What if the best branded content campaign you ever produced almost never saw the light of day - not once, but three times?

On this episode of Branded Content That Works, we're breaking down how Fortune Brand Studio turned three years of rejection, a broken wind turbine, floods, and a national grid outage into an award-winning masterpiece.

Host Stine Holmgaard sits down with Megan Gilbert, Vice President of Fortune Brand Studio, and Lauren Chomiuk, Executive Director of Program Management for Fortune Brand Studio, to unpack their six-year journey with Iberdrola, a global energy company based in Spain.

Megan and Lauren share the story behind their brand film Staying Power and its accompanying content hub, including how they pitched the client for three years before winning the business, why a single mechanical failure off the coast of Massachusetts sent them scrambling to Spain, and how constant communication and deep trust turned a string of force majeure events into a campaign that overperformed Fortune's benchmarks by 3x in impressions and 14x in engagement.

This episodes was recorded in FBS's podcast studio in New York.

Produced by Pia de Soiza

Filmed by Youssef Lehnin

Edited by Jonathan Harris

Keywords:
Branded content, Fortune Brand Studio, Iberdrola, Brand film production, Energy marketing, Global branded content strategy

Appendix: https://fortune.com/brandstudio/iberdrola/how-energy-storage-is-redefining-power-on-the-iberian-peninsula/

What if the same football clips, posted the exact same way, could either flop or generate 3 million views a month? On this episode of Branded Content that Works, we're breaking down exactly what made the difference.

Host Stine Holmgaard sits down with Toni Janjiš, Head of Content Studio at Tportal, Hrvatski Telkom (Croatia's leading digital news platform and part of Deutsche Telekom Group), to unpack how a telco-owned media brand turned exclusive football rights into a thriving social media community. Toni shares the strategic thinking behind Tportal Sport's award-winning campaign, and winner of the Global Branded Content Award for Best Use of Social, including how they built platform-specific content, grew from zero to tens of thousands of followers in a year, and reached millions monthly, all without treating social media as just a distribution channel.

Keywords:
Branded content, Social media strategy, Sports marketing, Community building, Digital media (Tportal/Croatia)

Appendix:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sport.tportal.hr/?locale=hr_HR

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tportalsport/

Reference links to the Shed of Dulwich: https://www.vice.com/en/article/i-made-my-shed-the-top-rated-restaurant-on-tripadvisor/

Description:

Yvonne Beister, Director at Axel Springer Brand Studios, shares her perspective on reinventing branded content through AI-powered interactive storytelling, exploring how to push the boundaries of native advertising while staying brand-safe and editorially credible. Drawing on her extensive experience leading content and strategy across more than 20 media brands reaching 52 million Germans, she presents a detailed case study of Axel Springer's groundbreaking partnership with Samsung, outlining how they invented and launched a first-of-its-kind AI story format — and the remarkable results it delivered in engagement, dwell time, and purchase intent.

Keywords:

Branded content, AI storytelling, Interactive content, Axel Springer, Samsung, Gamification, Native Advertising

Appendix:

Samsung Campaign: https://hey.bild.de/experience/besser-schlafen-fit-in-den-tag-starten-04ba51e6

Sixt: https://www.sixt.de/mietwagenleitfaden/werbung/

Hayley Anne Sharp, Managing Director of Global Brand Partnerships at Vox Media, shares her perspective on building impactful brand partnerships at international scale, exploring how to balance editorial integrity with client expectations while telling complex stories through engaging content. Drawing on her extensive experience, she presents a detailed case study of Vox Media's award-winning partnership with the European Commission, outlining how they found and filmed three extraordinary real-life stories across Bangladesh, South Africa, and El Salvador - and the key lessons learned along the way.

