Six women fight for the chance of a lifetime. The entrepreneurs approach investors and pitch their ideas. Always there: a camera team and the two presenters, Skims founder Emma Grede and model Ashley Graham. In the trailer for the show “Side Hustlers” tears flow, people argue, hug each other. It all sounds like classic reality TV, doesn’t it? Not quite – because the five-part show was produced by a bank.
Big brands seem to be moving more and more towards Hollywood. But they don’t just want to appear in big productions with product placements, they are now simply producing reality shows on their own. We show why banks, tax consulting firms and cosmetics companies are taking these new paths and whether this can also be implemented on a smaller scale.
Large productions are not new
We have been observing the trend for brands to reach their target groups via new (moving image) channels for some time now. We already saw the phenomenon in 2022 summarized as “Docutainment” in the OMR keynote State of the German Internet. What is behind it? In recent years, brands have increasingly produced documentaries, some of which are shown on the major streaming platforms. The most obvious example is the Formula 1 format “Drive to Survive” on Netflix, which follows the racing series almost single-handedly made it popular again in the USAThe format is not created by ambitious documentary filmmakers, but by Formula 1 owner Liberty Media.
But also classic brands have entered the docutainment gameNeutrogena, Pepsi, Coca Cola, Procter & Gamble, Nike – all of these brands have founded their own studios that primarily produce documentaries. These are not extended commercials, but content that revolves around the core themes of the brands. One example: Together with Hollywood star Kerry Washington, the cosmetics company Neutrogena produced the documentary “In the Sun” about seven families and their lives with and in the sun. The goal: to raise awareness for skin cancer – and thus potentially for Neutronega products.
Another example: Procter & Gamble has the documentary “Coded: The Hidden Love of J.C. Leyendecker” about the legendary illustrator with German roots. It is about his work, which also includes work for P&G, and the influence of his homosexuality on his works. Procter & Gamble can thus tell its own story on the one hand and on the other hand Promote commitment to the LGBTQ+ target groupThe documentary was on the Oscars shortlist and will be shown on Amazon Prime Video.
Why reality TV now?
Now the new playing field is reality TV. The format has experienced a new hype in recent years, particularly thanks to globally successful Netflix shows such as “Too Hot to Handle” and “Love is Blind”. Many brands now see their opportunity to reach the young target group that is more averse to traditional advertising through their own productions. And this is currently more likely to be achieved through reality TV than through documentaries about legendary illustrators. recently reported in a study 75 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds say they watch reality TV for at least one hour a week.
Similar brands are also playing the reality TV game with their own studios. There are two approaches here. On the one hand, serious formats such as “Side Hustlers”which runs in the USA as a regular show on the streaming service Roku. And on the other hand, satirical shows that take up classic dating and reality show clichés with humor. A good example of this is the tax consulting firm H&R Block producing the show, which also runs on Roku. “Responsibility Island”Here, the participants are left on a tropical island and everything looks like “Too Hot to Handle”. But then they have to do their tax returns and other responsible tasks. But this is not a complete surprise for Zane, Blaze, Jynyphr and Trinity B – in real life they have normal names and are actors.
Currently, there are many more examples of both approaches, for example from Duolingo (although this is just a trailer), Shopify, Neutrogena or NYX Cosmetics. To produce a real reality series. Not many brands do that, says Zoe Fairbourn, Head of Strategic Partnerships and Branded Entertainment at Hello Sunshine, to Business InsiderThe production company founded by Reese Witherspoon developed “Side Hustlers” for Ally Bank. “Hopefully our show shows that brands can have a stronger voice in other storytelling formats than just documentaries.”
Thinking further on social
However, the programs in question are not only intended to reach many people on streaming services. They are often simply intended as a treasure trove of social media content. absurd excerpts and even whole episodes from Responsibility Island also end up on YouTube and YouTube Shorts. The episodes here at least get several thousand views – significantly more than typical videos on the Youtube-Account von H&R BlockOther approaches, such as those by Neutrogena or NYX Cosmetics, are completely designed for Tiktok and take aim at typical dating shows on the platform. Neutrogena, for example, has Hydro House former casting show participants and Tiktok stars under one roof. The clips from the reality satire Some of them have over 100 million views on Tiktok – typical Neutrogena contents tend to be around 10,000.
Brands are more cautious
Overall, however, the strategy may not be suitable for every brand. Whether it’s satire or a real reality format, the often raunchy content of modern and therefore successful dating shows is not suitable for everyone. This is already evident in Side Hustlers, where Ally Bank focuses more on the positive aspects of entrepreneurship and does not want to trigger arguments among the participants – the bread and butter of every classic reality TV show.
And even the format Responsibility Island, which was actually intended as such a biting satire, is rather reserved in some points. One character in the show is therefore generally interested in plants – but of course he doesn’t want to know anything about drugs. “We walked the fine line between entertainment and fun, which doesn’t go to a point where it could damage the brand,” says Jill Cress, CMO at H&R Block, to Business InsiderAnd that might really annoy classic reality TV fans.
