The processes of brand creation, development and positioning have changed a lot due to the changes in the environment. At the same time, the public and stakeholders grow increasingly diverse, active and omnipresent and there are more channels that people use to access information and interact. In this context, the most important challenge is to find the right meeting point between the brand and the stakeholder. Companies need to better understand their stakeholders and break them down into groups to be able to adapt their messages and create a conversation. In the search for improved communication with their stakeholders, organizations sooner or later realize that the most efficient and optimal way of transmitting messages is the new approach that came to be known as “brand journalism”. Brand journalism is defined as creation of a company’s own information channels which help to establish a personal and direct contact with the stakeholders and even turn them from passive recipients of information into active interlocutors. This means that traditional media is losing their grip and turn into intermediaries when it comes to transmission of messages and informing stakeholders about issues related to organizations. Companies have turned into a new communication medium and the main challenge for them is to ensure reliable and transparent communication and contents that are valuable for their stakeholders so they feel encouraged to voluntarily share them with their friends, family members and all persons and institutions they are linked to. Since we are immersed in the economy of attention, content should add value and differentiate the company. Many companies are now co-creating content with their audiences. This helps to make the content truly relevant and turns stakeholders into a medium of their own. Brand journalism is different from marketing, advertising and propaganda regarding format, content and goals. Brand journalism seeks to grow intangible assets such as exposure, reputation and branding. Positive perception of the company by the public then naturally leads to an increase in sales. There are good examples to better understand brand journalism such as Red Bull's Stratos project with Felix Baumgartner jumping from the stratosphere, or the agreement between Unilever and The Guardian. While the mass media industry is going through a severe crisis and a deep transformation, new links, mergers and business models and being formed between journalism and brands. Thus, using brand journalism to communicate with the company's stakeholders represents a great potential and offers new opportunities and benefits. Llorente & Cuenca published a report titled Brand Journalism and Corporate Reputation, which highlights the ambiguities and challenges associated with these concepts. The report breaks its analysis of brand journalism down into six hypotheses explained in the full document.

1. Multichannel and multistakeholder have turned
into buzz words because among other benefits
they urge companies to know more about their
stakeholders and break them down into groups by
information channels that they use. This allows
companies to adjust their messages to each group
and create a unique dialogue with each group.
In the search for improved communication with
their stakeholders, organizations sooner or later
realize that the most efficient and optimal way of
transmitting messages is the new approach that
came to be known as “brand journalism”. If this
technique is implemented, it enables the company
to maintain dialogue with different stakeholders.
This “tool” or new reality started developing with
the arrival of new telecommunication technologies,
which gradually erased the communication gap, both
in terms of distance and in terms of time. The Internet
is a free and open space for everyone who needs
to access information or to initiate an interactive
discussion with the global audience. One of the key
benefits enjoyed by companies in this process is low
communication cost.
Content as a Factor of Differentiation
In order to take advantage of the platforms available
online, brands are adapting techniques that had
traditionally been used solely by the communication
media. Besides, they develop narratives that fuse
rational and emotional elements. Therefore, brand
journalism is defined as creation of a company’s
own information channels which help to establish a
personal and direct contact with the stakeholders and
even turn them from passive recipients of information
into active interlocutors. This means that traditional
media is losing their grip and turn into intermediaries
when it comes to transmission of messages and
informing stakeholders about issues related to
organizations.
Mario Tascón, Founding Partner of Prodigioso
Volcán, claims that companies have turned into a new
communication medium, and believes that the main
challenge for them is to ensure reliable, sincere and
transparent communication. Moreover, this source of
communicationisquiteeffectivebecauseitencourages
transparency, ethics and responsibility in companies.
The processes of brand creation, development and positioning have changed a lot due
to the changes in the environment. At the same time, the public and stakeholders
grow increasingly diverse, active and omnipresent. This multifaceted reality gave
rise to multiple channels that people use to access information and interact. In this
context, the most important challenge is to find the right meeting point between the
brand and the stakeholder.
Strategy Documents
I61/2015
Brand Journalism: a
Value–generating Technique
Communication
Insights & Trends
This document was developed by Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership and among other sources contains references to the
presentations of Mario Tascón, Founding Partner of Prodigioso Volcán and Iván Pino, Communications Director of Llorente&Cuenca, made
during the BEO 2014 workshop held in the office of Corporate Excellence in February 2014.

