Branded Content is The Antidote for Audience Boredom

With most consumers reporting dissatisfaction with traditional advertising, brands face a critical challenge – how to stand out in a landscape in which attention spans are shrinking and interruptions are constant.

Leah Stalker, marketing lead at Avid Collective, and Dion Workman, marketing consultant and former head of destination marketing for Destination Gold Coast, argued that the solution lies in branded content. 

This approach revitalises a brand's uniqueness, offering value rather than disruption. It’s a strategy that captures attention and reawakens audience loyalty, providing an antidote to the boredom caused by repetitive, uninspiring ads.

Leah explained to festival attendees at SXSW Sydney that consumers feel interrupted by advertising.

“When you're trying to order an Uber or view content online, you're consistently provided with advertising that feels intrusive,” Leah said. “This growing intrusiveness causes frustration and distrust among consumers. It's an industry-wide problem because people just don’t like advertising anymore."

Citing Canstar research, she pointed out that 89% of consumers don’t enjoy advertising.

"More and more people are saying ads are intrusive, and it's no surprise given how often you're interrupted while trying to consume content."

The solution? Leah said it's all about reaching audiences when they’re in an open mindset and actively seeking content that aligns with their needs. 

“Branded content does this by being informative and engaging rather than disruptive,” Leah said.

She also noted that successful branded content addresses key barriers, whether it’s a lack of awareness about a product or a failure to see how it fits into their lives.

“You need to drive relevance by tapping into the audience’s needs and use cases,” she added, emphasising that good branded content informs while aligning with the audience's natural search for solutions.

"Branded content doesn’t have to be hard."

Dion reflected on the difficulty of cutting through digital noise. He believes in offering something unique to reignite consumer interest.

"Brands need to revive our special-ness," he said. “We need to fight boredom in the feed.”

Dion acknowledges that, with the rise of remote work and the changing dynamics of everyday life, the challenge is greater than ever.

Consumers are increasingly turning away from traditional forms of marketing and opting for content that speaks directly to their values, lifestyles, and interests.

For both Leah and Dion, branded content is more than just a marketing tool — it’s a way to reignite the connection between brands and audiences.