Advertainment: when creative agencies merge advertising and entertainment
With the growing challenge of capturing consumers’ attention, advertainment has emerged as an essential solution. But what exactly is advertainment, and how do creative agencies use it to craft unique and engaging experiences?
Advertainment,
what is it?
Advertainment combines advertising and entertainment. Through gamification, it aims to make ads more engaging, less intrusive, and more fun. The goal? To capture attention while delivering a subtle and enjoyable advertising message.
At 87seconds, we understand that engaging today’s consumers requires more than just visibility—it’s about offering content that people want to experience and share. It’s not just about selling a product; it’s about creating moments that evoke emotions in the audience.
Advertainment works because it turns advertising into a memorable and, most importantly, more authentic experience compared to traditional ad formats. Consumers are bombarded with millions of messages every day across multiple channels. What makes a difference is a brand’s ability to stand out by offering genuine value and eliciting emotions. When an ad entertains, it becomes more than a commercial message—it connects with people on an emotional level.
Advergaming: A playful and engaging approach
By combining video games and advertising messages, advergaming allows brands to create fun and interactive experiences. At 87seconds, we love integrating gamification elements to make advertising more engaging while stimulating audience creativity.
Video games, interactive quizzes, and viral challenges are just some ways to make an impact, particularly by involving consumers instead of merely addressing them. They become active participants in the experience, not just spectators.
At 87seconds, advertainment is our playground
Creativity knows no bounds, and each project is an opportunity to break away from traditional advertising norms. We combine our production expertise with innovative ideas to deliver experiences that go beyond simple advertising.
Advertainment offers a chance to tell stories differently, connect emotionally with audiences, and provide meaningful content. It’s also a way to start conversations with audiences by offering formats tailored to their expectations—whether through immersive videos, interactive experiences, or playful campaigns.
For Maybelline NY, we designed an e-commerce activation campaign to boost sales of three of its best-selling products. To achieve this, we created a unique interactive journey aimed at engaging Gen Z. Users were invited to solve an immersive investigation to identify the thief of the three star products, exploring clues shared on TikTok and in Amazon’s gamified brand store. The results speak for themselves: a 43% growth in Amazon sales compared to the previous year and 63% new customers on Maybelline NY’s e-commerce platform.
