While everyone and their social media ninja brother are talking about how brands can be "talkable", I'm gonna go out on a limb and say there's still value in the one-way media consumption model. Yeah, call me crazy, I think there's people that still just watch media, without participating in a two-way conversation.

Enter the Age of the Watchable Brand
Traditional broadcast advertising has been defeated by Tivo and DVRs - most people aren't sitting through commercials - so a number of content-savvy brands are using their paid media time or organic word-of-mouth to drive viewers into other avenues of branded entertainment to deliver their message in a more compelling and watchable format.
Here are four examples of wonderfully watchable brands that are delighting viewers by embracing branded entertainment:

Toyota Sienna on Youtube
A lot of us have seen the clever and endearing "Sienna Family" series on tv - aging hipster mom and dad, candidly sharing how the Sienna fits into their lifestyle. But you probably haven't taken the extra step to follow the call to action at the end, check out Sienna's Youtube page and enter the world of the Swagger Wagon.
Their 6 million views rap video that smartly speaks to their target audience with lyrics like "Bring the beat back, cause yo I got more to say, you know I'm always front and center at the school play ... cut the crust off the PB&Js chill the Yoohoos..." and over 20 other entertaining spots have accumulated over 10 million plays on the channel thanks to their consistent ad series and favorable industry word-of-mouth. Click here to visit the Sienna family on Youtube

Zappos on Facebook
You'll often find me talking about just how damn talkable the Zappos brand is - their infinitely sustainable word of mouth strategy is driven by their core value of delivering amazing customer service, the kind that well, people just have to rave about. Well Zappos is apparently an amazing place to work to boot (you may have heard of their hiring practices), and if you watch any of the over 130 videos created by employees and uploaded to their Facebook page, you believe it.
Check out a few videos like "Banana Phone" or "Development Olympics" to see how the company delivers on their promise of employee happiness, transparently exposing their enviably utopic-seeming corporate culture.
Click here to visit Zappos videos on Facebook

American Family Insurance's "In Gayle We Trust"
Insurance companies do a hell of a lot of advertising. Geico's famous for theirs, everyone seems to love Progressive's Flo series, Allstate is coming on strong of late, and State Farm, well, they seem to be confused. Considering this crowded share of voice battle in between shows, it makes perfect sense that the underdog, in this case American Family Insurance, would choose not to fight in traditional advertising ring. What we've gained instead is the wonderfully watchable In Gayle We Trust.
Viewers can engage with the American Family Insurance brand in two seasons of easily enjoyable bites (3-6 minutes each) on hulu or NBC's website (the show was produced for NBC's digital studio) following Gayle Evans Evans, lovable insurance slinger, as she judges the Maple Grove Chili Cook-off, raises money for the local children's library and generally solves all the town's problems like any reputable insurance salesperson should.
Click here to watch In Gayle We Trust on hulu

Ikea's Easy to Assemble
Have you ever seen an ad for Ikea on tv? I don't think so, because Ikea has taken it upon themselves to create their own TV show online, and two seasons of Easy to Assemble. Created by veteran actor Ileana Douglas and featuring a slew of recognizable actors like Ed Bagley Jr., Justine Bateman and Jane Lynch, the series has been applauded by Ikea fans and the entertainment industry as the best web series online.
Following Ileana's departure from Hollywood and entry into the home furnishings customer service world, the show delivers a charmingly self-deprecating look at actors' sometimes ill-fated career paths, working in Ikea's trademark Swedish meatballs and faux-training videos along the way.
Click here to watch Ikea's Easy to Assemble TV

Sum it up, Arik
Brands can be more than just products on shelves, recipients of our paychecks and 30-second interrupters. With well-crafted branded entertainment and extended web series' can engage consumers longer, deliver more compelling and believable messaging, generate organic word-of-mouth and get invited to more cool kid parties, in general. There's probably some sales upticks and purchase intent that comes along with that stuff too.

Arik Abel is a marketing consultant that helps companies build brands and engage audiences through compelling digital content. He lives in Raleigh and enjoys improv, home brewing and blogging on innovation in creativity, media and communications at ArikAbel.com

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