Lessons for brands from Hollywood: part two

Lesson 2:  130 million people can’t be wrong! Film and TV is the answer

In 2013, Orange is the New Black, not only catapulted Netflix into the stratosphere, it reinvented how ‘Hollywood’ told stories and how ‘we’ watched.  Amazon followed suit and suddenly the entertainment industry was in flux.  The Studios, Cinemas and Festivals were panicked, trying to maintain their power, and fighting against change. 

Netflix, emerged victorious with 130 million subscribers (as of July 2018) proving consumers all over the world can’t get enough of a good story.  Ever since Netflix shows have been the talk of offices, classrooms, school gates, and generated social media and news headlines. Isn’t that the Holy Grail of brand marketing? Having everyone talk about our campaigns so passionately? 

So how can we learn from Netflix?  Well, none of this is new.  Netflix, Amazon and Sony are consumer brands that embraced content.  Netflix was a DVD rental company, and Amazon was ’just’ an online book store.  Even Sony was ‘just’ an electronics company that bought Colombia Studios in 1989.  But, they all became huge studios.  

P&G paved the way with Soap Operas but recently, we’ve lost our footing thanks to a “James Bond product-placement” era. Like the franchise, we went too big, too unrealistic, too “in your face”! Consumers were put off and ‘branded content’ became horrible. What’s more, we’re seen as deep-pocketed, “dumb” money – easy to manipulate because we don’t understand the film business - and so we are not getting nearly enough ROI, because we don’t know what we don’t know.  

We ‘Brands’ and our agencies don’t understand movie-making.  It’s not our business, nor does it need to be.  But with the right partners driving, e.g. filmmakers and consultants who understand brand marketing AND film production, our campaigns can be the talk of the office, classrooms and “go viral”.   Like Eon Productions, we need to regroup, go back to basics and emerge with a “Casino Royale” approach.

So how do we do it?  Buckle up.  This might be scary…

Go unbranded! Yes, that’s right – no logos.  And no products.  Tell an unbranded story that can change the world, speaking to our core values but that also resonates with audiences at large.
Partner filmmakers, not our marketing agencies, who are already producing an ‘on-brand’ high profile production for distribution through traditional channels.  Whether we like it or not, when we commission content it becomes an advert, and will likely not be seen beyond our ecosystem.  
Our marketing agencies should be engaged to market the production, drive publicity and help find its audience.  They should not become film producers.
Don’t just sponsor, own the content. 
Don’t do this blindly.  Engage specialist strategic partners who can help you find the right film projects as well as help navigate the business, production and publicity, but crucially who also understand brand marketing.  This is essential – or we remain “dumb” money.

Is anyone else doing this?

Yes, a movement is underway.  Amongst others, PepsiCo launched The Creators League Studio, and HP Inc has recently created HP Studios.  Through HP Studios, HP co-produced their first feature film MANTO, directed by Nandita Das which saw HP have a number 1 hashtag in India (20 million people tweeting in 24hrs), and 150 million hashtag impressions in 10 days when it premiered in Cannes this year as part of Un Certain Regard - the film festival’s official selection.  Their trailer generated over 10 million views in 3 days and it’s been released in India with international release imminent.  

The film, which tells the true story of an Indian male feminist writer in the 1930s who risked his freedom to pen his works, is critically acclaimed and there is not one logo or product placement shot in the film – it’s completely unbranded, letting the story of inclusion and diversity speak for itself.   The result? Everyone in India was talking about it and HP was at the heart of it all.

Aimée Anderson
Director, AAA Films
www.aaa.film