CHICAGO —  Producing branded content can help a marketer stand out from the competition, says Cristel Turner, Director of Brand Advertising, Strategy and Business Marketing at U.S. Cellular in an interview with Beet.TV. That’s why the cellular company recently partnered with ABC’s “Shark Tank” on a sweepstakes and sponsorship for the popular ABC TV show.

“We are committed to being champions of entrepreneurship, so it was an organic intersection of our values and the show’s values,” she says. The partnership includes sponsoring casting calls and shadow days on set. These type of marketing efforts can help a brand that does business in a commodified market. “Using brand content to position and change a brand perception is really important,” she says, adding that digital marketing should ideally blend transactional and branding.

Turner was a panelist and moderator at the recent Beet.TV summit on branded video presented the Jun Group.  You can more videos from the event here.