1) The most important business lesson that I’ve taken from 2018 is that fewer and fewer people are watching ads due to consumers now having a wide-range of commercial-free viewing options. Consumers can no longer be forced to watch traditional advertisements and branded content. To engage these viewers, advertisers must produce work that consumers want to watch—i.e. authentic pieces of entertainment, like films, series and documentaries.
2) In 2019, more media companies will see that pushing branded content on consumers with a media buy is a deeply flawed advertising method. Brands can’t simply buy eyeballs. There are more suitable ways for advertisers to build authentic relationships with consumers, and that is by producing projects that consumers will choose to watch.
3) At Saville, our goal for 2019 is to continue to help advertisers transition from creating ads to creating entertainment. We are also excited to develop a number of upcoming entertainment projects based upon the social and environmental initiatives of major brands.
4) Saville Productions just completed Takumi: A 60,000 Hour Story on the Survival of Human Craft which is a one-hour documentary for Lexus about the Japanese philosophy of takumi. The film combines stunning footage of several contemporary Japanese master artisans with interviews from the world’s foremost thinkers on craft, technology and expertise. The documentary premiered at the DOC NYC film festival and will be available on additional platforms in 2019.
