What is Brand Journalism? Well, the term was coined in 2004, but the definition is still debated. Despite this, it had become an important factor of corporate communications. As Pullizzi wrote in 2012 – „all brands, in order to attract and retain customers, need to think and act like media companies”.
Company newspapers, like The Ford Times, have been around since the mid-1800s. However, the digital evolution of media elevated the importance of brand journalism to a whole new level, and with that, the ethical concerns around it.
Brand Journalism
Brand journalism is the management and design of brand contents from a journalistic perspective, imitating the best practices of the news media in order to achieve competitive differentiation. Basically, corporate communication mimics journalism, to tell stories.
However, keep in mind that ’real’ journalism is mainly about information. So brand journalism not only needs to be newsworthy, but as non-promotional as it can be. Otherwise readers will perceive the publication less credible, making it ’just another advertisement’ in their eyes. For this reason, Branding has to be minimal and elegant in these publications.
“Every Company Is a Media Company”
Today, most firms have their own newsroom divisions, for in-house publication. They are creating news stories, about themselves; and share the company’s perspective on various issues. For this reason, although it is considered as a marketing tool, brand journalism is mostly a PR practice.
It is about building and strengthening relationships with clients and partners, not selling products or service. Just as journalists strive to show the ’real’ side of things, corporate publishing should also present the true face of the company and share strong opinions. If it does all that, brand journalism can the perfect path to promote transparency, admit mistakes, and disclose new information.
Brand journalism can be a powerful tool in crisis situations. Because today if a company does not like journalists’ headlines, they can write their own. Especially if their publication is honest and trustworthy.
Ethical Worries
Finally we have to mention, the underlying ethical problems of corporate publishing. Because, even if its completely honest, it is misleading in its nature, as it mimics journalistic practices. This makes it suitable to spread false information in a seemingly credible format, which then erodes trust towards traditional media.