Entertainment Wins: From Dull Ads to Entertaining Experiences

Bruno Cunha, Brand Strategy Consultant

Want weekly exclusive brand storytelling content like this direct to your inbox? Subscribe to the Brand Storytelling Newsletter.

We are surrounded by disposable ads—fleeting, interruptive, and increasingly ineffective. Chased by programmatic impressions that feel invasive, even disturbing at times. As a study published by industry extraordinaires Peter Field and Jon Evens, together with Eat Big Fish and backed by System 1 rightfully claimed: “dull is everywhere.” Their paper highlights the extraordinary cost associated with dull advertising that fails to evoke any emotional response, underscoring an urgent wake up call for brands.

To overcome this lack of emotion brands must refuse to be dull. Brands have the opportunity to transform their approach from merely vying for attention to genuinely earning it by entertaining the interests and passions of their audiences. Winning the future requires brands to become not just communicators but creators of content that’s sought after and valued by people.

Why now?

Ad Fatigue is Real: Audiences are tired of interruptions and actively avoiding ads, which contributes to the diminishing returns of traditional advertising. Today, 86% of viewers are taking actions to avoid TV and video advertising across broadcast and network TV, streaming, and online video. (Kantar, "Dimension Study 2023"). Brands have the opportunity to develop narratives and content that compels viewers to lean in rather than tune out.

Fandoms Drive Culture: Passionate, hyper-engaged fans are vocal participants, advocating for and following brands across platforms. As Deloitte’s 2024 Digital Media Trends Report shows, fan communities are three times more likely to engage with their favorite content on social media, buy merchandise, or attend live events. Brands have the opportunity to understand the taxonomy of fandoms and align with their codes, values and identities.

IPs Compound Value: Entertainment-focused intellectual property have a long tail of engagement, driving both cultural relevance and revenue far beyond the initial "campaign." According to PwC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook, successful entertainment franchises stack up to 70% of their revenue from ancillary products like merchandise, licensing, and immersive experiences. Brands have the opportunity to build stories with staying power, capable of evolving and expanding, beyond one-off campaigns. 

Entertainment as an Antidote to Dull.

Brands that adopt entertainment as a strategic approach can capture a larger share of both attention and culture. When brands shift from pushing messages to inviting audiences into compelling narratives, they open doors to new levels of emotional engagement. From branded content to brand-funded premium entertainment, from film and gaming to audio and experiential, the spectrum of formats and possibilities for creating entertaining experiences is vast.

Looking back, Chipotle’s award-winning animated films, dating to iconic content like The Scarecrow in 2013, offered a poetic way to unpack complex themes with high entertainment value, drawing worldwide engagement. In a different approach, Airbnb leaned further into pure entertainment, premiering Gay Chorus Deep South at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival—a moving documentary recognized by Rotten Tomatoes as one of the 20 greatest LGBTQ films of all time. Last year, Jack in the Box joined the Halloween season with Feeding Time, a horror short film that tied the brand to a tentpole moment while announcing the return of two menu items. And most recently, Chick-fil-A’s foray into entertainment building a streaming service shows how a brand can experiment with new models while staying true to its core audience. These are just a few examples, across a broad spectrum, that highlight different strategic approaches to brand entertainment. 

Beyond the upper-versus-lower-funnel dilemma, entertainment-driven ideas can effectively build a brand’s saliency at the top of the funnel and be designed with the dexterity to feed content throughout—nurturing awareness, consideration, and even conversion, all the way to fostering loyalty. Bingo.

In today’s crowded media landscape, one thing is clear: the cost of dull is simply too high. Brands can no longer afford not to inspire, to spark an emotion, and to entertain. Now more than ever, brand-inspired entertainment offers a pathway to deeper, lasting connections that traditional advertising struggles to achieve. As we look ahead, brands must ask themselves: Will they settle for being dull and interruptive, or embrace the opportunity to create more entertaining experiences?

---

About Bruno Cunha:

Bruno Cunha is a seasoned marketer with deep expertise in storytelling and brand entertainment. During his years at Observatory, the marketing agency born out of CAA, Bruno led award-winning work for clients such as Chipotle, Netflix, Old Navy, and Treasury Wine Estates, crafting entertainment-driven campaigns that blended culture and commerce. Bruno has also partnered extensively with The Coca-Cola Company, spearheading local and global content initiatives that elevated the brand’s connection to audiences through compelling narratives.

Passionate about the intersection of brands and entertainment, Bruno champions storytelling as a powerful tool to create human-centric narratives that build lasting value for brands.