Entertain or Fade Away: The New Imperative for Brands
Lines between advertising and entertainment have been blurring for quite some time now.
Today, we openly acknowledge the role of entertainment in messaging—reflected in its recognition as a separate category at festivals like Cannes. But if we look back at the fundamentals of advertising, entertainment has always been rooted in its essence.
We needed creativity to communicate. The subtle art of crafting a message was always valued. But somewhere along the way, we tried to crack a formula or templatize the process, and it became predictable. We forgot how to reward the audience. That's where entertainment re-emerged, reminding us of a basic truth.
While judging at Cannes this year, one thought kept returning to me: to share an idea, you must first engage. You need to entertain.
McCann Worldgroup's 17-minute documentary on Ilon Specht, which won multiple honors, served as a reminder that long-form storytelling, when done with authenticity and emotional depth, can build brand equity with lasting resonance. It might not look like a conventional ad, but it communicates with grace and intention.
It also reminded us that entertaining doesn't always mean making people laugh or dance. It can be serious—but it still needs to connect, to strike a chord. And this documentary did that beautifully.
Today, creative power rests with filmmakers, gamers, poets, editors, and storytellers. Collaboration is essential. Some of the strongest work this year came from hybrid teams—strategists, filmmakers, copywriters, producers—blending perspectives and expertise. Today's creatives are hybrids: producer-directors, strategist-anthropologists, creator-editors.
Advertising is no longer just a medium; it is a cultural stage where content and collective experience merge. The future of branded content lies in human stories created within platform-native ecosystems.
The Entertainment Lions for Music and Sport are brimming with brand-artist collaborations, sonic branding, and narrative music videos that feel like mainstream releases.
More than ever, brands are not just observers of entertainment culture—they are active participants. This calls for a shift from announcement to narrative, from presence to participation.
As creative leaders, our goal is not merely to craft better ads—but to build ecosystems of meaning. Campaigns that people choose to engage with. That become part of their lives. That feel less like marketing and more like memory.
Our opportunity lies in creating not just ads, but culture-rich, resonant, and measurable entertainment ecosystems.
Audiences are demanding, and platforms are evolving. And as the
Cannes Lions Festival
underscored: entertain—or fade away.
(The writer, Chief Creative Officer & CEO, McCann Worldgroup India and Chairman McCann Worldgroup APAC, is an attendee at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity 2025. Views expressed are personal.)
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