The Entertainment Industry in 2020 | The Show Must Go On
During this time of uncertainty, we’ve spoken to a number of marketers in a variety of industries including Restaurants, B2B, IT and Services as well as covered trends such as ecommerce and paid media to gauge marketing leaders’ response to covid.
Marketers in all fields are innovating in new ways. Given the distance guidelines, the entertainment industry has uniquely been affected, leading normal ordinances like production and shooting to be held off for months at a time. However, despite crowds being limited and Broadway being shut down, studios like Tyler Perry Studios are finding safe ways to continue creating.
This led us to ask marketing experts in the entertainment industry the following questions:
Are there certain changes due to COVID that you feel will remain permanent after we get back to "normal?"
What's a non-industry brand that can teach the entertainment industry something new?
What are the silver-linings to the changes that have been happening in the entertainment industry?
What top three entertainment industry trends have you noticed going into 2021, and what innovative changes are happening?
#1 - Are there certain changes due to COVID that you feel will remain permanent after we get back to "normal?"
Although covid has shaken up everyone’s lives, it has opened up new possibilities for engaging and operating in the workplace.
Work from home perks
“Although we have been apart for 7 months, I feel closer to my team than ever. We are all now inundated with each other’s lives on a much more personal level.”
Since video calls open the portal into employees’ intimate lives, contributor Diana Lochridge, SVP Creative Director at DEFINITION 6, shares that she hopes it will lead to more empathy and flexibility in the workplace.
She stated, “COVID has forced us to look at the way we do business differently and while I miss the in-person collaboration, there have been many positives. I feel there is more empathy and humanity throughout the organization. We now have to look at each individual and their unique circumstances working from home.”
Lochridge continued, “Being a creative is not a 9 to 5 job. Now with more flexible schedules, we are able to have work/life balance and know that we can create anywhere at any time. I hope that this understanding of each person’s workflow doesn’t end if we end up back at the office.”
“If you can allow a person the ability to work the job they want and still have dinner with their family every night of the week then you’re making a better world with better people with better experiences. Those things matter on every level and in every industry. We’ve always known it, but now we have the proof, and I don’t think it will go away.”
“I think that remote workflows will stay,” shared Anthony Ervolino, Chief Content Officer at Xpedition Media. He continued, “Production specifically usually doesn’t require people to be in person to work in pre-production and productions happen all over the world! So a person living in Utah can work on the same film as others in Los Angeles, we’ve seen it happen. This allows a higher standard of living and greater choices for creatives who want to work in this field. We are decentralizing the entertainment industry! And it had already started. Atlanta, Austin, Toronto… Hollywood isn’t the hub that it used to be. Remote crews can be cheaper and happier, and happier crew means more productive crew. I think it’s important to remember that even in an industry as cool as entertainment, we still want to be with our families, it’s just a job.”
Virtual events opening opportunities
“The global reach of virtual events combined with the opportunity to be innovative in a digital environment and provide new experiences is very attractive and much less costly than most IRL events.”
Since it is unwise to host large events, most organizations have adapted to virtual alternatives, making once costly and potentially distant events more accessible. Steve Denker, the VP of Marketing and Digital for Turner Classic Movies (TCM), even mentioned how event planners are prioritizing the consumer experience even more.
Denker shared, “I believe virtual events, conventions and festivals will remain strong marketing opportunities even as consumers return safely to large group gatherings. The global reach of virtual events combined with the opportunity to be innovative in a digital environment and provide new experiences is very attractive and much less costly than most IRL events. Not everyone can get to Comic Con or The Sundance Film Festival, but now they can be exposed to those experiences (and sponsors) in a meaningful way.”
He continued, “recent virtual events have proven that the perceived barrier of entry for fan participation and acceptance may not be the issue once thought. The same rules regarding keeping the experience exciting, interesting and original will apply as in real life.”
Lower Barrier to entry for content creation
“Cheaper technology has allowed independent filmmakers to do really amazing things, but you don’t see a lot of that. The reason is because we strive to make a more realistic experience and steps back traditionally are met with shrugs.”
During Covid times, access to resources to produce top notch content has been limited. Because of this, creators have gotten creative. Ervolino added, “COVID has shown us that we can be tolerant of the quality. In fact, there has been a massive surge of classic TV and film during the last 6 months thanks to people accepting entertainment based on content and writing and less on how it looks. COVID allowed the audiences to accept that, and I think that could be the biggest change we will see in the next few years. Independent filmmakers or lower budget TV shows that have great content but are lacking budgets may now be able to face off against giants! Digital platforms like YouTube have given distribution of content to billions, it was only the quality that made something look less professional. So I think smaller budgets will continue to be able to do remote productions to reduce their travel expenses.”
Implemented safety procedures
Businesses are reevaluating operations to adjust to the current demands of the pandemic. This ranges from focusing on employee mental health, to implementing more time off to give people a better work-life balance - especially if they are homeschooling their children.
Ervolino described the current shift in mentality during production. “From COVID, there has been a renewed focus on safety on set for crews,” he stated. “For too long, on-set safety has been an afterthought, particularly when it comes to work hours. 12-hour filming days were the minimum expectation with the likelihood of several hours of overtime on top of that. This lead to tired crews that led to either personal exhaustion or even on-set safety issues. General industry standards in light of COVID have now moved production days to 10 hour maximum days allowing crews to be more rested for the long-haul. Hopefully, this is something that will continue to become an industry norm.”
