Why brands are making shows instead of ads.

People skip ads. They binge stories. A growing number of brands have noticed, and put the product inside a world people choose to watch.

Three examples

Nuuly, the clothing rental brand, ran a 12-part rom-com called Heart On My Sleeve in one-minute episodes on TikTok, Reels and Shorts, instead of a fall commercial. Native, a P&G brand, released The Golden Pear Affair: 55 episodes, just under 80 minutes in total, a feature film told in vertical episodes. Crocs made Charmed to Meet You, a five-part rom-com based on a real employee who decorated her neighbour’s clogs to get to know him.

What they share

The product is a prop, not the plot. The clothes, the soap and the clogs show up naturally, while the story does the work of making you care. Episodes are short and end on a reason to watch the next one. And each is built from something true and specific, which is why a small real story can carry a global brand.

What a smaller business can take from it

You don’t need twelve episodes or a studio. Take the structure: a recurring character, a small true situation, a reason to come back tomorrow. For a founder, the character is already available. A daily series of you reacting to your own industry is a show, and it runs on a small budget.

These are other brands’ campaigns, not our work.

Be the obvious choice, not another copy.