironically, the visual craft behind the commercial is one of the most emotionally stirring elements. It connects you back to your own childhood imagination, and easily helps you recall the magic you may feel when experiencing entertainment for the first time.

Emily's voice takes us on a new journey, with content that's both familiar and wonderfully surprising. But most importantly for the brand, it emotionally ties us to the product, rather than synthetically putting it in front of us. Creatively, it's inspiring. It speaks to us, the viewers, on a human level, and reminds us all that emotionally focused content, when done thoughtfully, can even outshine everything we've come to know about the brand behind it.

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**FINE's** **Emotionally Charged Content**

This strategy is one FINE tries to do in our work in hospitality quite frequently. More specifically, during the early stages of brand work, we connect with the people behind the brand on every level, to then help them do the same with their customers. It's about elevating past just talking about features of rooms or wines or anything else, and more about getting to some kind of emotional connection to the brand.

This strategy most notably takes shape in our work with PlumpJack Group, and of course, Kimpton. Because when people feel connected, they feel invested. They matter. And so does your brand. And so does your brand, to your customer.