We're in the age of brand fiction. Prepare to entertain or die.
According to Entertain or Die, a new report from Tracksuit and Small World, we've officially entered the era of brand fiction. And the only currency that matters now? Entertainment.
Your polished Instagram grid and vaguely aspirational mission statement won't cut it. Today's most magnetic brands are building their own in-house Hollywoods: constructed worlds filled with lore, characters, memes, and moments that consumers can escape into. These go beyond your regular-degular marketing campaign. They're whole universes.
If you're a brand, you can't just sell a product. You need to sell stories.
Liquid death is an example I often use for the many facets of what it means to be a good marketer. But one thing that makes it rise above other brands is that it's entertaining as hell. Not many brands can put Ozzy Osbourne (literally talking about boofing) in a campaign and not only get away with it but succeed in every sense of the word.
Tracksuit's data backs up this strategy. Brands that entertain grow faster than their traditional competitors. Of the top 30 most entertaining global brands, 96% experienced revenue growth in the past year. Being fun isn't fluff anymore. It's a business strategy.
The four traits of modern brand fiction:
The most magnetic brands nail at least two of the following:
Humour (Liquid Death, Starface, Duolingo): Not just lol-worthy but meme-worthy. In other words, it's humour that travels.
Social content (Netflix, TikTok, Instagram): Always on, always performing, always in your feed.
Distinctive character (Houseplant, Games Workshop, Crocs): These brands know who they are and never break character.
Attention-grabbing power (UFC, Rhode, again Liquid Death): Because if you're not breaking through the scroll, you're just background noise.
Entertainment is no longer a layer on top of the brand. It is the brand, baby.
Enter: lore.
Some of the most successful brands behave like studios. They develop characters. They build worlds. They drop sequels, tease prequels, and reward fandom. It's the Marvel-ification of marketing, without needing a billion-dollar box office and fifty-million sequels.
Need proof? Look no further than Brat, which turned Charli XCX into more than a pop star could ever imagine to be. She created a universe. From a surprise H&M pop-up concert in Times Square to the now-iconic Brat Wall in Williamsburg, she's turned IRL stunts into cultural events. And it's working. Her brand awareness jumped from 40% in July 2024 to 44% by February 2025.
While we're all busy building lore online, the IRL side of brand fiction is booming, too.
Experiential marketing spend is up 10.5% globally, the first time it's exceeded pre-pandemic levels. We may live online, but the thrill of being there still hits different, especially when the offline event fuels online chatter.
Branded pop-ups, immersive events, collabs with musicians and creators aren't just flash-in-the-pan stunts. They're chapters in a bigger story. And as we know story sells.
So, what can we learn here?
If your brand doesn't entertain, it evaporates. Not immediately. Not with a bang. But slowly, silently, painfully. To the point where you wish the thing would just die because it's getting hard to watch. Whether you're a water brand or a skincare line, you're not just competing in your category. You're competing for attention.
So build lore. Build laughs. Build something weird. Build something that begs to be screenshotted, stitched, and shouted across the timeline. I promise you it's the golden ticket.
