Brand
Why B2B brands are borrowing entertainment marketing muscle
Long-form series, talent deals, and editorial franchises are replacing one-off hero videos for complex categories.
B2B buying is long, multi threaded, and often boring in the ways procurement is boring. That reality pushes marketers toward formats that sustain attention: episodic series, credible talent, editorial franchises that feel closer to media than to a brochure. Entertainment marketing offers a playbook, but not every tactic ports cleanly.
Borrow the structure, not only the gloss
Entertainment marketing is built around characters, conflict, and release calendars. B2B can use those structures when the subject is genuinely human, such as implementation anxiety, cross team politics, or career risk inside a buyer organization. If the story is only product features, a long form series will feel like a long ad.
Talent deals with guardrails
Credible hosts and creators transfer attention. They also transfer reputational risk. Strong programs define approval boundaries up front, especially around competitive claims and regulated language. Legal should be embedded early as a partner in creative development, not as a late gate that surprises everyone.
Measurement remains the hard part. Views and completion rates are insufficient. Teams should connect programming to account engagement where possible, and to pipeline milestones where realistic. Even directional signals help justify continued investment.
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