“Is ‘Group Therapy’ on Prime Video an Ad? – What You Need to Know”

the clutter. Household brands like Barbie, Nike, and Pop-Tarts have all been the subjects of feature-length movies in recent years, while brands like Chick-fil-A and Starbucks have rolled out in-house content studios designed to produce original entertainment.

Every year, the Tribeca Festival in New York brings together legendary entertainers for groundbreaking films and discussions on the evolution of entertainment. Last year, WPP agencies unveiled a branded feature-length film for health insurance company AXA at the festival. The film, Group Therapy, recently premiered on Prime Video and features seven comedians and actors, including Neil Patrick Harris and Mike Birbiglia, talking about mental health in a support-circle setting.

WPP’s GroupM and VML collaborated with comedian Kevin Hart’s production company Hartbeat to bring this project to life. Despite being sponsored by AXA, Group Therapy minimizes references to the brand. Instead, the agencies focused on marketing the film to drive viewers to AXA’s platform. They also organized a film festival tour to create awareness of the project, according to Dimitri Guerassimov, chief creative officer at VML France.

The strategy behind Group Therapy was purposeful; the agencies wanted to avoid creating something that felt like a typical public service announcement. The project’s success has been years in the making, with Group Therapy being showcased at festivals like Tribeca, the Palm Springs International Film Festival, and AFI Fest. These film festival appearances not only increased the film’s attractiveness to streaming platforms but also helped in pitching the film to these platforms, Guerassimov explained.

In addition to film festival PR efforts, the agencies worked on an ad campaign to drive consumers to AXA’s website. Assets for Group Therapy were strategically placed across Amazon platforms like Fire TV and Twitch to direct viewers to the film on Prime Video. While the film briefly mentions “presented by AXA” at the beginning and encourages viewers to visit an AXA website at the end, the agencies aimed to ensure that viewers did not feel like they were simply part of an advertising machine.

Overall, brands are increasingly looking to make their mark in Hollywood to reach audiences who are wary of traditional ads and to stand out in a crowded marketplace. With well-known brands like Barbie, Nike, and others venturing into feature-length films, and companies like Chick-fil-A and Starbucks establishing content studios for original entertainment, it’s clear that the intersection of brands and entertainment is continuing to evolve.