Branded Entertainment: Entertainment content as marketing communication tool. A study of its current situation in Spain

Introduction: New communication tools are emerging within the new marketing paradigm. One of these tools is branded entertainment, a kind of hybrid message used by brands to produce entertainment content. Method: the main objective of this article is to provide a better understanding of branded entertainment, and to explore its current situation and the expectations about its future in the Spanish market. This is an exploratory study based on in-depth interviews applied to a group of experts on the creation and distribution of branded entertainment. Results and conclusions: people involved in the creation and distribution of branded entertainment are very aware of its potential as a communication technique; experts agree that content must be relevant in order to be able to compete with other entertainment products; due to the growing ineffectiveness of intrusive techniques, the use of branded entertainment is expected to increase significantly in the near future; branded entertainment is perceived as the most suitable tool to generate consumer engagement.