We need to face facts, people don’t like watching ads. If they did YouTube wouldn’t need a skip after 5 seconds option. So why don’t brands just make stuff people want to watch?

Understanding the part your brand has to play in the narrative of a piece of content is important. As is recognising the need to get the right storytellers on board. In 2008 creative agency Mother set out to make a short film for Eurostar that quickly developed into a feature length script, Director Shane Meadows came on board and the finished film Somers Town, went on to be shown in cinemas across the country.

Brands are funding content on the small screen too. In September 2014 the total number of websites exceeded 1 billion. The unofficial global figure for the number of TV channels is approximately 15,000. These channels all need content.

Media platforms like VICE and BuzzFeed work directly with brands to produce original content that fits within their existing editorial style. The outcome can range from a VICE documentary that explores a gorilla’s fight for survival for ethical fashion brand Edun, to a series of custom BuzzFeed posts for MINI centred around their marketing slogan “Not Normal”.

Last year T Brand Studios, the custom content studio within The New York Times, partnered with Netflix on a piece of native advertising for the new series of Orange Is The New Black. The article “Women Inmates: Why the Male Model Doesn’t Work” reached the top 1,000 traffic articles on NYTimes.com, proving ads can be as engaging as editorial.

Read on for examples…