Branding Entertainment: Brands Driving Content

sxsw-0011The panel “Branding Entertainment: Brands Driving Content” took place at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. The experience was interesting with a diverse panel of people from areas such as IFC, Youtube and the Channel 4 BRITDOC Foundation who talked about filmmaking and the incorporation of brands into it. A poll was held at the beginning of the panel that made it abundantly clear that the majority of the audience was made up of filmmakers. An interesting question was posed almost immediately by audience members who questioned Kent Rees of IFC and if he used branding throughout his channel, how truly independent does that make IFC? The panelists took a mostly joint stance on the issue of branding and its need in the industry to finance and produce projects. One panelist remarked that he strongly disliked the term “branded entertainment” and preferred “brand affinity.” The panel did not shy away from multimedia examples during their talk with numerous videos from IFC and examples on Youtube of shows that use branding in a way that works. The crowded room was full of questions and interested bodies that made the experience quick, yet informative.

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