What's Next: The Ascent of Native Advertising and the Five Trends Shaping Custom Content

This content originally appeared in the article "What's Next?" published by The Wall Street Journal.

MetLife Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the global insurance giant, recently partnered with WSJ. Custom Studios to build a dynamic, multimedia initiative called the “Multipliers of Prosperity.” The goal of this initiative is to educate the general public on the importance of financial inclusion in emerging markets and to communicate that via custom-produced content in the form of articles and videos in a digital environment.

One of the five-minute videos featured on the site is the story of several Indian women micro-entrepreneurs who have benefitted from small-business loans provided through MetLife Foundation’s nonprofit partner, Ujjivan. These loans have allowed the women to create viable businesses that have had a positive financial effect on them and their families, as well as for the communities in which they live and work. The compelling human-interest stories these women were able to tell allowed MetLife Foundation to tap into the emotional side of its program.

“MetLife Foundation has long understood and applied the art of storytelling to bring to life the complexities of a topic like financial inclusion,” says Nandika Madgavkar, assistant vice president of corporate responsibility at MetLife. “We know that video, visual formats, and client stories help consumers better understand and engage with the issue, hopefully leading to action.”

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