UTA gives brands the star treatment

The Future. The world of marketing is going through a major transformation — one where audiences are trying to avoid traditional advertising at all costs. So what is a brand to do? UTA Marketing believes that (yes… even to advertisers) content is king… which may push companies to become more ambitious and selective about how they position themselves in the culture at large.

A face to sell
David Anderson and Julian Jacobs, the co-heads of UTA Marketing, detail how the world of marketing has changed.

• The no-ad life. As premium streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+ exist as ad-free offerings, consumers are being conditioned to pay extra to avoid ever having to see a traditional ad. That means there are fewer opportunities to capture eyeballs.
• Content is marketing. To stand out from the pack and to market on these streamers, brands need to think deeper about how they market and invest in more ambitious content. Examples include Headspace creating a docu-series on Netflix and Unilever creating a series for AppleTV+.
• Creators take charge. Creators don’t just stay in one lane anymore. Instead, they become brands in their own right, marketing new ventures on the strength of their personalities.

Brand binoculars
For its part, UTA Marketing positions itself as… well… an agency. It essentially gives brands a sense of the trends coming down the pipeline and also pairs brands with complementary talent that can both position them in unique ways and give them the relevance they’re looking for.

In a world where no one wants to see ads, the only way for brands to breakthrough in culture is to put the advertising as far into the background as possible.