Every brand wants to entertain, but not every marketer is willing to give up enough control to create truly entertaining content.

When attention is scarce, consumers are quick to tune out a brand that leads with the sales pitch. In a TribecaX panel on how brands become entertainment, marketers from Intuit, DIRECTV, and Mad Realities broke down why entertainment matters even in an era dominated by performance marketing.

When creating content, a brand's product should be "largely ancillary to the story," said Suzanne Lindbergh, global head of social media and influencer marketing at Intuit.

“Nobody wants to go to a dinner party and just sit next to somebody who talks incessantly about themselves, so brands should think the same way,” she said.

Creating content standards

Mad Realities has built its business around repeatable short-form series funded through brand integrations woven directly into the content. Its shows include “Dress Code,” where tech bros get fashion makeovers by stylist Michelle Li, and “Shop Cats,” where comedian Michelladonna profiles the city’s finest bodega cats.

"Gen Z and millennials alike have such a high bar," said Alice Ma, CEO of Mad Realities. "They want original storytelling and culture."

Ma pitches brands on established series as a way to work around what she calls "algorithm asymmetry,” the reality that virality is unpredictable and platforms tend to reward content that already has momentum.

Rather than spending heavily to break through crowded feeds, brands can place themselves within shows that have already built loyal audiences, she said.

“You can light money on fire with paid media to try to solve the problem and get your views, but you might not get any engagement or comments,” she said. “If you don’t have engagement on your paid spend, it’s like it didn’t happen at all.”

Letting creators lead the conversation

DIRECTV is targeting existing fandoms when promoting its content. The media company took this approach when promoting “Summer House” on its free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels, partnering with creators known for their reality-TV commentary rather than focusing on product messaging.

"We were selling a product, but we were talking about their fandom and talking through the lens of creators that relate to them," said Josh Stern, associate vice president of brand strategy at DIRECTV.

Building a business case for entertainment

Entertainment marketing can align with every KPI, whether it’s reach, product consideration, or moving consumers down the funnel, said Lindbergh. The investment stakes can be low since organic social is inexpensive to produce.

“Social can be this great A/B tester for brands,” said Lindbergh. “You can test out so many different formats and channels for a really low bar of expenditure and deliver that back to your CMO.”

Anchoring the content in repeatable formats and series allows brands to ditch the pitch and maintain entertainment more easily, she said. Intuit created “Lifeing,” a Gen Z audience standup series, which meant shutting down a comedy club in Brooklyn to capture standup content that could live on their socials for months to come. It has become Intuit’s best-performing content to date, said Lindbergh.

“All companies need to find a way to fill the pond with more fish, and the best way to reach new audiences is to meet them the way they are,” said Lindbergh.

This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.