How popular has branded content marketing become this year?

In a recent article, Direct Marketing News reported that 66% of brands and 65% of agencies consider branded content marketing to be very important or most important to their overall marketing efforts.

According to the following infographic, 70% of brands and 77% of agencies have used branded marketing for advertising purposes. Some 32% of brands said an increase in sales was "their preferred method of content marketing measurement," and some 30% of agencies said brand lift was theirs.

Brands and agencies continue to increase their branded content marketing spend. Some 72% of brands did so in 2013. Meanwhile, 71% of agencies increased their branded content marketing spend.