Branded Entertainment Marketing: What Is It, Examples & More

What is Branded Entertainment Marketing?

Branded entertainment marketing is a strategy where a company creates media content for the purpose of associating their brand with the values and emotional appeal of said content. With branded content, you’re telling your brand’s story through the content or the creator of the content. 

Branded entertainment is first and foremost entertainment. When the story comes first, consumers get real value out of the content and genuinely want to engage with it. The promotional elements are more subtle, more sophisticated, and ultimately more effective, since you’ve already captured the consumer’s attention.

Examples of Branded Entertainment Marketing

So what does branded entertainment actually look like? A prime example is The LEGO Movie. More than just a movie based on a toy, this feature-length film truly captivated audiences and was a major win for LEGO’s marketing efforts. In 2014, The LEGO Movie came to life with the backing of Warner Bros. While the LEGO brand was already immensely popular, the film helped increase sales by 12% for the Danish toymaker. And while on the surface the movie looked like just another animated kid’s film, it increased LEGO’s brand awareness among the youngest generations–an audience where physical toys compete against video games and online entertainment for attention.

Entertainment marketing does more when it goes beyond the screen

You can translate the marketing concept of branded entertainment into real-life experiences too. The first to do this with any massive impact was Playboy. What started as just a magazine came to life in real live private clubs and a mansion (the home of the owner) was the real life embodiment of the brand and magazine content. It went beyond just the bunnies but was in fact the total lifestyle. Let’s not forget that books and and stories are also products. If you’ve ever taken a trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter you’ve engaged with experiential branded entertainment. 

Apple Music puts on some of the biggest music festivals around. Billboard has an entire music award show that sells its brand of rating music. Porsche has a driving academy where drivers and owners live the brand as it is meant to be. And Disney, well, what don’t they do? Theme parks, live action plays, cooking shows on their new streaming service are all marketing.

A branded experience sparks meaningful real-world interactions between a brand and consumers, resulting in a deep emotional connection. The experience becomes an unforgettable memory that builds a deep brand affinity.

Entertainment marketing works and is here to stay

No matter how great of a brand a product has, it now must live beyond the shelf and way, way beyond the traditional advertising world. The first step is to get an incredible understanding of what your brand means to you and your consumer. Then, get to work finding ways for people to come closer to your brand so it becomes more part of their lives. HOLLYFY can help with all these missions. Give you an awareness of who you are, what you mean and how to create entertainment marketing that drops you right into the middle of culture and makes sure you stay there.

Future of Marketing is here.