Covid, Tigers, Dads and Dua Lipa... branded entertainment in 2020 had it all

It’s once again the time of year for brooding on the 12 months past and for making wild, unfounded predictions about the future. 

So, without further ado, here are my thoughts on the branded entertainment industry in 2020 and beyond.

[Covid] just accelerated changes in branded entertainment that were already on the way. 

First, let’s dispose of 2020; the maddest, baddest, craziest year on record. After the year we’ve just experienced, it’s hard to not look at everything through the lens of Covid, and the temptation is to attribute almost every change, development or evolution to this black swan event. But I’m going to set out my stall and say that, yes, of course, Covid has had a big impact. But, really, it just accelerated changes in branded entertainment that were already on the way. 

Above: The Last Dance, one of the documentaries which kept us entertained over the lockdown period.

Full disclosure: I’m just the CEO of Free Turn, not an analyst or a strategist. My ideas have emerged from conversations with our clients and partners and from the trends and issues that I’ve seen play out over this extraordinary, uniquely challenging year. Lastly, by way of caveat, my focus here is branded entertainment, but as the borders between the worlds of branded and traditional entertainment are increasingly breaking down, there’s going to be a lot of the blurring of lines.

So that’s my stall set out. Now, what are the big trends that we’ve felt as a company this year?

Starved of IRL experiences, [audiences] are curating their own entertainment playlists and they're crossing cultures, borders and formats.

Let's start with the obvious: Audiences have an insatiable desire for entertainment, and in 2020 have sought it out across broadcasters, platforms, passion-based channels... basically, wherever they can get it. Starved of IRL experiences, they are curating their own entertainment playlists and they're crossing cultures, borders and formats. Netflix and the world of the SVOD has continued to lead a revolution in how entertainment is consumed but they have also had a big impact on what we consume.

Documenting the future

Just think back to how the documentary genre has evolved in a relatively short time. It wasn’t long ago that it was viewed as the elitist and less exciting arm of entertainment. Without a 'celebrity' director such as Louis Theroux, Michael Moore or Nick Broomfield, or a breakout anomaly, like Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, it was an uphill battle to push into mainstream culture, no matter how good the content might be.

Now, thanks to the likes of Netflix, all that has changed and documentary series and features are in the spotlight. In the annus horribilis that was 2020, one of the few bright spots was sitting down to obsess about one great documentary series after another, from Tiger King (and his nemesis Carole Baskin) to The Last Dance, not to mention smaller series such as We Are The Champions. 

Above: Netflix's Tiger King was another of the documentaries which got us through the coronavirus lockdown.

Documentaries have become a key social currency of the streamer world, an important element in their strategy of creating programming that we all need to talk about. That’s not surprising. The quality in the category has exploded with a number of fine filmmakers all now being given the time, budget and resources needed to really develop well told and well-crafted narratives. No longer are feature documentaries the preserve of the film festivals or late night TV. They are mainstream now and we all want more of them.

No longer are feature documentaries the preserve of the film festivals or late night TV. They are mainstream now and we all want more of them.

This is clearly an area where brands have historically felt comfortable. With the impact they are now having on the collective culture it’s good to see more brands viewing this as a route to bring their purpose, or product, or category to life for their audiences. Companies like Unilever, with their documentaries on Dads, and Hair Power: Me and My Afro are great examples of brands deeply leaning into this genre to create relevant entertainment for their audience, at the same time clearly setting out their stall as to what matters to them. Or Patagonia, with its feature documentary Public Trust, which is more of a battle cry that will surely rally their consumers behind them with even greater fervour. 

With the increasing pressure for revenue that the traditional broadcasters are under, there is a lot of opportunity here for collaboration between producers, brands and broadcasters. Funds like Publicis Groupe's APX have put down markers to ensure that more issue led documentary content is high on the agenda of broadcasters. This is going to be increasingly fertile ground in the year to come. What’s particularly exciting this year has been that more brands have embraced the fact that they don’t need “to BE the show” to connect their story with it in the minds of the audience. In other words, progressive brands have  got much better at contributing to culture (rather than hijacking it) and activating around their entertainment investments. 

