Are Brands Shifting Toward More In-House Entertainment Strategies?

If you feel like you’ve been seeing more and more brands tapping into in-house entertainment – whether that’s in the form of a content series on YouTube, or full-blown feature film if you’re e.l.f. Cosmetics – you’d be correct.

Advertising production is changing to align with the expanding needs of clients and by clients we mean Gen Zers, who wholly reject passive product placement. Instead, brands must now opt for more authentic displays of promotion in order to remain on their radar. 

A shift towards in-house entertainment strategies is proof that brands are catching onto this, launching the likes of episodic content, podcasts, and even TV shows. This original branded content serves as a viable avenue for connecting with audiences whose preference for targeted advertising leans away from sales-y and towards genuine interaction. 

In 2025, we can expect to see a lot more brands embed themselves into culture in a way that feels organic. Coralie Hampson, Business Director here at Socially Powerful, also adds that “true innovators will create narratives themselves, rather than solely piggybacking on externally-owned pop culture moments”. 

This all sounds great in theory, but what does this exactly look like in practice? Read on to learn more about the rise of in-house entertainment.

What Does In-House Entertainment Look Like in the Digital Marketing Space?

In-house entertainment is taking on many forms across the digital marketing landscape, proving that brands are no longer just advertisers, but content creators too. Companies are beginning to build entire production media arms that function like production studios, investing in long-form storytelling, and engaging their audiences in ways that traditional marketing never could. 

Brands like Fenty Beauty are embracing the creator angle by launching video series featuring makeup tutorials, behind-the-scenes footage, and influencer collaborations. Nowhere has this shift in production been more prevalent than with the announcement of GloRilla as Fenty’s first cross-brand ambassador. The announcement involved producing movie-style teaser trailers, multiple interview-style clips, and other montage snippets, which could only be achieved using an entire production crew.

@fentybeauty

It’s giving hair, lips, face, and more 😉 The secret to Glo’s glow? Fenty of course. Shop all of @Gloria Boyd’s Fenty faves at Sephora.

♬ original sound – Fenty Beauty

Similarly, e.l.f. Cosmetics are leading the in-house entertainment charge with the release of its 2024 documentary series following several “Cosmetic Criminals” who “borrow” their favourite e.l.f. Product, leaving viewers wondering “who the e.l.f. did it?”. The series made its theatrical debut by playing ahead of Paramount Pictures’ new Mean Girls movie at select AMC locations, solidifying the beauty brand’s standing as a disruptive marketing and entertainment powerhouse.

These aren’t just advertisements, they’re engaging, educational, and entertaining pieces of organic content that the modern day consumer is actively seeking out. 

Is the Future of In-House Entertainment Sustainable?

We’re seeing more and more brands now take their creative capabilities in-house, contributing to the growing sector of in-house agencies, but does this disrupt the legacy model, and without the help of external production houses, is relying solely on an in-house team, sustainable?

Thankfully, the evolving landscape of in-house entertainment is also reshaping the dynamics between brands, agencies, and production companies, where we’re beginning to see a growing trend of collaboration and adaptation among these entities to meet the increasing demand for more diverse content. While brands build internal capabilities, they’re also recognising the importance of partnering with external production houses to leverage specialised expertise. This hybrid approach allows for greater flexibility and efficiency, alongside helping companies navigate the complexities of modern media consumption. 

But not all production houses are as willing to partake. Some are concerned that the quick turnaround of short-form, digital content, disrupts the legacy model that a lot of houses are built on. There is growing concern from individuals in this industry that the ability to spend months crafting world-class ideas is being overshadowed by the demand for fast, digital, personalised content at scale. And if expectations can’t be met, then the agency takes it in-house, leaving production houses without work. Tinygiant’s Sara Eolin feels particularly concerned about this, as she expresses, “What once was a career you got into so you could work with some of the best directing talent in the industry, now feels like it’s just to churn out ads and revenue for the agencies” then acknowledging the crux of the matter by saying, “budgets are smaller, yet expectations are higher”.

So where does the balance come into play?

The onus lies with agencies and brands. They must be willing to invest in high-quality production and storytelling to maintain audience interest, while respecting those for whom this industry serves as a career. Simply churning out content without solid creative direction won’t cut it. The key to long-term success in in-house entertainment lies in creating content that provides genuine value, educationally, inspirationally, or through storytelling.

So next time you find yourself binge-watching a brand’s YouTube series or tuning into their latest podcast episode, just know that it’s all part of a larger shift toward a new era of marketing.

Our influencer marketing agency and social agency are located worldwide, with our agency network based in the USA, UK, UAE and China.

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@sociallypowerful