10 years in, “The Great British Bake Off” can teach us something both on content marketing and on successful television properties.

In this post, I want to outline how “The Great British Bake Off” has consistently been a successful television property, but also, by ricochet, show you how media group Quartz dives deep on multiple subjects with its “Quartz Obsession” series, which happened to cover the show’s 10-season history.

The Quartz article digs into the history of the show, how it evolved, but also has great insights into what makes it so popular.

What stands out is how although this is a reality TV show in the most traditional sense, it is a competition that revolves around a very positive atmosphere. Contestants help each other, grab a bite together and seem to fundamentally want everyone to succeed.

This is feel-good content at its best.

Also, throughout its 10 seasons, not that much has changed. And that consistency has allowed the show to retain an audience of raving fans, while also facilitating introduction for new viewers to discover a popular series through the latest episodes, but also letting them binge heavily through a recent partnership with Netflix.

At Toast, we are always on the lookout for the fresh new formats and popular shows that are broadcast here and abroad, but we also take great care in analyzing what has made long-running properties so successful.

And we also apply this thinking when trying to figure out what type of content would work best for one brand or another. In this case, we see how positivity, helpfulness, camaraderie and consistency are key elements of what can make a branded entertainment series work.

Now it is your turn. Dive, deep, into “The Great British Bake Off” and ask yourself: What can I learn from how this successful format is built?

And in the meantime, see how Quartz’s Obsession series is structured and how fun they make these deep dives into so many different subjects.

Interesting in exploring branded entertainment opportunities for your brand let us know and schedule a consultation with our experts at Toast today.