To bolster its expertise in creating branded content for advertisers, advertising agency Dentsu on Monday announced setting up the Dentsu Podcast Network, a new vertical to help brands connect with audiences through this fast-growing storytelling format. For this, Dentsu hired the entire leadership team of Ideabrew Studios, a popular podcast company. In July, production house Banijay Asia tied up with talent company Collective Artists Network (CAN) to launch a creator-led content and IP engine for scripted, unscripted, branded, and digital-first formats. It’s in talks with e-commerce and FMCG companies to create content that merges entertainment with brand purpose.
The branded content space is heating up in the age of advertising clutter on digital media. Big ad agencies and production companies are shoring up teams to create audio and video shows for brands, even as new content shops come up to dabble in short-format videos, long-form shows and podcasts. A 2024 report by media and marketing agency Mindshare pegged the branded content market at ₹10,000 crore.
In a Linkedin post, Megha Tata, media and entertainment industry expert and strategic advisor to Edstead, a purpose-led creative studio, wrote, “Branded content is not a ‘longer ad’. It is content that people choose to watch. It can be a short film, a mini-series, a docu-style narrative, or even a podcast.”
She said there’s place for traditional advertising, but to build emotional connection and lasting recall, branded content has emerged as one of the most powerful tools in a brand’s storytelling arsenal. This transformation is aided by an expanding ecosystem of creators and producers, she wrote.
Last year, former Google executive Mohit Jagtiani launched Next Narrative, a specialized branded content company with Simran Hoon, former CEO of QTV as managing partner. The Salt Inc was similarly born as a content and design agency led by Neena Dasgupta. The Salt Inc, for instance, has partnered with streaming platform Z5 to create Indira IVF – Vitromates, a seven-episode mini-series focusing on the emotional IVF journeys. For HDFC Life, it turned tricky life insurance concepts into simple, snackable videos featuring actor Anup Soni of Crime Patrol fame, making the subject approachable for consumers.
The audiences have the power to skip, mute or scroll past the ads which makes branded content essential as it doesn’t interrupt but engages, said Next Narrative’s Simran Hoon. Branded content has existed for decades as advertorials in print and advertiser-funded shows on TV, but “it’s no longer about partnering with a network’s existing show or fitting into their rigid schedules,” Hoon said. “Today, brands are the network. On digital platforms, every view is an opportunity for a two-way conversation, turning a passive viewer into an active participant. Brands are creators, building a story around themselves to resonate with a specific audience,” she added.
Next Narrative developed ‘IKEA My Happy Space’, a long-form multi-lingual content series focused on IKEA’s target markets of Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad. Through the series, it showcased the transformation of ‘Happy Spaces’ of several creators’ homes over two seasons of the show. For Mountain Dew’s ‘Dar Ke Aage Jeet Hai’ campaign, it created a branded podcast series with guests whose stories resonated with the brand’s tagline. “We believe podcasts are an invaluable tool for building trust and resonance, and we will continue to use them strategically for our brand partners,” Hoon said.
Sahil Shah, CEO, Dentsu Creative Isobar, who will oversee the agency’s new podcast network, said India’s podcast ecosystem is getting mass traction and it’s also maturing. “It’s not that advertising doesn’t work. But if you want deeper engagement with audiences especially in categories that require high trust like finance, healthcare etc. as well as categories like sports and entertainment, you look at branded content,” Shah said.
He added that branded content is exploding and podcasts are a viable, scalable format. “Long-format branded video shows are expensive to produce. Podcasts, on the other hand, are a cost-effective medium. It is also more authentic and immersive,” Shah said. Besides, podcasts are no longer just an English-speaking, tier 1-city phenomenon. “They are popular and consumed in many regional languages,” he said.
But branded content may be getting cluttered too. Hoon thinks brand-led videos capture attention and emotion, while audios build intimacy and trust. “The real problem isn’t the volume of content; it’s the lack of strategy,” she said.