Style-ish Podcast – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Brands are making…TV shows??
Date: March 26, 2026
Hosts: Madison Sullivan Thorpe & Priya McPherson (Founder of Sage Avenue)

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the emerging trend of brands creating their own TV-style content, from miniseries to mockumentaries, as a way to build deeper relationships with consumers and cut through saturated social media feeds. Madison and Priya explore why this shift is happening, how it changes the nature of brand storytelling and marketing, and what it means for the future of fashion, lifestyle, and business communication.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Rise of Entertainment as Brand Strategy

• Brands from Crocs to McDonald’s to InStyle magazine are producing original video miniseries for social media, imitating TV's storytelling formats.
• The hosts note how this strategy shifts the product to a prop in a story, not the protagonist (08:26).
• Brands are competing with entertainment platforms (like Netflix or TikTok), not just category competitors.
• Madison’s opening insight:

  “Today we are exploring how entertainment is dominating both the fashion and business space.” (04:10)

2. Examples of Brands Making TV Shows

• Crocs: Five-part micro-drama series, each 2 minutes long, centered around flirtation via ‘jibbitz’ charms. Achieved 3.6 million views for episode one.

  Priya: “It got 3.6 million views on the first part.” (07:08)

• Tower 28: The Blush Lives of Sensitive Girls series – focuses on emotions and personality, not the makeup product’s technical attributes (08:26).
• Dairy Boy (Paige Lorenz): Tryouts-style video for a new collection achieved viral status, 1.4 million views; viewers encounter the brand through entertaining scenarios (09:20).
• InStyle Magazine: The Intern mockumentary series led to massive TikTok growth—36,500 new followers; 99% of 5 million episode-one viewers didn’t already follow the brand; 59% were under 24 (21:06).
• Other brands mentioned: Converse, Bratz, Oatly, McDonald’s.

3. Strategic Rationale: Why Are Brands Doing This?

Priya outlines four key reasons for the trend (13:08):

• Competing with Entertainment:
  "Entertainment brands like Netflix...it is where everybody's eyes are right now..." (13:17)
• Cultural Relevance:
  "They can reach so many more people...sustaining attention over multiple episodes..." (13:24)
• Owning vs. Renting Attention:
  "Instead of relying on influencers or celebrities...they're creating it as their own attention source." (13:52)
• Storytelling as Strategy for 2026:
  "Storytelling is becoming an essential strategy for 2026." (14:37)
• Madison adds that brands aren’t just competing in their product’s category—they’re vying for any sliver of audience attention against all forms of media (14:45).

4. Authenticity & Audience Trust: The Creator vs. Brand Dynamic

• The hosts debate whether brands telling their own stories might feel less authentic than creator partnerships:

  Priya: “Can a brand still build trust when they know the storyteller is also the one selling it?” (17:17)

• Madison’s take:

  “I don’t think they lose authenticity automatically, but I think they lose the ability to pretend they’re not selling something...” (17:29)

• For brand-created content to work, it must resist over-polish and feel genuinely funny, emotive, or meaningfully engaging (18:18).

5. Measuring Success: Data and Metrics from InStyle

• The Intern saw 36,500 TikTok followers gained, 1.6 million engagements, and 5 million episode-one views—99% non-followers, 59% under 24 (21:06).
• Madison spotlights InStyle’s change in strategy:

  "The intern doesn’t exist to send people back to the site. It’s built to live natively and to encourage followers to stay on the platform and keep watching." (22:56 – Jonathan Borch)

6. The Human Touch in a World of AI

• The conversation pivots to how AI is flooding the content landscape, but human-driven storytelling remains the key differentiator for brands:

  Priya: “Even the smartest brands in the world know that without a story, nobody connects.” (25:54)

• Madison references a viral TikTok by Sultonic founder Sophie Hood, arguing that AI cannot replace creative strategists and brand storytellers (26:00).

7. Where Is This All Going? The Future of Brands as Entertainment Producers

• Vogue and other media report companies like Gap and Google hiring Chief Entertainment Officers and storytellers from Hollywood (28:10).
• Gap CEO Richard Dixon quote:

  “Fashion is entertainment, and today’s customers aren’t just buying apparel. They’re buying into brands that tell compelling stories and drive cultural conversations.” (28:43)

• Priya sums it up:

  "You're not shouting your product, rather, you're making people's time worth their while." (29:01)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the emotional power of storytelling in ads:
  Madison: "I always think this about the Qantas ads. Oh, they have no reason to be making me cry." (10:44)
  Priya: "I am an emotional person and I will say it took tears... It gets me every time." (11:04)
• On authenticity and oversaturation:
  Priya: “How do you cut through a market that can be so saturated?...You’re pinching the time and making it worth it.” (08:19)
• On nostalgia and human connection as AI rises:
  Madison: “Even the fact that we’re talking about a lot of these content series feeling like old school TV ads. There is like this element of nostalgia and wanting to go back to the familiar...” (27:54)
• On being a “brand producer”:
  Priya: “100% so cool to own a brand and be like, I’m just going to become a producer now.” (20:08)

Important Timestamps

• 04:10 – Overview of brand-created TV miniseries as a trend
• 06:36 – Crocs micro-drama example
• 08:19 – The ‘prop not protagonist’ concept in brand storytelling
• 13:08 – Priya’s four strategic reasons for the trend
• 17:17 – Brand ownership of storytelling versus authenticity
• 21:06 – InStyle ‘The Intern’ statistics
• 22:56 – InStyle’s new approach to social content (Jonathan Borch quote)
• 25:54 – The essential role of human narrative despite AI’s rise
• 28:10 – Brands hiring Chief Entertainment Officers (Gap, Google)
• 28:43 – Gap CEO on fashion as entertainment

Conclusion

Madison and Priya agree that the future for brands lies in owning audience attention through entertainment and emotionally-resonant storytelling. While authenticity remains critical and brands must avoid overly polished or strategic “fake” content, those who connect at a human level—especially amid AI-driven digital saturation—are set to thrive. The episode closes affirming that, in 2026, the most successful brands will win by making us feel something, not just selling us something.

Notable Quotes – Quick Reference

• Priya: “Storytelling is becoming an essential strategy for 2026.” (14:37)
• Madison: “Brands used to interrupt entertainment, but now it’s them becoming part of it.” (19:59)
• Gap’s Richard Dixon: “Fashion is entertainment... customers aren’t just buying apparel. They’re buying into brands that tell compelling stories and drive cultural conversations.” (28:43)

For further discussion, listeners are encouraged to contact the hosts via email or Instagram DM (29:20).