Branded Entertainment Is More Than a Brand Slogan in a Script

“So, how do I get my brand into the next season of Emily in Paris on Netflix? Not just product placement, but something like McDonald’s did with their McBaguette? But less blatant [and] more authentic?” These are questions I’ve been asked more times than Emily changes her outfits, or Sylvie gives one of her withering French-lady looks. There’s nothing new about branded entertainment. We’ve seen commercial products pop up in countless Hollywood movies, from the Bond franchise to The Lego Movie. We all know that soap operas were created to sell, er, soap. We’ve witnessed a branded cup on the desk in so many network talent shows that we hardly notice it anymore. Brands have appeared as show sponsors on mainstream broadcasters in many instances: as subtle producers on purpose-driven theatrical documentaries (think dads and Unilever, 5B and Johnson & Johnson), as media owners who run their own branded channels (Red Bull) and as co-marketeers who use the show’s IP to create awareness. There’s product placement, prop placement, virtual placement, AFP, BFP, branded content, branded entertainment and so on. Essentially, brands can curate as varied careers in entertainment as actors, musicians and creators. More than everything else, brands want to be front and center in culture-defining content, whether it’s on the streamers or blockbusters in theaters. And a bonus if you’re in both. In a recent study produced by UTA IQ, we found theatrical releases can spur greater long-term interest, with the films receiving a second burst of attention upon their streaming release. But to become part of authentic storytelling, brands need to be associated with the dynamic characters and integrated into the content in a seamless way. However, doing so isn’t always clear-cut. Netflix, for example, won’t officially negotiate with brands to be inside its shows (although their introduction of advertising may change this). However, they will tolerate producers who have dealt with brands and will place a product placement disclaimer within the show. Amazon seems poised to marry church and state. I suspect that one day soon, viewers watching Prime content will be able to purchase items they’ve seen onscreen via Amazon’s shopping function. Hulu has a commercial team that will negotiate a media spend around its ad-supported tier. Lastly, you can see lots of Apple products on Apple TV and Disney products on Disney+. Navigating the landscape, though, requires expertise and experience. We leverage our agency’s proprietary data and unique access across film, television, digital media, video games, music and more to curate our brand clients’ careers in entertainment as if they were A-list stars. Here are some simple guidelines on how to make it in Hollywood if you are a brand. Start with the creators They have sway. Having a relationship with the showrunner, or leading talent, is a great way to make sure the brand is woven into the IP in a seamless way. The best integrations are so much part of the natural storytelling that it makes no difference to the narrative that the content has been funded by a brand. Remember that scene in White Lotus where the magnificent Tanya McQuoid is riding a Vespa along the winding roads of Sicily? It felt completely authentic but was no coincidence. Mike White (the show’s creator) and Jennifer Coolidge are both UTA clients; the agency’s entertainment and culture marketing team also represents Piaggio, the company that manufactures the Vespa. Extend an olive branch to the stakeholders The best integrations don’t always cost huge bucks. We gift writers’ rooms with credits so your brand is front of mind or work with the show’s production designers and prop masters to barter them your product. UTA scans scripts to locate the perfect opportunities for brands to appear organically and call producers to swap out competitors. Your brand may show up unexpectedly in the show. Insert product ‘here,’ not there Product placement is the part you pay for, and you get to have a say on exactly how your brand appears—who handles it, for how many seconds and at what point in the show. You or your agency can negotiate with the production company and/or the platform to make this happen (subject to compliance). The price varies, but expect six figures if you want to appear in shows such as Emily in Paris. You can also insert your product after the production has finished. Amazon is currently trialing its own Virtual Product Placement service; the insertions are so realistic that you’d never know they weren’t in the original shot. Co-market to see co-success Co-marketing allows you to hijack the power of IP to drive audiences both to your brand and to the IP franchise. UTA activated one of the first co-marketing deals with Netflix on Stranger Things Season 2 with Lyft. With the next Stranger Things season, the marketing team worked with the platform and The Coca-Cola Company to launch New Coke off the back of the show’s storyline. The streamers thrive on marketing support, providing the creative is in sync with the IP, and there is true brand alignment. You can tailor your activities around territories (only pay for where your brand exists, even though the show is reaching global audiences), which means you get greater control over your output. Support the creative strategically A distributor regulates their original commissions, but acquisitions are pieces of content that already exist (and have been fully funded by another party) that the streamer will buy to put on their service. Without a re-edit, it’s impossible to have control of how a brand appears in finished content. AB InBev turned this model on its head with its show Beer Masters, which it put on the Amazon Prime carousel, supporting its presence with a media buy. Dream big The recent partnership that UTA brokered between Netflix and General Motors means that GM EVs will be seen in relevant Netflix original shows and films over the course of the next year and beyond. GM wins in terms of profile, and Netflix achieves some of its sustainability goals. And now there’s the thorniest challenge of all: How do you value the amazing branded entertainment you’ve just achieved and let your CEO know that it is more robust and future-facing than any 30-second spot could ever be? Brand integrations don’t have the same quantitative measurement as traditional advertising, and streamers can be cagey about sharing their audience data. Brand uplift is more likely than direct sales (until ecommerce is an integral part of the content, but that’s altogether another topic). You can also commission qualitative research around your partnership, and social listening can create some metrics. The necessity of brands to reach truly engaged audiences on the platforms where they are spending time will eventually help create industry-received metrics for the many varied practices of branded entertainment. Plus, as more agencies, production companies and distributors hire specialists to manage it, and more industry bodies have work in the space, the sooner branded entertainment can and will become a mainstream mar-comms solution. This story is part of Adweek’s Finding the Customer digital package, which spotlights marketers’ efforts to accurately measure and track evolving consumer behaviors and engagement.