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Brands on Film -
View from the Audience
A 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 content
involvement going beyond ‘just’ sponsorship or product placement
content 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…
Cadbury
Hovis

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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 be
lifted 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