Entertainment is the new front page for brands

By Chris Wilson, Head of Brand Innovation Lab APAC and MENA

It's no accident that the best ad you saw this year probably sat alongside a show, a match, or a moment that had the entire country talking. But proximity alone doesn't explain why it worked.

From Justin Bieber's headline set at Coachella to the Socceroos pulling my seven-year-old (and thus me!) out of bed at 5 a.m., 2026 has been full of moments that commanded attention and dominated the cultural conversation. And wherever that kind of attention gathers, brands looking to earn a role in the story aren't far behind.

But here's the tension most marketers underestimate: showing up next to something popular is not the same as belonging there. A brand can buy the adjacency, but that alone won't land. To actually connect, a brand has to be relevant to the audience first. Then it has to find an authentic way to participate in the story.

Tapping into the zeitgeist 

I saw that in action with Amazon Prime Video's college-set romantic drama Off Campus. In just 12 days, the original series broke several streaming records, racked up 36 million viewers, and became Prime Video's No. 1 debut of all time. The show was so culturally resonant that both NSW Police and NSW Health co-opted the conversation in their socials. When public departments are riffing on a show's characters to reach young audiences, you know the content has become a cultural touchstone.

But the show's success alone didn't make the advertising work. Liquid I.V. earned its place because the brand is relevant to the audience; hydration sits naturally alongside college social life and hockey culture. Crucially, the Liquid I.V. team started planning with Off Campus a year before the show aired, before casting was even complete. That early commitment gave them the confidence and creative runway to go beyond standard placements, bringing lead actors Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli into a co-branded 30-second spot, appearing in character to promote the brand's new Sugar-Free flavour.

The result? The audience went beyond consumption to direct participation. People started creating their own parodies of the product placements, in a way that was unmistakably affectionate and drove additional reach and share value for the brand.

From Meh to Memorable

The research backs this up. Earlier this year, Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab and Ideally released From Meh to Memorable, a study of 1,236 Australians on the power of cultural fandom. It found that passionate fans are 55% more likely to recall brand presence than disengaged viewers. For deeper integrations like TV tie-ins, recall among engaged audiences jumps to 27% versus just 5% among passive viewers, a fivefold increase. And when fans love a collaboration, the research shows that 56% will actively share it. The audience is already doing the work; brands just need to give them something worth talking about.

When I look at the work that delivers the best outcomes, it starts with a real understanding of what the end customer cares about, and the media plan follows.

L'Oréal Paris's global sponsorship of Prime Original series Elle, the Legally Blonde prequel, demonstrates what that looks like when you follow the thread all the way through. Hero products were woven directly into episodes across 10 countries, with lead actress Lexi Minetree promoting them on screen.

 Interactive ad formats then helped viewers continue the journey in a custom-made store on Amazon.com.au, featuring the products and more information about the show.

We also brought the sponsorship to life locally with an exclusive Elle Woods Pool Party at The Ivy in Sydney as an ode to the opening scene, complete with a poolside beauty touch-up station and retro Elle VHS tapes containing hidden L'Oréal products. 

The campaign generated more than 150 pieces of unique influencer content, cultural storytelling that started in content, showed up in commerce, and landed in real life.

Here's what I've learned from working on campaigns like these: the brands that rework their strategy around content their customers already love are the ones that get remembered, get shared, and ultimately achieve business outcomes.

The next cultural moment your audience cares about is already being made. The industry is producing shows right now that could become the next Off Campus or Elle. 

The brands that will earn a role in those stories are the ones working well ahead of normal marketing timelines, understanding their audiences sharply, and making early decisions that lay the groundwork for meaningful creative collaboration. 

The gap between those brands and the ones still waiting for a moment to react to will only widen.