Branded entertainment as psychological warfare

From Wikipedia:

Branded entertainment, also known as branded content or advertainment, is an entertainment-based vehicle that is funded by and complementary to a brand's marketing strategy. The purpose of a branded entertainment program is to give a brand the opportunity to communicate its image to its target audience in an original way, by creating positive links between the brand and the program. Anything you do outside of work, money spent on activities outside "necessary" is entertainment.

The U.S. Department of Defense defines psychological warfare (PSYWAR) as: "The planned use of propaganda and other psychological actions having the primary purpose of influencing the opinions, emotions, attitudes, and behavior of hostile foreign groups in such a way as to support the achievement of national objectives."

Branded entertainment is psychological warfare, in my view. The 'hostile foreign groups' may consist of employers or corporations who might opt to hire or contract with others. They may be consumers opting for products other than the ones we are selling. In either event, we want to entertain them in a way that makes them entertain the idea of hiring our clients or purchasing our offerings.

Psychological warfare can be waged in any number of ways. It is a conceptual activity with an infinite number of possibilities. One simply must know what one wants--and from whom one wants it.

Licensing and the business executive

Why should a business executive be concerned with licensing? The best answer is that it increases the yield from his or her personal brand. It extends the life and reach of the brand without requiring extra hours of work on the executive's part. Finally, it can create earnings that relieve the executive from the need to engage in work-for-hire contracts by which he or she is cast in the role of an employee. In a time when jobs are disappearing faster than the polar icecap, it is worth taking note of how licensing can apply to an executive.

If one were to think of an upper-level executive as an intellect, it can be quickly understood that there are many ways to monetize--merchandise--that intellect. Showing up to put in hours each day at someone else's corporation is but one of these. It is probably the least rewarding and remunerative, as well.

In the mid-80s, Mark McCormack of IMG turned his attention to the licensing of athletes thus forever changing the financial dynamics of the sports world. Until I pushed into the business world as a function of my Business on-demand project, I don't know that anyone else was applying this protocol to executives--a curious oversight, in my view.

I think a great many executives will become interested in the subject as the imperative 'Get a job' is supplanted by 'Assure the future'.