There are many stars in the marketing industry. And while each channel plays an important role, it seems as if entertainment marketing is being awarded a bit of extra recognition. According to the “2015 Branded Entertainment Marketing Survey” by entertainment marketing company Hollywood Branded, 73% of agency professionals and 69% of brand marketers currently leverage entertainment marketing as part of their advertising strategy.
About the category
Entertainment marketing consists of many genres. For example, 53% of brand marketers and 47% of agency marketers have leveraged product placement—the practice of products or branding being seamlessly integrated into an entertainment property either visually or verbally. Additionally, 41% of brand marketers and 52% of agency professionals have used brand integration, which is when a brand plays a significant role in a storyline. Co-branded entertainment, co-branded retail promotions, event sponsorships/activations, and celebrity endorsements are also popular options.
Entertainment marketing may be popular among some marketers, but isn’t a breakout star. Only 22% of brand marketers and 33% of agency marketers are very knowledgeable about entertainment marketing. And although, 52% of brand marketers and 46% of agency marketers report feeling fairly knowledgeable about it, about one quarter (26%) of brand marketers and 21% of agency marketers say that they have little to no knowledge about it.
Entertainment marketing in action
So, is the silver screen the only place where brands can incorporate entertainment marketing? Not at all. Actually, television took home the award for most utilized platform by brand and agency marketers (52%)—surpassing other A-listers like digital (43%), events (38%), print (31%), and film (29%). Celebrity endorsements, music, and gaming are still trying to edge their way into the spotlight with 23%, 20%, and 11%, respectively, of brand and agency marketers deeming each their most utilized platform.
Hollywood money
Of course, marketers rarely have blockbuster budgets. So, they need to ensure that entertainment marketing is actually financially feasible. About half of the agency marketers surveyed (51%) say their clients’ entertainment marketing spend takes up less than 10% of their overall marketing spend; still, 40% of agencies have had clients that have dedicated up to 30% of their overall budgets to entertainment marketing. Similarly, 43% of brand marketers say that entertainment marketing consumed less than 10% of their overall budget; however, 46% say that it takes up 10 to 30%.
And the results are in
Still, one question remains: Does entertainment marketing produce star-studded results, or is its performance a total flop? Although brand awareness is the top brand objective for 25% of brand marketers and 34% of agency marketers, increased sales was the next highest priority at 24% and 20%, respectively. Entertainment marketing seems to deliver on the brand awareness front: 98% of consumers surveyed notice product placement in television or film. As for influencing purchasing decisions, the judges appear to be split. Forty-seven percent of consumers say that they would be somewhat to much more likely to purchase after viewing product placement, 46% say it wouldn’t sway their decision one way or the other, and 6% say that they would be somewhat to much less likely to purchase an item they viewed in a product placement.
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