Native content specialists Avid Collective partnered with Are Media to host its first financial masterclass last Thursday 15 August at Hotel CBD in Sydney, attracting over 40 attendees from media agencies including UM, Wavemaker, and OMD.
The event focused on the strategic use of native content by finance brands to connect with audiences.
Are Media’s strategy team, representing titles like Marie Claire, Gourmet Traveller, and Women’s Weekly, focused on the role of publishers in leveraging consumer trends and how brands can differentiate themselves by tapping into publishers’ knowledge to engage with audiences where they spend their time.
A panel discussion explored the importance of advocacy through branded and native content for finance brands aiming to build trust, relevance, and empower audiences through education.
Finally, a Q&A session featured Trent Peppercorn, head of Mediabrand’s Content Studio, and Leah Stalker, head of direct advertising partnerships at Avid Collective, examined how brands, agencies, and publishers can collaborate to navigate compliance and approvals and drive effective content strategies.
“We know that when finance brands partner with trusted lifestyle publishers, they are creating content that showcases the real life value of their product,” said Stalker.
Stalker introduced Avid Collective’s ‘Role of Native Content’ framework, stressing the significance of understanding the purpose behind content creation.
“Financial services and products aren’t necessarily top of mind for consumers,” she continued.
“By integrating into cultural and behavioural moments through native content, finance brands can create memorable connections through storytelling that aligns with consumers’ everyday conversations. Finally, we know that generally, consumers find financial concepts complex and difficult to understand.
“Through the creation of educational content from trusted category experts, brands can enhance credibility and simplify that complex messaging, making it easier for consumers to grasp, reduce confusion and build brand credibility.”
Ezechiel Ritchie, general manager at Avid Collective, commented on the positive reception of the masterclass.
“When we kicked off our masterclass series with travel in June, we were blown away by the response of attendees on the night, and that was no different this time around for finance,” he said.
“We were thrilled to hear so many incredible insights from our panel and have such a robust Q&A that centred around trust and connection with audiences. This is particularly important in the finance space at a time when people and businesses are tightening their belts, and finance brands are looking for ways to build greater trust among their consumer base.”
Ritchie continued: “We are looking forward to the continued rollout of our masterclass series which is having huge benefits for brands within these key verticals.”
See also: In pictures: Avid Collective launches Publisher SaaS platform at Incognito Art Show
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Top Image: Ezechiel Ritchie