With so much branded entertainment being produced, and so many channels where it can be distributed, how does anyone stand a chance of cutting through the noise? What do the entertainment companies of the future look like and what roles do brands, producers and agencies play in this changing landscape? The traditional role models are changing. Learn how the new entertainment leaders of the 21st century are disrupting the worlds of business and the face of contemporary culture.
2. Don’t force a relationship
“There’s no point trying to force a relationship if it doesn’t feel right” – Heather Wright – Executive Producer, Head of Partner Content Division – Aardman Animations
3. Stories need bad guys too
4. Maybe ads don’t need to be beautiful: spotting the potential of branded entertainment
The recent revolution in branded content can be traced back to a seminal moment in 2001 when BMW decided to take its $30 million advertising budget and spend it on producing five ‘mini’ feature films. This is the story of how it happened…
5. The power of the audience
“As long as people keep sticking out their finger and pressing ‘skip ad,’ things will change. It’s like voting, isn’t it? It’s funny that in our western democracies, you’re not really supposed to vote against anybody. You can’t go into a booth and just vote against someone — to achieve that you have to vote for someone else. But ‘skip ad’ is a negative vote, that’s pretty heavy.” – Iggy Pop, speaking in the 10th Annual Grey Music Seminar
6. Empire and Pepsi: a powerful combination
Leslie Moonves, President, CEO and Chairman of CBS Corporation, talks about the new collaborative models that exist in the modern TV landscape, and praises Pepsi’s work on the Empire TV show.
7. Know your audience and how we can make it bigger
WWE stars Stephanie McMahon and John Cena chat to Cannes Lions TV about engaging audiences and keeping your content fresh
8. The guiding principles of entertainment
Jae Goodman discusses the difference between entertainment and entertaining and examines what the jury were looking for in the Entertainment Lions categories.
9. Adidas pick up a Gold Lion in ‘best music/brand partnership’
Gold – Entertainment Lion for Music | Best Music/Brand Partnership | Adidas “Your Future Is Not My Future”
10. Creative value for fans
“We turn down 9 out of 10 offers we have from brands to pay our artists or us as a company – millions and millions of dollars. Our process is really to establish a partnership with a brand partner, build trust. Know that you’re going to go on a journey together. Know that journey is going to be consistent with their brand values, consistent with our brand values. And then how are you we going to tell a story that makes something that people react to…
The consumers, our fans in particular, are so fickle. We learned early that if Justin Bieber was tweeting about a product… these kids know “Oh he’s just taking a cheque”. Because of that, our job gets that much more challenging from a creative level. So it’s: “Okay, if we’re going to work with a brand, fans know you might be getting paid. How are you to work with that brand in a way that you provide value to them? That’s the way we operate, and I think it’s the only way to build long-term sustainable brands in our space.” – Scott Manson – Chief Operating Officer – Scooter Braun Projects, speaking at ‘There’s No Business without Show Business’, from BBH.
