Who is responsible for the balance between art and commerce? the case of branded entertainment

Stolley, Katharina (2024). Who is responsible for the balance between art and commerce? the case of branded entertainment. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This thesis examines a relatively novel kind of marketing communications, namely branded entertainment, and its growing importance for global branding strategies. Specifically, this work uses a socio-cultural approach to analyse industry practitioners’ perspectives on how product placement has evolved into branded entertainment, the new forms of collaboration required to develop branded entertainment projects, how branded entertainment projects are governed by industry stakeholders, and where responsibility might lie for the ethical issues that emerge as consumers engage with diverse branded entertainment formats. Using a mediated discourse analysis methodology including interviews with global industry leaders, practitioner event observations and multimodal analyses of a selected branded entertainment films and series, this research explores the interrelationships among practitioners’ actions within discourses and text. Findings reveal three core discussive themes on the complex tapestries of branded entertainment: the complexities that practitioners face in conceptualising, creating, producing, and distributing this communication format; the new ways of working that emerge, including new collaboration approaches, novel intellectual property management and ownership issues, and the power issues that emerge as practitioners navigate the world of entertainment for the purposes of communicating about brands; and, finally, the ethical and responsibilisation issues that manifest with new branded entertainment formats, given the level of brand integration in these entertainment formats and the portrayal of such projects as entertainment films or television shows. This work’s theoretical contributions are threefold. First, this research establishes clearer boundaries for the conceptualisation of branded entertainment, capturing its inherent complexities, and contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of its underlying dynamics and the roles, responsibilities and expectations involved in this mode of branded communication. Second, this research highlights the continual importance of storytelling and emotions for building strong iconic brands, where the storytelling message becomes the medium for communicating about brands, thus, inverting McLuhan’s classic proposition that the medium is the message. Finally, this research contributes to the development of the film marketing brandscape by illuminating how the various components of branded entertainment can collectively constitute a brandscape where brands can strive for meaning. It does so by focusing on how collaborations and control over creative outputs are impacted by the development of branded entertainment projects and the ethical and responsibility issues that emerge through such projects. Implications for practice, policy and consumers are also addresses in this work.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):