1) The industry is changing in terms of its attitude to branded entertainment. Broadcasters and networks are in need of new commercial models for their commissions, and brands and agencies are seeing that they have to reach consumers in non-traditional ways. There is a lot more collaboration and respect for branded entertainment as a genre and we’re seeing top quality content on TV, digital and even in cinemas that audiences are choosing to spend time with. There is also greater collaboration between brands, agencies, production companies and networks and I’m seeing new partnerships emerging – I love the idea that brands can become executive producers and that production companies are basing their development work on strategic insights from the advertising industry.
2) Johnson & Johnson’s Cannes Lions Entertainment Grand Prix winner 5B is another beautiful example of a brave brand telling a story which has its values–but not its product–at its heart. It is a feature documentary that tells the story of 5B, an HIV ward in a San Francisco hospital in the 1980s when the fear and taboo around AIDS was at is most extreme. The film has a purpose around the importance of personal care, touch and skin, but the product is an enabler of the story rather than an on-screen presence.
One of my favourite integrations from the world of Fremantle is the deal that Britain’s Got Talent did with retail brand Marks & Spencer. Excellent on-air, digital and in-app branded content was complemented by an in-store activation where the show’s judges talked to customers at the self-service check-out. I never ceased to be delighted when Ant and Dec asked me for my Sparks card.
3) The Cannes Entertainment Lions is always inspiring. This is a relatively new category but attracts hundreds of entries from all around the world. It is great to see brands as the creative and financial power behind documentaries, soap operas, feature films, gaming, digital content, VR and more. No media is off-limits. This year I was interested to see how many brands told their own stories by going back to the past – profiling their legacy and showcasing how progressive they have been. However, I would still have liked to see some more ground-breaking new content that would have to power to really disrupt and then scale across platforms, seasons or territories. The content in general still feels like a series of campaigns rather than content that will create new culture through genuine entertainment.
6) We know that great ideas and bold thinking can come from anywhere and anyone and we know that a diverse and representative workforce is crucial in enabling us to create entertainment for everyone. We firmly believe that this sort of creative magic flows best when diverse people work together in an inclusive environment. So, our Creative Responsibility programme is focused on helping diverse talent to succeed so innovative ideas can flourish and untold stories can come to life.
We’re doing this by monitoring internal diversity so that we can understand how inclusive we really are, supporting outreach initiatives that widen the talent pool we draw from, and addressing ‘diversity killers’ that are common to our industry.
