The branding level of white paper sponsorship is the prime placement of linked sponsorship graphics. Branding may involve placing names and logos within content and on listings. Branding may be performed on an exclusive or shared basis.

Branded Content - Branded content is any media (such as a white paper) that includes items (image, audio or text) that a person can recognize and associate with the media item or content. Branded content may include a backlink to a web site that may increase the value of a brand on search engines.

Exclusive Branding - Exclusive branding is the inclusion of a single brand on a product or service (no other brand identifiers are allowed).

Co-Branding - Co-branding is the process of associating an item (such as a white paper) with other brands. This may include company names (corporate brand), products (product brand) or services (service brand). Co-branding may be performed to allow the costs of developing and/or hosting white papers to be shared by multiple companies.

This figure shows how white papers may be branded. This example shows that content related to the white paper (such as listings, images and descriptions) may include logos and other branding items. White papers may be developed on an exclusive branding agreement ensuring that only one brand is displayed on the white paper and its promotional materials. White papers may also be co-branded with other companies (multiple logos shown on the cover as sponsors).