Content Marketing: Solving the Brandscaping Mystery

If you’re in the know about content marketing, you are aware that ‘brandscaping’ has become a hot topic. But to many people, understanding brandscaping remains a mystery. For those unfamiliar with the term, Andrew Davis, author of Brandscaping: Unleashing the Power of Partnerships described it this way:

“A process that brings like-minded brands and their respective audiences together to create content that increases demand and drives revenue.”

In other words, brandscaping is the creation of a mutually beneficial partnership between two brands expressed through content.

By creating shareable content (for example, videos or articles) in collaboration with another business, you can both achieve greater brand awareness and benefit each other. If executed successfully, both businesses have the opportunity to harness the power of each other’s extensive networks.

Brandscaping in Practice

Still struggling to picture it in action? Check out this piece of video content, where TOMS shoes and Avis car rentals engage in brandscaping:

Avis “What Drives You” Blake Mycoskie from Variable on Vimeo.

Avis and TOMS are two brands without a lot in common at first impression. Through the power of storytelling they were able to produce this piece of content greatly beneficial to both brands. Avis is able to align their service to a company with strong social values, thus improving their brand image. TOMS shoes shares their inspirational story with a wide range of audiences, including other corporate entities, which may choose to partner with them in the future. It’s a win for both companies.

Benefits of Brandscaping

Brandscaping is a viable marketing option for all businesses, whether you are big, small, not-for-profit, B2B, or B2C - all successful businesses have positive aspects to share. Brandscaping can also be a reasonably cost-effective form of marketing. Because costs of content creation are shared, positive impacts to brands are multiplied.

We’ve written before about how content marketing is a slow-burn process. Businesses looking for immediate results can grow impatient with content strategies. According to Andrew Davis, when you collaborate with other businesses through brandscaping, “the brands who were partnering with other brands were seeing much more rapid success with the content they were creating.”

Hear Andrew speak at length about brandscaping in episode 27 of the Brand Newsroom podcast:

Collaborating with another business through brandscaping makes both parties look friendly and sociable, particularly if both businesses have similarly positive public perceptions prior to brandscaping. This is greatly beneficial to both parties.

If brandscaping sounds like an opportunity you’d like to explore for your business, contact Lush Digital Media. We can help you find brands to collaborate with and give you advice along the way.

By Carla Young.