Why entertainment-led storytelling helps companies connect with customers

The digital era has created ample space for advertisers to make work that can truly connect with customers. But these efforts are meaningless for brands if they do not entertain and spark emotive responses.

Liam Bagnall is creative director at Dentsu Creative

People are so tied to their mobile phones today, using them as a social safety net, a way to kill boredom and sometimes scrolling just out of habit.

People pick up their phones, laptops and portable screens when they are lonely, when they are on commutes and when the ad breaks come on whatever show they are watching. From a brand perspective, grabbing the attention of audiences in these moments takes craft and an understanding of what people want. And what audiences want in this digital era is to be entertained.

Screens of all kinds are now brands’ natural habitats. Businesses must harness the power of these digital environments – and intimate personal moments – to create a conversation and meaningful connection.

Traditional marketers are still trying to catch up with the pace of social media and plan their next “viral” ad campaign. This is often an afterthought when brands brief their creative agency partners.

Trendsetters in the world of influencers and online publishers set the blueprint for what works and what doesn’t for audiences. But the problem is that most brands – which are now trying to make something that will feel natural in entertainment spaces – are still behind on what currently resonates with viewers, leaving their output feeling out-of-date and tired.

Instead of creating content that is tailored to suit different platforms, we often see seven or 15-second cut downs of the TV campaign being chucked on brand-owned pages, only to fizzle, die and be scrolled past.

Social media also moves incredibly quickly. So, by the time a brand has dedicated its resource to the next big TikTok “challenge”, consumers have already moved on.

The rise of documentary, podcasts and gaming has left ample space for advertisers to make exceptional work that can truly resonate meaningfully. As long as it’s something viewers want to see – even if it is an advertisement – they will engage. The key to a successful entertainment-led campaign is emotion.

People want to be inspired, informed and see people who they can connect with. They share, “like” and remember content that makes them feel something, whether that’s laughing, crying or even just a sense of being understood.

Campaigns and content that entertains must also align seamlessly with the brand’s voice, values and ethos.

Shoehorning big political conversation or viral trends without careful thought can overshadow the brand or the point that it’s trying to make.

Pepsi’s well-known 2017 misstep offers an example of how brands can get this wrong. The brand placed Kylie Jenner in an advert where she managed to quell conflict at a protest with a can of Pepsi. Pepsi’s intention to promote unity then backfired, as the advert made its way into meme culture – and the exact point they were trying to make was completely overlooked and scrutinised.

One successful example comes from footwear brand Foot Asylum in the UK. Foot Asylum was a rising competitor to the JD Sports of this world and as a late starter into sports apparel, it had a David and Goliath journey ahead of them.

Starting small, it created a simple content series, such as popular unboxing videos, using some of the biggest talent online. It then reinvested its budget into making a documentary-led travel series and large format ideas such as “Locked In”, which offered a Big Brother of the YouTube world.

These long-form videos sat at around an hour apiece and received views in the millions and engagement to match. This single play helped it dominate the sports store space in the UK and inform youth culture in a way that mattered to the people they were selling to.

Foot Asylum’s strategy set it apart because it invested in turning its owned channels into an entertainment powerhouse. These channels functioned as lookbook catalogues and set them on a footing that placed them ahead of every other sports shop in the UK in the minds of the consumer.

Entertainment-led work can lead to a consumer response that fulfils the rest of the campaign. It simply won’t work as a half-baked add-on when the marketers ask how the idea lives in entertainment spaces.

There is no reason why brands can’t be entertaining and utilise their own platforms to continue the conversations that will keep their patrons engaged. Just remember that if it’s not something that you believe most viewers would find entertaining, then it’s probably not entertainment.

Liam Bagnall is creative director of entertainment at Dentsu Creative.