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Brands on Film -

View from the AudienceA Feature Presentation by Thinktank International Research

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Our Brief:

Investigate the audience point of view…

“How they experience brands creating/supporting filmic content?”

“How do they judge this type of content?”

“How do they delineate it against traditional advertising?”

“How do they see the roles of the brands vs the content?”

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The Programme

5 workshops with groups of friends aged 18-25

+ supplementary analysis of YouTube comments

3 x creative 2x more mainstream

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All: brands supporting or creating original contentinvolvement going beyond ‘just’ sponsorship or product placementcontent longer than 30’mainly distributed outside the ad break/TV

Content Choice

Absolut/Spike Jonze

Levi’s

Peroni/G Muccino

Lagerfeld/Hogan

Nokia/Aardman

LG/Ridley Scott

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Plus…

CadburyHovis

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Key Findings

The audience receives this content both as entertainment and as marketing effort

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“Advertising” meets “art” - a new blurring of boundaries

- needs getting used to, can be hard to categorise

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There can be real appreciation:

Intrigue, originality, subtlety cleverness, sophistication, generosity

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But…can also be seen more critically

“I think they are being quite…cleverly …sneaky”

Commerce taking over/appropriating ‘art’?

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The Difference vs Advertising

Ads

Expect to be ‘sold to’ -Enjoyment is a bonus’

Filmic Content:

Expect to be ‘given something’ -enjoyment sine qua non +‘being sold to’ could be a let down and needs to belifted by enjoyment

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So… where does that leave the brands - what roles would consumer like them to play?

Need to respect the content

Need to take themselves back - but arguably not too far

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“You wonder …why does a Vodka company sponsor this film?”

Our audience does seek a connection…

which needs to feel authentic and credible, though can be a bit surprising or tongue-in-cheek

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The Future?

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Audience will become more familiar with brands in film as genres and formats grow up

Some very successful examples likely to emerge that will reach wider audiences

Continuing holy grail will be for brands to make an impact whilst respecting content

Ways forward? Keep formats very short and hope for viral success? Make MORE of collaborations, ATL, BTL and/or experiential? Get creative consumers themselves involved and build advocacy Build a reputation for supporting a certain kind of film?

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Written and directed by Sabine Stork

Edited by Sam Shellie

sabine.stork@thinktank.uk.com

www.twitter.com/thinktank_int

With apologies to Robert Wiene, Fritz Lang, FW Murnau, Hiroshu Sugimoto et al