How To... Make Authentic Brand-Sponsored Entertainment

The advertising world is changing. Brands are shifting away from traditional marketing approaches and searching for authentic ways to connect with consumers.

The first thing most brands try is branded content. The results are almost never any good, because most pieces of branded content are simply long ads. Product placement is equally problematic for brands, because most product placements distract from the story being told on-screen. 

"With the right approach, almost any brand can entertain consumers with their brand message."

To engage young audiences, brands must move away from old-fashioned advertising approaches and become the entertainment. Many brands are doing this already, with great success. Instead of spending millions of dollars on a media buy to push ads that no one wants to watch, brands are investing those dollars in authentic film and television entertainment projects. On major streaming platforms like Netflix, audiences are watching brand-sponsored projects from brands like Marriott, HP, P&G, LEGO and NetScout. 

With the right approach, almost any brand can entertain consumers with their brand message. The key is for brands to put the audience first. Like any successful film or television show, brand-sponsored projects must bring in authentic filmmakers to produce stories that resonate with a wide range of demographics. 

Here are my three suggestions for brands looking to produce their first sponsored entertainment project:

Bring in the proper talent  

Bringing in a top-level creative team is the most important thing a brand can do to make their project stand out. Projects by Sundance and Academy Award-winning filmmakers, writers and other talent are extremely sought after by audiences and distributors. Anything these filmmakers create will attract much more attention than projects by lesser-known figures. 

"If the goal is to create a cinematic piece, then the brand should bring in an established feature filmmaker." 

It is also important for brands to select a filmmaking team that is authentic to their brand strategy. For example, if a brand’s goal is to raise awareness of a social issue, they should bring in an acclaimed filmmaker who has demonstrated a strong passion for that issue. If the goal is to create a cinematic piece, then the brand should bring in an established feature filmmaker. 

Hide in the credits

When making a brand-sponsored film or TV show, it is important for brands not to get in the way of the creative integrity of the project. One helpful approach is for brands to sit quietly in the credits and promote their association with a project after it has become a success.

This arrangement is good for brands because it extends the promotional life of the project. The first PR window attracts the attention of authentic film and television sources. Once the project has had an opportunity to find its audience, the brand can aggressively promote their involvement in the project, starting another PR window in the advertising world.

Distribution is key

Good distribution is just as important as the story being told. The more people a brand-sponsored project reaches, the bigger its impact. 

It’s worth pointing out that the distribution cycle of a proper film has a much longer lifeline than ads supported by a media buy. Some films make their run through the film festival circuit, get purchased by a distributor, have a theatrical release and then later land on streaming services such as Netflix or Hulu. Other films bypass the theatrical release and go straight to streaming platforms. 

An example of a film which took the first route was our documentary Lo and Behold: Reveries of a Connected World, directed by Werner Herzog and sponsored by the brand NetScout. The film premiered at Sundance, was purchased by Magnolia Pictures for theatrical distribution and continues to have a life on Netflix and other streaming platforms.