Media Promotions
Branded Entertainment Project
Rather than interrupt programs with commercials, brands now seek to integrate their messages into the entertainment itself. As an executive at a leading advertising agency, you are working with UPS, Home Depot, Samsung, Louis Vuitton, Shell, and Pampers to integrate brand messaging into movies and television series.
- Branded Entertainment: Write a 500-750-word pitch for an original short film or television series (YouTube, or Hulu) that outlines how you would create a branded entertainment project for one of these brands.
Your pitch should contain the following information:
- A discussion of the brand’s image or core values
- You’ll need to do research to determine the brand’s image.
- For example, does the brand have a tagline or a mission statement?
- Your discussion of the brand’s image or core values needs to be supported with specific evidence, and this evidence should be cited in your pitch.
- A discussion of the brand’s target demographic. Be as specific as possible.
- You’ll need to research this information.
- And you’ll need to cite this research in your pitch.
- A summary of the short film or television series
- Provide a summary of the short film or television series that you plan to create for the selected brand.
- This summary should also detail how this branded entertainment project provides the selected brand with the opportunity to connect with its audience in a unique, engaging way.
- A discussion of the ways in which the film or television series aligns with the brand image
- A discussion of the ways in which the film or television series appeals to the targeted demographic
- Brand Integration: Using a different brand, create a 500-750-word pitch that outlines how you would integrate the brand into an existing series currently on television (Original series on Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu are acceptable.).
Your pitch should contain the following information:
- A discussion of the brand’s image or core values
- You’ll need to do research to determine the brand’s image.
- For example, does the brand have a tagline or a mission statement?
- Your discussion of the brand’s image or core values needs to be supported with specific evidence, and this evidence should be cited in your pitch.
- A discussion of the brand’s target demographic. Be as specific as possible.
- You’ll need to research this information.
- And you’ll need to cite this research in your pitch.
- A summary of the television series
- Provide a summary of the existing television series that you plan to partner with the selected brand.
- This summary should include the specific ways in which the brand will be integrated into the film or television series
- A discussion of the ways in which the film or television series aligns with the brand image
- A discussion of the ways in which the film or television series appeals to the targeted demographic.
- You should cite specific research in your pitch that addresses the existing television series’ audience demographics.
- Sponsorship: Both Pepsi and Dove have come under fire for offensive promotional strategies in 2017. (See the article posted on Blackboard for more on this issue.) Create a 500-750-word pitch for an original short film or television series (YouTube or Hulu) that will be sponsored by either Pepsi or Dove. Keep in mind that the sponsoring brand should not actually appear in the short film or television series. Instead, the sponsored content should align with the brand’s image or values, thereby benefitting the brand through a “halo effect.”
Your pitch should include:
- A discussion of the brand’s image or core values
- You’ll need to do research to determine the brand’s image.
- For example, does the brand have a tagline or a mission statement?
- Your discussion of the brand’s image or core values needs to be supported with specific evidence, and this evidence should be cited in your pitch.
- A discussion of the brand’s target demographic. Be as specific as possible.
- You’ll need to research this information.
- And you’ll need to cite this research in your pitch.
- Why is the selected brand in need of rehabilitation?
- You’ll need to research this information.
- And you’ll need to cite this research in your pitch.
- A summary of the sponsored content (i.e., an original short film or television series that you create)
- The ways in which the brand would experience a “halo effect” through their association with the sponsored content
Research is crucial to this project. This demonstrates that you have researched the clients and then developed a reasoned strategy for integrating their brands or brand values into entertainment content. Make sure to provide citations where appropriate.
An example of this branded entertainment project has been posted in the “Examples” section of Blackboard. There’s also a reading posted on Blackboard entitled “Cable Brandcasting and Disney Channel’s Company Voice” (Jennifer Gillan) that I think you’ll find quite helpful.
Using the link on Blackboard, please submit your project 2pm on Thursday, November 6th.
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/lessons-learned-from-the-5-biggest-brand-fails-of-2017-uber-pepsi-dove-and-more/
