How to build blockbuster branded entertainment

Arguably, no brand understands culture better than LEGO.

From friendly, open design encouraging cross-cultural creative expression, to huge partnerships with popular media franchises like Star Wars, Harry Potter and Marvel, the brand has always known how to engage global fan cultures. 

[LEGO] has always known how to engage global fan cultures.

Its latest foray into film follows suit. Partnering with superstar American musician Pharrell Williams, The LEGO Group has produced the animated biographical documentary, called Piece by Piece, about the artist’s life and career. Seems like an unexpected pairing, doesn’t it?

Above: LEGO's new movie, a biographical documentary of Pharrell Williams, is released today and further cements LEGO's place as a brilliant branded entertainment creator.

Clearly, audiences want the unexpected. Reviews have gushed over the film, saying ‘check your cynicism at the door’ because the monolithic brand has created an ‘endlessly inventive’ blockbuster. The more you think about it, the more this partnership makes sense. Pharrell’s mainstream hits, particularly Happy, are colourful, family-friendly affairs, which pair naturally with the imagery of lightly coloured LEGO bricks. 

Piece by Piece offers a lesson in branded entertainment that other brands would be wise to study.

It also does wonders for the film’s marketing, bringing LEGO fans and music fans together. The concept alone makes you sit up: the Pharrell Williams LEGO movie? This I have to see. 

Piece by Piece offers a lesson in branded entertainment that other brands would be wise to study. But what’s the secret to its success? How can brands navigate the tricky waters of branded entertainment and find those partnerships which are genuinely going to break through in the right way? And, crucially, does every brand have the right to be an ‘entertainer’?

Above: Williams's 2014 hit, Happy, is a colourful, family-friendly affair which pair naturally with the imagery of multi-coloured LEGO bricks.

Lights, camera... advertising? 

When talking about the world of branded entertainment it’s important to ask the question: why would a brand want to do it in the first place? The answer is because, by tapping into entertainment and important cultural touchstones, brands have the opportunity to show they can create relevant content that speaks to a wider audience outside their core focus area. 

It’s not just LEGO; look at Footasylum and, of course, Mattell. These are all brands that have used their IP to challenge traditional film and TV commissioners and enter the entertainment space. 

By tapping into entertainment and important cultural touchstones, brands have the opportunity to show they can create relevant content that speaks to a wider audience.

There’s obviously the smash success of last year’s Barbie but, just as exciting, are the smaller brand wins. Footasylum’s YouTube reality TV show Locked In takes 10 hugely popular creators and locks them in a house to battle it out over challenges to see who will come out on top and win £10,000. Expanding on classic reality formats like Big Brother but with new media twist, Footasylum has understood how to reach a Gen Z/digi-native audience through the creators they watch, resulting in high engagement with the series and, by extent the brand. 

These kinds of results explain why brands would want to engage in the entertainment space. But the question remains: why would creators and commissioners want to engage with brands? 

Above: Footasylum's reality TV show, Locked In, has been a huge hit. 

Keep the camera rolling 

The world of entertainment is a turbulent landscape. The TV production sector in the UK suffered a £400m fall last month as broadcasters reduced spending to the lowest level since the height of the pandemic. With the growing pressure from streaming diluting the market – complicated by bundling such as the new Apple TV+ becoming available through Amazon Prime Video - we’re experiencing an influx of content which makes it increasingly hard for shows and ideas to cut through the noise. 

Overwhelmed by options, studies are showing a narrowing and splitting of content. We’re watching the same 100 shows on repeat (endless Friends reruns), and frequently alone. Audiences are retreating to the shows they feel comfortable with. There are obviously exceptions to this but, by and large, it’s hard to make your mark in this new entertainment economy.

Brands need to realise branded entertainment isn’t just about funding the content, it’s about adding value to it in a way that only your brand can.

This is where branding and partnerships can be a commissioner's secret weapon. Brands like Waitrose are providing platforms for new content to be made, as with Dish, the amazing foodie podcast and social series. Featuring star hosts Angela Hartnett and Nick Grimshaw, the podcast captures the attention of food lovers with celebrity guests such as Richard E. Grant and Anna Maxwell Martin, while naturally covering the supermarket’s offerings through accompanying recipes. It’s giving podcast listeners, foodie fans on #FoodTok, and Waitrose shoppers a place to converge through new media, with advertising being the glue that subtly holds everything together. 

Brands need to realise branded entertainment isn’t just about funding the content, it’s about adding value to it in a way that only your brand can. That’s where, in this new media landscape, authenticity is everything.

Above: Waitrose's foray into branded entertainment has seen them co-create the highly successful podcast, Dish.

Knowing when to yell ‘cut!’ 

When thinking about getting into the game of branded entertainment, you have to look at your customers and what they want. Sure, the customer base may be big, but is it big enough to sustain long-term growth? Just because a brand is popular doesn’t mean it has the scale and scalability to be a traditional entertainment brand. That highlights the importance of working with editorial teams, ensuring brand and entertainment complement each other to maintain sustainable growth in this space. 

A great example of this is the Amazon Prime Original TUI World Cook. TUI’s audience naturally overlaps with fans of cooking shows. Travel and cuisine often go hand in hand. The brand worked closely with the production teams to ensure brand messaging was worked throughout the show, responding to editorial requirements so that the best possible show with best possible value was made for the audience. 

Just because a brand is popular doesn’t mean it has the scale and scalability to be a traditional entertainment brand.

And it worked. Not only was the show renewed for a smash-hit season 2 due to high viewership, but it also was acknowledged and loved by fans who nominated the show for an upcoming TV Choice Award, pitting it against established household names like Britain's Got Talent and Masterchef. 

This and the Pharrell LEGO movie show that, when done right, branded entertainment is so much more than sponsorship. It can be beloved entertainment in its own right, capturing an audience and associating branding with culturally relevant pieces of content.