[ad_1]
Effie WW Chairman Jae at last week’s Effie US Gala with board member Coca-Cola President Selman Careaga here
The days of streamers and their subscribers shunning advertisers, and advertisers shunning “upper funnel” branding in favor of performance media, are over. That’s why branded entertainment pioneers Jae Goodman and John Kaplan have launched Superconnector Studios, a studio at the intersection of branding and entertainment, to help both find new ways to reach consumers and drive revenue in a world where advertising has never been more popular .
The new company is a logical extension of Goodman’s career, whose last company, Observatory, was named Fast Company’s “World’s Most Innovative Company” three times in a row in 2020, 2021 and 2022, and has received a string of Emmys and Branded content such as Chipotle’s “Back to the Beginning,” Netflix and Doritos’ “Life Upside Down,” at the Cannes Film Festival, and gravity-defying initiatives like Nike’s Waffle Iron Entertainment, conceived and launched by Goodman. His goal is to move away from intrusive ads in favor of independently branded content that is entertainment.
Goodman will be joined by his longtime partner in Creative Artists Agency (CAA) Marketing, entertainment producer and branded entertainment innovator John Kaplan. While both work in agencies, Superconnector Studios will take a different approach.
“As a creative agency, we’re downstream in our clients’ business and content strategies, we compete too much with advertising and media agencies for brand resources, and we’re nowhere near the value we create for branded clients,” Goodman said. “As Superconnector Studios, our goal now is to help brands, agencies and entertainment entities reshape the relationship they have with each other.”
Superconnector Studios’ management consulting also serves brands, agencies and entertainment companies. Its branded entertainment productions and studios create direct revenue and value for brands and tap first-line talent. Its consumer goods accelerator creates mutually beneficial partnerships between consumer brands and entertainment talent and assets.
The new company leverages the expertise of Goodman and Kaplan. Together, they have developed entertainment-based marketing solutions for the world’s leading brands, including Nike, Netflix, Diageo, Anheuser-Busch/InBev, General Motors, Microsoft, Chipotle, Coca-Cola, Revlon, Unilever, etc. Kaplan often serves as Lead producer and creative director of the most ambitious global initiatives.
In addition to bringing their unique experience and expertise to bear on the connection between brand and entertainment, Kaplan says, Superconnector Studios’ name speaks volumes: “We occupy a unique space in two worlds. In the C-Suites of the brand world In, we’ve always been the entertainment people. In the entertainment corner office, we’ve been the brand people. I don’t know anyone else who is equally comfortable in both worlds.”
Maverick Carter, head of sports marketing practice and media personality, added: “When Jae pitched us Superconnector Studios, my answer was: ‘You’ve built a business that perfectly leverages everything you’ve done throughout your career.’ SpringHill and Uninterrupted are already working on several initiatives with the brands they represent.”
While Goodman and Kaplan just announced Superconnector Studios, they’re hard at work through most of 2023, with significant clients and plans in all three divisions.
Management Consulting worked with Sony Pictures Television to draft a brand partnership strategy for its hundreds of titles, framed Major League Baseball’s premium content strategy, and helped Chipotle find a new creative agency partner.
The unit is currently working with financial services giant TIAA and its lead agency, Martin, to build premium content and partnerships that go beyond advertising. “Superconnector brings insights into entertainment content creation and high-level entertainment partnerships and unparalleled Hollywood relationships,” said Kristen Cavallo, CEO of The Martin Agency and Global CEO of MullenLowe Group. “It’s a complementary relationship, and I think you’ll see us working together with more brand clients soon.”
The Brand Entertainment Production Studios division is developing entities similar to Nike’s Waffle Iron Studios for other major brands including AB/InBev and Gibson Guitars. It will also develop one-off projects such as brand-produced documentaries, films, podcasts and TV series — but instead of charging agency fees, Superconnector Studios will operate as a producer and participate in production revenue and sales to distributors.
The Talent-Accelerated Consumer Products segment builds business partnerships between talent and entertainment, something Goodman knows well and has worked on for 19Crimes Wine and Snoop Dogg’s strong partnership at Observatory. Superconnector Studios has a range of innovative business approaches aligned with brand and talent interests. It currently has several well-known brands in business partnerships with superstar talents, as well as several new brands co-developed by major global CPG players and top entertainment talents.
Superconnector will defer most of the upfront service fees an agency might need, and instead participate in the revenue with the brand and talent after the product hits shelves. “There is an imbalance in the business dynamics between brands and talent, with established brands paying more than ever for commercial endorsements and receiving less commitment from talent,” Goodman said. “Talent is increasingly willing to take ownership of the brands they represent or create – and we’re here to help make that happen.”
[ad_2]
Source link