• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, June 1, 2016

Maybe your brand entertainment content needs to be good enough not just to sell product and services, but to make money -- like a regular TV show.

Mondelez International, the big snack-food company behind brands like Oreos,Chips Ahoy!, Wheat Thins, and Toblerone Chocolate, is looking to do that -- in a big way.

And it won’t be doing it with small-time content producers.

It’s working with the likes of 21st Century Fox, with which it’s partnering for a live Stride Gum-branded skydiving event titled “Heaven Sent” airing on Fox this summer. With BuzzFeed, it is developing branded mobile games featuring products like Sour Patch Kids.

“If we stay focused on that guiding light of creating content that’s good enough to make money, it is going to help us make sure we’re producing content that people want to watch,” Laura Henderson,  global head of content and media monetization for Mondelez, told the Wall Street Journal.

Henderson has a point. The metrics around content marketing/brand entertainment shouldn’t be looked at as just non-revenue-producing, alternative marketing/advertising tools.

Content marketing/branded content entertainment needs to work on a higher level: Can it make money on its own -- like, for example a TV show, sports highlight clip, or well-viewed YouTube video?

All the audience targeting in the world can’t work with lame content. Content is still the thing, or king, no?

Henderson believes -- as do others -- the higher burden for content marketing is because consumers have much more choice in consuming media. If your content can’t cut it versus other standard TV-media content -- say a premium TV show -- consumers aren’t going to waste their time.

They won’t be snacking on your content. But they might be chewing you out.
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Hey, TV Watchers: I’m researching a story on the best ways to keep up with TV/video content, so you know when your favorite shows are on (either live or VOD) and can discover new programs you’ll like. Here's an informal survey: How do you, personally, handle the challenge of trying to watch so much great content in so many different places without a TV Guide 4.0?

Conversely, if you’ve found a way to monetize a solution to this dilemma with products, apps, etc., please send me your press releases.

Please reply to Phyllis Fine, MediaPost Columns Editor, at pfine@mediapost.com