Excuses, excuses.
Waiting for the right project? An unlimited budget? A client who shares your vision? All nice to have. But in a day when Converse.com is showing dozens of short films created by anyone with the inspiration, the opportunities are yours to lose.

“Voices that normally would have been marginalised by the prohibitive costs of traditional animation and filmmaking can now be commissioned to do work that would otherwise never be seen,” says Cone.

Of course, the rise of branded entertainment comes on the heels of increased campaign tracking and testing. And while counting a short film’s traffic online is fairly easy, understanding its effect on sales can be quite difficult—especially since branded entertainment is often a small part of a larger marketing strategy.

One thing’s for sure: companies like Audi and Honda are creating lasting impressions—and actively searching for ways to turn the good vibes into solid revenue. When that happens, you can expect many more films like “Beneath” and “Unleashed” to grace your computer, PDA and mobile phone screens. You’ll also have more justification for getting your hesitant clients to jump on the branded entertainment bandwagon.

Leta Baker has been a marketing and advertising copywriter for almost a decade.