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A well-known British actor gets his dream assignment, the chance to make a program about the perfect pint of beer.

Nice work if you can get it, but there's even more upside because the show is all about creating beer that actually makes it into production.

Apparently, leading grocery chain Sainsbury's is interested in carrying the new brand.

The integration here is fantastic, no bolt-on or add on association, but a deep education in the form of programing that becomes a three hour ad for a new brand.

Although, it will be tough for this fledgling brand to compete against the established players, the rich level of content and the emotional journey that the programming will take viewers on, will be so much deeper than any ad campaign from one of the leading brewers.

The challenge will be building and maintaining the momentum after the initial wave of coverage and PR.

However, it does show an opportunity for a new way to think about branded content.

What if Bud was to develop a new brew with a programming idea like this, rather than simply attach its name as a show sponsor or have featured product placement?

Obviously Anthony Bourdain, is the one guy who could do this in the US- let's see what he does next after the success of No Reservations.



Posted by Ed Cotton "People don't love brands. This is an elemental economic truth. If they did, firms wouldn't have to pay for advertising."

Bubble Generation

This comment was made in reference to the latest attempt to create branded entertainment venue.The idea that a brand or brands can build its own TV network and expect people to tune in and drop by to be entertained.

The problem is that most brands haven’t built equity as entertainers, at best, their spots are tolerated as a break between the stuff that really entertains, but they can be considered as entertainment experts. They haven’t earned the right.

When consumers see branded entertainment, they see branded first and entertainment second. They find it hard to get through the idea that at sometime during the entertainment, they are going to be sold something or that the whole thing is really a giant ad. Branded entertainment is starting off with a couple of hands behind its back; it has no track record and it's perceived to be a giant ad.

What can brands do to compete?

There are a couple of options

1.    Keep Trying- Entertainers and entertainment companies have more failures than hits. Even in the controlled world of television; entertainment doesn’t work and get cancelled. However, they keep trying to make it work. The more you try, the more likely you are to have some success.

2.    Be Credible- To be an entertainer you need to work with the best. Ad agencies need to learn to collaborate with entertainers with a track record who can bring credibility to their efforts.

3.    Quit the Hard Sell- To be credible, put the brand and the selling to one side and let the entertaining ideas breathe. They can disguise themselves as entertainment or content- such deception might not be popular.

4.    Do Something Useful- Do more than entertain-The shift to entertain is motivated by the attention challenges of television space. It’s not the only thing a brand can do to communicate. It can do the really important stuff like make better products, introduce better services, provide brand utility and act as a catalyst for its community.