Jamie Kennedy, Ask.com, and the Future of Branded Content [VIDEO]

Comedian Jamie Kennedy recently teamed up with the firm engage:BDR to produce humorous branded videos for Ask.com.

The videos, which showcased the company in short, funny spots starring Kennedy, appeared on HAHAJK.com and 500 of the top U.S. sites.

In an interview with ClickZ’s Matt Kapko, president and co-founder of engage:BDR Ted Dhanik said that these days, “advertisers are a lot more receptive than they were a year ago.”

Kennedy told him, “While a brand like Rockstar Energy Drink will probably take more chances than Coca-Cola for the foreseeable future, more brands will eventually warm to the idea of edgier, darker, laugh-out-loud funny content.”

Since entertainers and companies are simply looking to give audiences what they crave, Kennedy said that he sees no harm in branded content.

“I don’t think it’s bad,” he said. “Because if you can find your audience and your demographic and find something they appreciate, it works.”

The Ask.com campaign worked for engage:BDR, which plans to work with Kennedy again. The videos received over 2.5 million hits, while the average viewing time was more than 2 minutes and 15 seconds, according to Kapko.

While branded content has been raised concerns, it is a more engaging and conversational form of advertising.

If brands are entertaining audiences and making them laugh, as well as getting them involved, then, as Kennedy pointed out, it’s a positive thing.