#2 - What's a non-industry brand that can teach the entertainment industry something new?
Brands that stood out to the respondents were people-centered. Whether it was a brand being more considerate and adapting to the audience, or literally preaching about safety to consumers, campaigns focused on people resonate more.
UBER
“I loved their commercial when Covid began thanking riders for NOT using them and staying home. In an incredible, heartfelt way, it showed that it was humans and safety first, not all about their company and money. We can all learn that we have an impact on society and be a little less business first all the time,” shared Lochridge.
Great Clips
Great Clips, a company with a very hands-on service (haircuts), conducted a similar campaign clearly more focused on their customers’ safety and current reality than the company’s bottom line. In a recent interview with the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at Great Clips, Lisa Hake told Setup that Great Clips released a “Stay Home Hair” campaign to encourage people to take photos of their haircuts at home and share them.
The New York Times
“I’ve been very impressed with the way the New York Times has undergone a complete digital transformation over the last few years,” shared Steve Denker.
“They have embraced new media, launched a valuable podcast network including new ways to tell stories, and remained at the forefront of news, art and culture. Entertainment brands can find many takeaways, including that you can charge users for content, when that content is premium and original. And meet your audience where they are consuming information – remove the friction and make consumption and sharing as seamless as possible.”
#3 - What are the silver-linings to the changes that have been happening in the entertainment industry?
Innovation
“It’s said that out of adversity comes creativity and COVID has forced the industry to embrace new ways of content creation.”
The virus is not going away anytime soon, so industries are adjusting. The entertainment industry is learning how to develop content under such circumstances. Lochridge, who works on content creation for brands from concept to completion for clients like Oxygen, Nat Geo and Warner Media, stated, “From virtual events, remote productions and campaigns pivoting to embrace current events, we know we can quickly adapt to the ever-changing landscape.”
“Changes in streaming options and content distribution are happening every day that will benefit consumers,” Denker added.
“When COVID hit it required us to adjust HOW we used technology to get our work done in a safe and efficient manner. Remote production has allowed the industry to continue moving on, from camera set ups in people’s homes like on the Daily Show or Last Week Tonight or video calls for interviews like with the Tiger King Special on Netflix. Those productions mixed with a non-central post production workflow allowed things to continue to be done with little to no contact with others to keep people healthy,” shared Ervolino.
He also noted that the innovation is nothing new. The mindset around production is transforming. “What’s more important than the technological breakthroughs during this time has been the acceptance from audiences to have the same entertainment they have been used to with a less polished finish. Up until now technology has been used to give the consumer a more realistic and instantaneous experience, this is the first time in our history that we all accepted to take a step back and acknowledge the technology involved to get the work done. In our perspective, this will have the greatest impact on entertainment moving forward.”
“We go into every day knowing we don’t have all the answers and we’re eager to learn. We examine each situation to see what’s best for us, our employees and our clients… It’s really a unique opportunity to make things better and we’re making the most out of that.”
Diversity + Inclusion focus
In the last few months, companies have made an extra effort to take a look at their teams and marketing campaigns to make sure they truly have a representative voice. Denker shared, “One of the changes I’m seeing and proud to be part of is the focus of more diversity and inclusion, not just in-front of and behind the camera, but with the content that’s being created. Content and characters must reflect the audience, for everyone to truly feel included in the stories they watch.”
#4 - What top three entertainment industry trends have you noticed going into 2021, and what innovative changes are happening?
Josh Cherfoli, the Senior Director, Marketing and Digital Engagement, at the Georgia Aquarium, shared his thoughts on changes within the industry which involve individualized and experiential opportunities for consumers.
An immediate transition to virtual events and remote access to content was immediately noticed mid 2020. We expect that to continue into 2021 until business and leisure travel start to return to traditional levels.
We are seeing experience seekers become more prevalent and are already booking some of those types of experiences into 2021.
Contactless and scheduled/private sessions are starting to be requested. I can expect that to continue into 2021.
Anthony Ervolino listed the following changes he forsees in production moving forward:
Safety - Though sets have always tried to be as safe as possible, now we have to go that extra mile and make sure everyone is healthy and create safety plans that include disease. This may fade a little as 2021 goes on, but it won’t go away. HSMs and nurses on set will stay, but maybe get lumped more into a safety advisory role later on.
Remote Production / Post Production - Allowing key members of teams to be all over the world allows for more diversity which increases the quality of a project.
Small Crews
Animation- Particularly, during the height of quarantine, animation became an outlet for many clients to have their message shared but also have a safe production as those could be done in quarantine.
Isolated productions, or “COVID Proof” ideas - just in case.
Reality Programming - Reality TV was the first to come back with production on a limited basis as certain programs require less staff to complete their productions.
Just like most other industries, the entertainment industry is prioritizing people - their staff and consumers - more. The pandemic, although physically keeping people apart, has made people come together in more innovative, empathetic, and experiential ways.
According to the 2023 Setup Marketing Relationship Survey, Word-of-mouth and Referrals consistently remain the most frequent methods Clients use to find new Agency Partners.
This has been the case for the last five years of the Marketing Relationship Survey.
What does this mean for Clients + Agencies? How can they optimize their efforts with this knowledge?