The Branded Entertainment Focus

Short-form, long-form, educational and unmissable; check out how brand-backed content has evolved, in this series of articles.

Insight

Gorilla tactics: The evolution of branded entertainment

From drumming up good business for Cadbury Dairy Milk to the genius of Lord and Miller’s The Lego Movie, branded entertainment has come a long way since P&G put the ‘soap’ in ‘soap opera’, as Rich Johnson reports.

Craft

How to make a bike trial in your back garden

With plans of a filmed road-trip through Greece scuppered by coronavirus lockdown, Cut Media opted for a more low-key execution - a microsized demo in inhouse creative Jonny Ashworth's yard. We spoke to creative director Scott Marshall about getting crafty at home.

Insight

Are music videos branded entertainment?

From Emil Nava, a frequent music video director and CEO of the creative collective Ammolite Inc., comes an interview about branded videos, pop culture, and what makes an authentic viral moment.

Showcase

Throwback Thursday: Branded Entertainment

The line between a traditional advertisement and a piece of branded entertainment is thin and blurry. In the recent past we've seen work that includes branded content soap operas, documentary storytelling and, of course, the blockbuster LEGO Movies. Here we showcase some notable pieces that highlight what can happen when the 'brand' and the 'entertainment' is in perfect harmony.

Craft

On Reflection: The Unquiet Film Series

From the dangers involved in war reporting to the sharp edge of satirical cartoons; from the need for a questioning nature to the power inherent in words on a page, The Unquiet Film Series for The Times and The Sunday Times looked at it all, and a lot more, over its collection of mini-docs.

Insight

A sporting chance for branded entertainment

As much of the world slowly attempts to return to some form of normality, so too does sport. With football back, albeit behind closed doors, what opportunities are there for brands to connect with physically absent fans? Just So's Managing Director, Simon Bell, thinks turning to entertainment is the answer.

Craft

How to run with refugees

We speak to Hungry Man director Richard Bullock about his feature-length documentary collaboration with Swiss sports company On, following the courageous journey, and a shattered Olympic dream, of the Athlete Refugee Team.

Insight

Crafting the next great story

CEO and Founder of Stept Sudios, Nick Martini, gives us a look at what makes storytelling the focus of branded content creation at his company, and how to focus on the narrative first.

Insight

The branded entertainment at Apple's core

With its remarkable shot on iPhone series of films, Apple has been delivering content with authenticity. Carol Cooper speaks to three directors about the pros and pros of smartphone cinema.

Talent

Tilting at windmills: building branded entertainment with Jae Goodman

Observatory CEO Jae Goodman talks to Rich Johnson about the developments in branded entertainment, why brands need to embrace it, and how he worried for a while that the agency's mantras were more Don Quixote than Don Draper.

Craft

How to play games for good

We chat to Dark Horses senior creative Adam Burns and Outsider director Tom Day about their quick-off-the-mark lockdown film for mental health charity Football Beyond Borders.

Insight

Welcome to the era of attention on demand

Jon Hamm, CEO of entertainment company Free Turn, says that with consumers having their choice of entertainment on tap and with their demand for content increasing, advertising companies need to think as much about the audience as they do about the brand.

Insight

Audio branding and the echo of Intel

In a condensed transcript of his podcast, Jamie Masters, Head of Audio Branding Strategy at Adelphoi Music, explains how the form needs to break away from its past.

Insight

How to make justice-oriented branded entertainment

As corporate social responsibility becomes more of a focus for brands, Alessandro Sciarpelletti, Executive Creative Director of We Are Social, Milan, explains how Lavazza pulled off a documentary about social unrest in Colombia and how brands can move forward with work that is both challenging and political.

Do brands have a responsibility to be educators?

How to make branded entertainment for movies and narrative media

Brand + entertainment = added value

The Photography & Cinematography Focus

In a cacophonous digital culture that bombards us with a stream of personal image-sharing and branded visuals, it can be hard for photography to stand out. This month, shots pulls focus on the DPs and photographers whose work sets the optic nerves a-tingle and considers the input of non-human image generators.

The Inspiration Focus

What are the cultural artefacts, random objects, rituals and synaptic sparks that generate fresh ideas? We talk to some of ad land’s most innovative thinkers about creative inspiration. What it is, where they find it and do the AI bots have it too...

The YDA 2024 Focus

The rising stars who won Golds in this year’s Young Director Award share with shots the origins and ideas and behind their films, the production highs and lows and what they’re planning next.

The Music and Sound Focus

With sometimes just seconds to tell a story and set tone, the aurals – as well as the visuals – need to be spot on in ads. This month we sound out the musical maestros and foley funsters worth listening out for.

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