Keywords
Branded content, brand partnerships, Vox Media, European Commission, documentary storytelling, global campaigns, raw talent, content strategy, native advertising, international media

Chapters
00:00 Building Brand Partnerships at Global Scale
02:18 What Makes Vox Media a Modern-Day Publisher
05:32 Anecdote: Selling a Pen and the Power of Relationships
09:40 Case Study: The Of the Future Campaign
32:48 Karaoke Song: Don't Stop Believing

Appendix
Campaign - Thandisile :https://www.vox.com/ad/398442/how-one-south-african-is-leading-the-way-for-a-greener-economy
Campaign - Valeria Zavaleta: https://www.vox.com/ad/461213/leading-the-way-for-el-salvadors-di
Campaign - Reshma: https://www.vox.com/ad/461250/what-happens-when-women-lead-a-new-future-for-bangladesh

Per Karlsson, Senior Pitch Director at Bonnier News, shares his perspective on the art of pitching branded content, exploring how to balance commercial ambitions with authentic storytelling while meeting evolving client expectations. Drawing on his extensive experience, he presents a detailed case study of the successful Go Live a Little campaign for Apollo, outlining the strategies that drove its strong performance and the key lessons learned along the way.

keywords

branded content, pitching, advertising, media, Apollo campaign, content strategy, AI in media, client relationships, industry trends, content marketing

Chapters

00:00 The Art of Pitching Branded Content

02:18 Understanding the Role of a Pitch Director

03:52 Defining Branded Content: Clarity and Confusion

07:31 A Personal Anecdote: Lessons from a High-Stakes Pitch

10:40 AI in Branded Content: A Tool for Authenticity

12:12 Case Study: The Apollo Campaign

27:46 Measuring Success: KPIs and Outcomes

35:19 Lessons Learned: Challenging Client Expectations

37:12 Trends in Branded Content: Shifts in Client Expectations

Appendix:

Hemkop Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hemkop_sverige

In this conversation, Harry Morton, founder of Lower Street Media, discusses the transformative power of podcasting, particularly in the context of branded content. He shares insights on how setbacks can lead to new opportunities, the evolution of podcasting as a medium, and the importance of understanding client needs. The discussion also highlights a successful case study with Boston Consulting Group, showcasing how creative approaches can lead to impactful campaigns. Throughout the conversation, Harry emphasizes the need for brands to be brave and innovative in their podcasting efforts to truly engage audiences.

Chapters

00:00 Turning Setbacks into Opportunities

05:16 The Evolution of Podcasting and Branded Content

10:51 Understanding Client Needs in Podcasting

16:39 Creative Campaigns: A Case Study with BCG

27:44 Lessons Learned and Future Directions

Keywords

podcasting, branded content, audio storytelling, creative campaigns, client collaboration, marketing strategies, podcast agency, audience engagement, content creation, media trends

Gavin Mcauliffe, Head of Content Studio at The Irish Times Group, takes center stage in this episode. Known as a true force in branded content, Gavin shares his journey from leading commercial creative at RTÉ to building Ireland’s most dynamic content studio.

Dive in for insights on creative leadership, the evolution of branded content, and the story behind an award-winning Sky campaign, plus plenty of industry anecdotes and inspiration for anyone passionate about media and storytelling.

Keywords
Event coordination, Arthur Guinness, Gravity Bar, Branded Content, Sky, Starcom, The Irish Times,

Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction of Gavin McGauliffe and the Irish Times Brand Studio
00:11:30 The quiz question: Dwell Time
00:15:48 The Arthur Guinness Anecdote
00:22:23 The Sky Campaign
00:51:54 Shoutout and Karaoke
00:56:13 Outro

Appendix:

Sky Campaign: https://www.irishtimes.com/sponsored/2025/02/07/emma-dorans-perfect-night-in/

In this inaugural episode of the Branded Content that Works podcast, host Stine Holmgard engages with podcast expert Bjørn Barfoed Vestergaard to explore the intricacies of launching a podcast. They discuss the importance of understanding the audience, avoiding common pitfalls, and the significance of authenticity in interviews. The conversation also highlights the potential of podcasting to build community and share valuable insights within the branded content space.