New products and services offered to brands by the main Spanish newspapers: branded content and native advertising

This research analyses the communication context arising from the digital revolution that has led brands to reconsider some of their strategies for reaching consumers effectively, prioritising creativity in relation to non-advertising products, particularly content generation. In this context, the media present themselves as strategic partners for brands, moving from being mere advertising spaces to acting as consultants and providers of high-added-value editorial products. Qualitative fieldwork was performed in two phases. The first consisted of in-depth interviews with a qualified sample - those responsible for branded content in the principal Spanish media. The second was content analysis of the websites of the same media, analysing the products and services they offer and how they are defined. The results explore the branded content departments and businesses of the main Spanish media, making it possible to provide a new catalogue and description of the products and services they offer to brands, which help them consolidate what is, for the moment, an unusual relationship. These conclusions show how the media business model is being transformed and generate knowledge with clear possibilities for transfer.