What’s particularly exciting this year has been that more brands have embraced the fact that they don’t need “to BE the show” to connect.

There is a clear shift that has moved branded entertainment from a peripheral part of their marketing mix to a central role. A great example; in January this year, Under Armour announced they were putting long-form content and podcasts at the heart of their brand strategy to bring the stories behind their platform, The Only Way Is Through, to life. 

Above: Patagonia's feature length documentary, Public Trust, about America’s system of public lands and the fight to protect them.

Live and direct

The second macro area in which we have seen significant growth this year is around live; both live commerce and live music. Whilst these two areas might, on first impression, seem quite separate, that’s not at all the case. Offering brands and artists the opportunity to connect into a direct relationship with consumers is a huge opportunity, one not to be undervalued, and one where both sides are using live streaming to embrace.

Trends in the world of live music have been fast forwarded in the world of Covid. All those big stages, bigger egos and a body-guarded gap between rockstar and fan have been transformed. Today’s music is about an open conversation between artist and follower, full of live bedroom sets, fan DMs, free gigs and real direct interviews. The net result of this is that artists have embraced platforms like Driift (who recently produced Kylie’s Infinite Disco global livestream) or Livenow in growing numbers and with increasing relish. It’s obviously too early to say how this new form of entertainment, and the creative opportunities volumetric studios provide, will be sustained beyond Covid. No doubt IRL gigs will come back big but this new, more intimate relationship between artist and follower will not go away in the new world of live music and entertainment.

Today’s music is about an open conversation between artist and follower, full of live bedroom sets, fan DMs, free gigs and real direct interviews. 

At the moment, it seems that the only brands that are really putting down a marker in this space are those traditionally associated with ticketing and access, like Amex or O2. But it’s not a leap to see others taking this route to create amazing, live, mixed media experiences in the future. Top Tip: Watch out for Dua Lipa, at the end of November, to break all records and to set a new benchmark by which all will be judged.

Above: Dua Lipa's live streamed concert at the end of November drew 5 million viewers.

In terms of live commerce, this trend or behaviour, which had its roots in Asia and China, is quickly taking hold to become a dominant part of the global commerce mix. Reports predicting that this is going to be big in the EU and US next year have been difficult to miss. With Google, Amazon and others making big plays in this space, it’s not wise to bet against it. However, the key piece missing from our perspective is the creative element. The quality of the entertainment is still just not good enough yet to break through into mainstream culture. Until the content gets better, it’s hard not to make an unkind comparison to QVC, that old favourite of late nights and hangovers.

With Google, Amazon and others making big plays in this space, it’s not wise to bet against it. However, the key piece missing from our perspective is the creative element.

What we are noting, though, is fledgling European livestream commerce platforms such as Bambuser seeing stellar growth and the rise of 'channels' like NTWRK, which positions itself as providing “daily shoppable episodes featuring exclusive products and original content from world-class creators". The Foot Locker-backed channel allows you to shop at the 'speed of culture', essentially taking  the idea of “'the drop' and mashing it up with the concept of live commerce to create a more compelling relevant proposition. Even in these early days, it’s a concept that is clearly working. 

However these types of examples are still rarefied and, for most of the livestream commerce 'shows', there simply isn’t a clear entertainment idea behind them. Clearly, though, this is on the horizon.  As more creative companies, with experience of exploiting shoppable content on channels like YouTube, get into it, we are expecting to see more shows and formats coming from this area.

The challenge for brands is always going to be: Are they the channel? Are they creators? Do they work with existing creators and influencers?

The challenge for brands is always going to be: what’s their role in this channel? Are they the channel? Are they creators? Do they work with existing creators and influencers? These are good questions, and the truth is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Rather, it’s a blend of the above, depending on a number of factors. There is definitely room for a smart brand to make a name for themselves here.