Story + Strategy at Sundance: A Standout Film and Progress in Success Metrics

What inspired us most at this year’s Brand Storytelling event

After a rejuvenating long weekend spent at Sundance with our friends at Brand Storytelling, we’re reflecting on the people we connected with, the conversations we had, and the brand films that moved us. Other than the gratitude we feel from being a part of this supportive, kind, intelligent community, here are our two other key takeaways from our time at Sundance:

An Eye-Opening Brand Film 

We've mentioned UNICEF's "IF YOU HAVE" film directed by Oscar-winning Ben Proudfoot once before, but the fact of the matter is the film's screening at Sundance and corresponding panel discussion, which included Ben and members of the UNICEF marketing team, illuminated for us the *true* power of this film. 

Born from the insight that UNICEF vaccinates almost 50% of the world's children under the age of five but no one knows (!!), the UNICEF team set out to tell this story. Through a powerful, emotional, and inspiring origin story, Ben and the Breakwater Studios team once again work their magic, humanizing the story of a complex global organization that truly showcases the goodness of humanity. You can't watch the film and not feel inspired by the work of UNICEF. 

And while the film broke through, garnering both eyeballs and PR interest, the UNICEF marketing team took it one step further. They hosted 10 simultaneous watch parties to launch the film. The result? Over $9M raised in unrestricted funding for UNICEF. What's more, the film is also now used to onboard all new employees so they can *feel* the power of the UNICEF mission. Eyeballs are always great, but "IF YOU HAVE" showcases the value of going beyond eyeballs to leverage the influence of brand film to fundraise and continue UNICEF's life-changing work across the globe.

Check out the full-length film here: https://vimeo.com/702932465

Evaluating the Success of Branded Entertainment

This year’s gathering featured lots of new brands, faces, ideas, and incredible talent…but not everything was shiny and brand-new. The old circular conversations of ROI, metrics, and measurement also weighed heavy on minds, particularly as brands tighten their belts in ‘23. But unlike years past where everyone agrees to disagree on how to measure success, this year felt different, with a dedicated steering committee that’s approaching it through an academic lens. In the words of fellow board member, Angela Matusik, “this is the lord's work you are doing.” She’s half kidding, but as someone who’s been with Brand Storytelling since the early days, the need for universal success metrics has been the 400-pound gorilla in the corner of the room for years. 

From day one, brand films have borrowed and applied old metrics that have resulted in a mish mash of defining success…in essence, it’s become a case of “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” If you think about it, one single project can have several layers of measurement: from the brand team, to the platform, to the overall business objectives. And it’s not uncommon to declare success in one and failure in the other – that’s where things get complicated. In some cases, the objectives are very broad, such as emotional connection, or very distinct, especially if the film is supporting fundraising efforts or employee retention goals. Then, success metrics take on much different applications. 

Long story short, it’s muddy, but this work is necessary and doable (in my humble opinion), partly because of the way the steering committee is approaching it. First, by declaring it’s not a one-size-fits-all measurement based upon everything previously mentioned. But rather, a bucketed approach of identifying similar projects based on the type of content, budget, and outcomes, and then mining those trends. What was uplifting was how much the community wants to help in this endeavor by submitting their own case studies and metrics, resulting in a universal subset to compare. Everyone sharing their own playbook is a great start. The committee is admittedly very much in the early stages, but the initial steps feel right, and the goal of developing an academic peer-reviewed outcome would be one of the most anticipated reads of the decade!

If you’re interested in learning more, contact Stephen Marshall at: smarshall@etsurc.org