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This article written by Kristen Berke, Vice President of Strategic Branded Content Partnerships at Los Angeles Times, is a part of a series celebrating Women in Branded Content and Native Advertising.
Something very exciting is happening in our industry right now. And no, I don’t mean the implementation of AI in creative suites or CRM tools (shocking, I know). I’m referring to the unprecedented merging of advertising and traditional Hollywood.
It’s no secret that brands have wanted a seat at the table of golden statues for a long time. And they’re no stranger to awards shows either - industry events like the Clios and Cannes Lions have shown that ad execs will just go ahead and plan their own party after being shown the door by Hollywood traditionalists time and time again.
And that’s been the status quo for decades; film and television was one thing, advertising was another. They’re cousins with a semi-codependent relationship, but never without different backgrounds and conflicting values to contend with. Today, however, we see brands and studios playing so closely in the sandbox it’s sometimes hard to tell which is which.
Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola
For starters, take the in-house studios being built at countless brands, whose P&Ls have absolutely nothing to do with content creation: Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, Nike and Northwell Health, just to name a few.
Northwell’s content studio, launched just last year, has already garnered 6 Emmys and 1 nod for the Oscars shortlist. Programming focuses on personal stories about patients and healthcare providers, a perfect focal point for the brand. Other healthcare companies are undoubtedly taking note, as the earned media these programs provided, far exceed the ROI any media buy would have garnered.
And then we have case studies like Barbie and LEGO movies, which prove the power of filmmaking in driving a brand into the mainstream lexicon like never before.
In aggregate, the LEGO movies alone have grossed over $1 billion. While it’s unclear exactly how much LEGO directly invested in these films, it’s safe to assume their profits far outweigh the costs.
Footwear brand Allbirds recently announced a partnership with Stanley Tucci to develop a 4-part dinner party series called Cards on the Table with a long list of celebrity guests in the queue.
And just the other night, at the 97th Academy Awards, we heard Zoe Saldaña thank YSL Productions in her acceptance speech for Emilia Pérez, the first fashion maison to create a full-fledged production subsidiary dedicated to creating feature-length films. I highly doubt they’ll be the last.
So what changed?
Brands changed. Brands are now smarter and more sophisticated than ever before. A decade ago, branded content, or branded entertainment as it’s more commonly referred to nowadays, consisted of longer or series-based commercials directly tied to the product. There wasn’t much of a difference between a linear TV spot and a piece of branded content built for social or YouTube outside of the platform being leveraged.
But brands are increasingly moving away from producing this type of content. Most of the brands we speak to at LA Times Studios are interested in subsidising films tied to a larger initiative with social momentum and cultural impact.
These topics fall across a broad spectrum with the one through-line being: issues their target audience cares about. This can be anything from climate change to education to nature conservancy - as long as it meets the broader social criteria.
But the main change is seen in the actual content itself, as you can watch an entire feature-length film that doesn’t mention or showcase the brand once except for the credits. Brands are now coming on board as executive producers for films regardless of whether or not it relates to their fine leather bags.
Brands are providing a surprising alternative
It’s an exciting shift, to say the least, given the state of the entertainment industry right now. It’s no secret Hollywood has been struggling since the pandemic. COVID-19 slowed production to a halt and, just when we thought things were turning a corner, the strikes occurred - not to mention the disruption of the streaming business and its ongoing saturation of attention and funding among industry vets. And lest we forget the LA fires that ravaged the City of Angels in January.
Hollywood just can’t seem to catch a break and filmmakers are scrambling. Brands are providing a welcome if not surprising alternative to content creators just looking to make the projects they care about. And brands are happy to oblige when it brings them alignment with a cause and an audience they care about.
The fact of the matter is, that Hollywood has always been a branded content business, just never self-identified as such. But now that more brands are willing to invest in these projects without such a heavy-handed pitch for their products, content creators are getting the funding they need and brands are getting the cache they want.
It’s a win-win for all parties and something to celebrate as this industry evolves. If we can just get out of our own way and worry less about the semantics, or “the way it’s always been“, we’ll see a lot more brand-funded projects from independent filmmakers coming soon to a theatre near you.