2. Insights & Trends 2
Brand Journalism:
a Value-generating
Technique
On the other hand, in order to make the most of
this practice, a company should understand the vital
importance of the content. It is essential to make
sure that stakeholders consider messages valuable
and feel encouraged to voluntarily share them with
their friends, family members and all persons and
institutions they are linked to. This implies being
inventive about new interesting formats that attract
and impact stakeholders, and, above all, that are able
to be self-promoted and to acquire prosumers.
Since we are immersed in the economy of attention,
content should add value and differentiate the
company. In any case, the goal is to ensure that
different stakeholders identify themselves with the
values promoted by the company and invest their time
into reading, talking about and sharing the content
created by the brand. In fact, one of the techniques
that is gaining in popularity at the moment is co-
creation of messages (as well as other kinds of content
and resources) together with the organization. This
helps to make the content truly relevant and turns
stakeholders into a medium of their own.
In this process of brand transformation, it is important
to understand that in terms of format, content
and objectives, brand journalism is different from
marketing,advertisingandpropaganda.Thedifference
is that brand journalism does not aim specifically to
sell, convince or manipulate. On the contrary, the
idea is to make the dialogue transparent and nurture
interest, creating spaces, experiences and common
values. The real objective is to grow intangible assets
such as exposure, reputation and branding. Positive
perception of the company by the public then
naturally leads to an increase in sales.
However, there is certain ambivalence about the term
brand journalism. When used separately, the terms
brand and journalism point to completely different
functions. Although some professionals claim that
brands cannot and shouldn’t do any journalism,
Communications Director of Llorente & Cuenca
Iván Pino believes that corporate communication has
always used the benefits of journalism in order to make
its messages more credible.
There are some good examples of brand journalism,
such as Red Bull’s Stratos project. The brand
positioned itself as a reference point not only in terms
of content, but also in terms of media exposure. The
stratospheric jump performed by Felix Baumgartner
was broadcasted in real time by the brand itself.
The project is coherent with the overall narrative
maintained by the brand, and surely embodies its
slogan “Red Bull gives you wings”. Therefore it is
clear that when this new communication channel is
used in such a unique and experimental way, brand
content will automatically be promoted without
further effort.
Manyglobalbrandshavealreadydiscoveredthegreat
potential, opportunities and advantages offered by
brand journalism, and are beginning to implement
this technique as a new element of communication
with their stakeholders. One of such companies that
are trying to transform its communication strategy
is Unilever, the multinational giant that sells food,
personal care and cleaning items. The company
concluded an agreement with the British daily The
Guardian, according to which the journalists will
share their knowledge and sexpertise with the brand
in order to create portals with relevant and unique
content and references to the company’s product
range as well as the sectors, groups and objectives
related to the brand.
While the mass media industry is going through a
severe crisis and a deep transformation, new links,
mergers and business models and being formed.
These models distance themselves from one-way
conventional advertising, making clear that
innovation is the approach that enables these two
actors to create a relationship that will yield mutual
benefits and lead them in the right direction.
Conclusion: the Hypothesis and
Principles of Brand Journalism
Llorente&Cuenca published a report titled
Brand Journalism and Corporate Reputation, which
highlights the ambiguities and challenges associated
with these concepts. The report breaks its analysis
of brand journalism down into six hypotheses:
1. Own media should be used and other media
should be avoided: this allows a company
to be honest with its stakeholders.
2. Emphasis should be made on reputation
rather than media exposure.
3. In the course of creating messages, a
clear line should be drawn between
reality and fiction or inventions.
“The key is to
be inventive
about new
interesting
formats
that attract
and impact
stakeholders,
and, above
all, that are
able to be self-
promoted and
to acquire
prosumers”
Graph 1: Company and media
Source: Prodigioso Volcan, 2014
My
company
MC = MM
= My media
company

3. Insights & Trends 3
Brand Journalism:
a Value-generating
Technique
4. Transparency rather than independence of
sources should be emphasized. Credibility is
hard to achieve, and more so in the context
of scepticism and incredulity that accompany
corporate messages. That’s why admitting one’s
mistakes, correcting them and explaining one’s
behaviour are the actions that make companies
appear more human and create trust.
5. Content is more important than relations.
Content will serve its purpose only if it has
an impact, if it manages to stir interest and
draw attention, thus creating an on-going
conversation with the stakeholders.
6. While the media are transforming into
transmedia, it is important to understand
that the media are not as significant as
the content and the interlocutors that
participate in the communication process
In line with all of the above, in order to ensure trans-
parency, companies should include both positive
and not so favourable aspects of their activity in
their communication, making an emphasis on those
aspects that make a good impression and a positive
influence on different stakeholder groups.
Organizations should be able to read the current
context and use available opportunities for differ-
entiating themselves and growing the value of their
intangible assets. In this new panorama, brand jour-
nalism caters for some specific interests. However,
it is essential for communications professionals to
know the benefits and limitations of this technique
in order to apply it effectively. It is a highly useful
tool, which may successfully be incorporated into
the overall communication or brand strategy,
making it possible to transform corporate discourse
and conversation into a good corporate reputation.
“While the
mass media
industry is
going through
a severe crisis
and deep
transformation,
new links,
alliances
and business
models are
being formed
between
journalism and
brands”
Graph 2: Transmedia + Multiformat
Source: Prodigioso Volcan, 2014.
Transmedia Multiformat

4. Leading by
reputation
©2015, Corporate Excellence – Centre for Reputation Leadership
A foundation established by major companies aiming to excel in the management of intangible assets and facilitate promotion of strong
brands with a good reputation and a capacity to compete on the global markets. Our objective is to become the driving force, which would
lead and consolidate professional reputation management as a strategic asset, fundamental for building value of companies around the
world.
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