Brands are betting on creators to make their next hit series

“The ultimate goal is you want to become part of the narrative versus just getting somebody to drive [a purchase] in the moment,” said Simeon Coker, head of creative at Valerie.

Over the last few weeks, brands have started rolling out episodic content. Instead of the small screen, brands are posting sitcoms, dating shows and sketch comedies across short-form content platforms — namely TikTok and Instagram.

In late September, Cava restaurant chain launched “Bowlmates”, a weekly dating show hosted by Daniela Mora, a NYC-based stand-up comedian and content creator. Around the same time, wedding site Zola rolled out “Pop the Questions,” a seven-episode social video series with influencers like Jaz Smith and Brandon Edelman. Meanwhile, Hot Topic debuted “Mall Rats,” a TikTok-first sitcom featuring five creators, including Cameron Perez and Kevin Crow. “Bowlmates”, which has its own Instagram and TikTok handle, has just over 1,300 followers across both platforms. It’s most popular video has more than 6,600 likes on TikTok and more than 6,700 likes on Instagram. Meanwhile Zola and Hot Topic’s content lives on the branded page as well as the influencers’ feeds.

The episodic series are a page out of the creator playbook, simulating shows like internet personality Amelia Dimoldenberg’s Chicken Shop Date or comedian Druski’s sketch comedy skits. It’s not clear how much these deals were worth — to either the creator or brand.

“If you’re seeing creators migrating to certain types of content or doing particular things on platforms, that’s usually a sign that you want to do that too,” said Noah Mallin, founder of Mallination, a marketing consultancy. 

Audiences have seen this show before given this isn’t the first time brands have tried their hand at branded entertainment. Back in 2021, L’Oreal produced a seven-episode TV series called “Run Le Hair Show.” In 2014, Chipotle “Farmed and Dangerous” limited comedy series ran four episodes on Hulu and its website to promote the company’s marketing messages. Dating back even further to the 1930s, Procter & Gamble was one of the first companies to sponsor daytime serial dramas on the radio, otherwise known as soap operas.

Brands’ battle for original content isn’t new. This time, brands are using creators to make short-form content instead of brands trying to be entertainment companies themselves.

“The creator is almost becoming the distribution platform,” said Sean Akaks, co-founder and CEO of SonderCo, an entertainment and talent collaboration company. “Not only that, they’re becoming almost the producer and the distribution platform.”

Akaks likens this version of the branded entertainment boom to “product placement 2.0” in a way that feels “more organic and subtle,” he said.

Creator-led episodic content is part of a larger trend hinged on storytelling. As people become increasingly ad-adverse, episodic content allows brands to participate in culture, build brand affinity (and later get shoppers to spend).

“That’s where social is going. People want to be entertained and the way that that happens can scale,” Andrew Downing, director of social media at Cava told Digiday. “You think about how TV streaming has evolved — miniseries are so big, five episodes. You can do the same thing on social.”

Creators are no longer just starring in the content, but shaping, producing and distributing it — yet another sign that the creator economy is maturing, positioning itself as a media channel. Brands are investing in creators who already have the audiences as well as proven formats.  

“I do think we’re going to see a lot more of it,” said Coker at Valerie. “But it’s probably going to take…brands seeing some tangible results from other brands doing it because unfortunately this is just how a lot of marketers think.”