When it comes to pop culture, CAA sometimes finds itself at the center of it. Charli XCX, who was the face of this summer’s brat summer, Ashley Park, who stars in Netflix’s Emily in Paris, and comedian and SNL cast member Ego Nwodim are among the agency’s roster of talent.
But enough about the stars: the agency is looking to strike up even deeper relationships with brands.
Earlier this summer, CAA announced the formation of a new media and entertainment partnerships department, which formalizes the work the agency had already been doing in bringing brands into Hollywood productions. The new unit comes as more brands seek out ways to integrate with content to reach consumers, especially after the success of Barbie and its brand partnerships last summer, according to Libby Bush, global head of media and entertainment partnerships at CAA.
“We had been missing…really big blockbuster tentpole moments,” Bush, who leads the new department, told Marketing Brew. “I do think what [Barbie] did was it reminded brands that this is a space that can be really fun and creative and successful. We just hadn’t had it because of Covid and strikes and all those things.”
Brand loyal
When it comes to brokering brand partnerships, several teams within the agency work in tandem. Bush’s team works with the TV and motion picture teams to pair talent with brand opportunities, as well as with the brand consulting team that reps brands themselves. Recently, for example, amid the rise in popularity of women’s sports, brands have been clamoring to get involved with related talent, Bush said, and Bush’s team has approached other internal teams to help source talent to meet that demand.
Essentially, the idea behind the new department is to help CAA put together branded production partnerships at scale, she said.
“The uptick has been the desire not just to market around creative, but to really be in creative and in it from the very beginning, rather than coming further down the road when the creative is further along,” Bush said. “That’s where I think the need for our team has really skyrocketed. Because of where my team sits inside of CAA, we get to see stuff from the very beginning stages.”
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In some cases, CAA’s own clients have come to the agency with ideas they have. Ahead of a recent Bridgerton campaign, for example, Bush said that show creator Shonda Rhimes, who is on the agency’s talent roster, asked the agency about finding a brand partner to collaborate with Season 3’s star couple, Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton, which ans online had dubbed “Polin.”
Bush recalls Rhimes asking, “Do you think a brand would be interested in riding this cultural conversation and this wave and partnering with me and my creative team to develop a campaign around pollen and help promote the show?”
The result: CAA worked with the nasal spray brand Flonase on a Bridgerton-themed commercial featuring members of the ’Ton struggling with allergies but unable to use Flonase—because it would not be invented for another 200 years.
In other cases, Bush’s team comes up with the ideas themselves. A collaboration between Keurig and Apple TV+ series The Morning Show, in which Keurig offered products like coffee makers and K-Cups tied to the show’s second season, was developed after the team at CAA viewed the first few episodes and brainstormed brands that could make sense creatively as a partner.
“We came up with a really fun idea around morning moments, and we wanted to do it with a coffee company,” Bush said. “We ended up going out and pitching Keurig.”
Three’s company
CAA isn’t the only major talent agency with an increased focus on helping brands connect with productions. UTA recently signed Banijay Entertainment, an influential French production company behind shows like Black Mirror, to support its branded content division, while Endeavor recently expanded the remit of its cultural marketing agency 160over90’s global business development lead, Jessica Sinn, to include oversight of its entertainment marketing division.
“It’s not something new; it’s brands trying to find their place in entertainment, and constantly trying to figure out…how else can dealmaking be done,” Bush said. “That’s the piece that keeps evolving.”
Luckily, she added, “it’s just a fun time to have this job.”
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