Who I work with · 03
From buying attention to building audiences
I help brands build audiences through entertainment, rather than renting attention through advertising.
For decades the safe model has been to decide what the brand wants to say, then buy the space to say it. Most marketers sense that model is wearing thin. But entertainment can feel unproven, and harder to justify than a media plan.
The brands that do it well flip the model. They start with what their audience wants to spend time with, put that at the centre, and let advertising become one of the ways it travels. My job is to make that case, find the right place to start and build something that lasts beyond a single campaign.
Branded entertainment strategy
Rarely with a big bet. The first step is finding the territory where the brand has a genuine right to play and the audience already spends its time, then an idea strong enough to build on.
I help define that territory, make the case internally, including to the people who sign off the budget, and agree how success will be judged, so entertainment is held to the right measures rather than an ad's.
Entertainment and cultural partnerships
Sponsorships are bought for the rights and judged on the exposure. The problem is what happens in between: limited access to the talent, little time, and output that could have come from anyone.
The value is in how the rights are used. I help brands choose partners with real fit, structure deals that give them something to make rather than just somewhere to appear, and turn those rights into entertainment people seek out. The best partnerships work for both sides, and brands that understand what their partner needs tend to get more in return.
Original formats and series
Paid media rents an audience for as long as you keep paying. An original format or series keeps working: it builds an audience the brand owns, and value that compounds.
The challenge is that entertainment runs on a different clock from most marketing plans. I help brands develop formats that fit their purpose, across video, editorial, audio and live, find the right production and distribution partners, and build the business case for something that pays back over years, not quarters.
In-house, agency or both
There's no single right answer. In-house teams bring speed, brand knowledge and cost control. Agencies and specialist studios bring craft, scale and a neutrality of thought that's hard to keep when you sit inside the business. Most brands end up with a mix.
Having led agencies and worked closely with an in-house studio, I can help you find the model that fits, and bring in trusted specialists to help build it.
Thinking
Marketers often hold up Red Bull as the exception that proves branded entertainment is out of reach. It isn't. It's a drinks brand that made a choice and stuck with it. Any brand can make the same choice.
Why people have the wrong idea about Red Bull
Coming soon
Selected work
