In late 2015, The Message knocked podcast royalty This American Life off the top of the iTunes charts. The eight-part series – from GE – attracted over a million listeners, becoming the most successful branded podcast to date. But why were people tuning into what’s essentially a long-form ad?

With millions using AdBlock and just 24% of users scrolling down on native ads, brands can struggle to reach online consumers. Yet 90% of EasyJet’s six million monthly passengers read its in-flight magazine Traveller. We speak to Ink Global’s Jonny Clark to discover what makes engaging branded content.

Gen Yers may have swapped playgrounds for office spaces and Gameboys for smartphones since the mid-’90s, but it seems they’re playing the same old games. What is it about Pokémon GO that’s gotten audiences of all ages hooked on a craze that many grew out of before the turn of the century?

The talent show format has fallen out of favour. American Idol viewers fell 66% in three years, and only three seasons of The X Factor were made in the US before it was dropped. Can interactive programme Rising Star bring the talent show back into people’s living rooms?