Why Branded Content Is Set to Become the World’s Leading Ad Channel – And Only Publishers Can Own It
Branded content isn’t just another advertising format. It’s fast emerging as the most valuable channel in the ad ecosystem—and here’s the kicker: only publishers can truly do it right.
Why? Because it does what no other ad format can – deliver real value to audiences and advertisers. Simultaneously.
It is native to the publisher’s typical audience experience, earns longer attention, and builds more trust. In an ecosystem drowning in interruption and noise, that’s gold.
And that, right there, is the power of branded content. It doesn’t disrupt. It integrates. It doesn’t chase attention. It earns it. And in a digital landscape defined by noise and distraction, that difference is everything.
The Cracks in Traditional Advertising Are Showing
The old model is under pressure. Display CPMs are falling. Ad blocking is on the rise—costing, with an estimated $54B in lost revenue in 2024 alone. Consumers are more selective, brands are more cautious, and media buyers are under growing pressure to deliver results in an ecosystem that’s become more fragmented and less forgiving.
Against that backdrop, branded content stands out. It isn’t subject to ad blockers. It doesn’t rely on shrinking cookie pools. And it doesn’t need to shout to be heard—because when done well, it fits seamlessly into the content experiences audiences are already seeking out.
Publishers Hold the Advantage
While platforms can offer scale and targeting, they can’t offer trust. That’s still the publisher’s domain.
Publishers have the editorial authority, audience relationships, and storytelling credibility that branded content needs to succeed. When a brand’s message is delivered through the same voice and lens as the journalism, entertainment, or lifestyle content people already trust, it carries far more weight. It doesn’t feel like a pitch—it feels like part of the experience.
And that’s why it performs. Studies show branded content drives significantly more attention than display—often delivering minutes of active engagement, not just seconds. It can produce multiple times the brand lift. It’s not just seen; it’s remembered, and it resonates.
The Authenticity Advantage
Branded content also taps into what audiences are increasingly demanding: authenticity.
Because it’s created in partnership with editorial teams—or at least aligned with editorial tone and format—it’s built on substance. It has room to breathe. It doesn’t need to scream in 300×250 pixels. It can tell a story, evoke emotion, and connect on a level that short-form ads rarely can.
That’s a powerful differentiator—and it’s something the big platforms can’t replicate. They can serve impressions. They can optimise for clicks. But they can’t match the brand lift that comes from content that lives within trusted environments, shaped by the same sensibilities that draw audiences in the first place.
It’s not just a future-proof revenue stream — it’s a strategic moat in an ad ecosystem that’s increasingly commoditised to the audience’s detriment.
But Scale Requires a Shift
For publishers, this is more than a creative opportunity—it’s a commercial one. Branded content isn’t just effective; it’s premium. It commands higher rates. It delivers stronger advertiser outcomes. And when executed efficiently, it offers better margins than many other revenue streams within publishing.
But to unlock that full potential, publishers need to shift how they think about it.
Branded content can’t just be a bespoke offering for a few big clients. It has to become a repeatable, scalable revenue engine—one that sits at the center of the go-to-market strategy, not on the side.
That means operationalising it. Making it easier to buy, easier to produce, and easier to measure. It means putting the right infrastructure in place—from streamlined workflows to standardised reporting to centralised planning tools—so branded content can perform at the pace and scale the market now demands.
The Future Is Already Here
This isn’t a distant vision. It’s already happening.
The infrastructure isn’t emerging. It’s in place. Avid has built the platform that powers branded content at scale – across —discovery, buying, collaboration, measurement, enabling publishers to scale what used to be manual. Advertisers, too, are recognising the value and shifting more budget toward content-led strategies.
In a world where audience trust is scarce, brand performance is under pressure, and differentiation is everything, branded content checks all the boxes. It’s aligned with what audiences want, what brands need, and what publishers do best.
That’s why it’s poised to become the world’s most valuable ad channel. And the best part? It’s a channel only publishers can truly own.
If you’re a publisher, branded content isn’t just a nice-to-have — it’s your most valuable, defensible, and scalable ad product.
It delivers more value to your audience. It delivers better results to your brand partners. And it gives you a competitive edge that other channels can match.
Want to see what the future of branded content looks like in action? Explore how Avid PubSuite is helping publishers unlock scalable revenue.
You might also like: Download our free whitepaper on future-proofing publisher revenue.