Sponsorship

Sponsoring Content

Most companies and organizations work diligently to control their messaging. Most are proactive and utilize earned, integrated and owned media as three legs to their communications strategy, while others are locked into an older model of communications consisting of just advertising and waiting for earned media to call. The traditional models of public relations and paid media continue to evolve but it is safe to say that in 2019 all corporate communications and public relations strategies should include targeted integrated story-telling editorial opportunities.

Native advertising, integrated editorial or sponsored editorial content, is a new opportunity for brands to promote owned content through traditional news channels. As news publishers contend with declining advertising and subscription revenue, the News publishers have introduced a new business model that is erasing the boundaries between earned and paid media. Many publishers are now open to turning brand-driven content into a form of advertising, with articles often labeled as “sponsored content.” In this model, content appears as an article or video within a traditional news section and is co-mingled with a publisher’s editorial content. Some ad companies are automating this paid syndication process by dropping sponsored links and images in the footer of related, but un-sponsored news articles.

The integration model, similar to traditional product placement, enables a brand to weave its name and message into a news article. MCH's producers first qualify the integration to ensure it is justified and supported with peer-reviewed evidence prior to approving the development of any integrated content. MCH writers develop editorial content separate from integrated content and MCH producers control all content development regardless of funding sources. Articles can also be written as "recommended reading" to include a sponsor as an attributed source. Native advertising is often deployed on social media. For many years, celebrities with large followings have been paid to tweet about a product or service as if the tweet were authentic. Now, news services with large followings are publishing integrated content in a paid media arrangement. The traditional models of public relations and paid media continue to evolve but it is safe to say that in 2019 all corporate communications and public relations strategies should include both earned editorial and targeted integrated editorial opportunities.

Mission Critical Health's trustworthy content attracts sponsors who pay to associate their products or services with our editorial content. MCH manages the sponsor attribution(s) utilizing the industry's accepted models. A series of sponsored content will be announced with a voice-over announcing, "This XYZ series is made possible through the generous contributions of individuals and organizations. This portion of the program is supported through a philanthropic contribution from..." or "Made possible in part by..." next to the sponsor's name or logo during the credits of the program. Alternatively, MCH's website may recognize integrated editorial supporters as a list of annual supporters. At no point do the sponsors direct which stories MCH covers, which people MCH interviews, or how we present our editorial content on television or our digital distribution services. The editorial content is commissioned and produced solely by MCH editorial staff or by external producers overseen by MCH editorial staff.

All content produced by MCH will meet educational and editorial guidelines.