Dive Brief:
- Dentsu Entertainment launched a strategic partnership with entertainment and technology company Iconic Arts to create original intellectual property for clients, per a news release.
- The two companies will help brands create original IP tied to culture and spanning content, experiences and various media, with a focus on anime and serialized entertainment.
- That work will initially focus on the holding company’s Japan/US Synergy Initiatives and helping Japanese and global brands develop IP that travels across markets.
Dive Insight:
Dentsu’s latest partnership recognizes that modern marketing is more than running a single, or even an omnichannel, campaign. Rather, there is a trend toward building entertainment assets that can be invested in, planned around and become part of the culture, said Angela Johnson, executive vice president and global client president at Dentsu.
Dentsu Entertainment and Iconic Arts first spotlighted their partnership during the BrandStorytelling program at the recently completed Sundance Film Festival. During a joint discussion on IP creation, the companies highlighted the trend toward entertainment-property creation and demonstrated Iconic Arts’ IP-IQ data intelligence platform, which guides creative development, audience targeting, platform selection and potential long-term scalability before a production begins.
As the partnership grows, Dentsu and Iconic Arts will use the IP-IQ platform to guide creative decisions, build cultural relevance, audience engagement and long-term franchise potential. As media becomes more fragmented — and consumers turn to social media for entertainment as much as connection — more and more brands are seeking to develop original content that goes beyond sponsorship or influencer partnerships.
Dentsu previously teamed with GeekOut and Kodansha Creators’ Lab to create new IP, content and media opportunities around Roblox and launched a House of Creators initiative that involved IP integration and expansion.
Iconic Arts was founded by Steven Haddadian, Alec Roth, Jack Sheehan, Mo Yazdani and Aric Jain, with backing from screenwriter Eric Roth, musician Will.i.am and Hollywood executives Chris Heatherly and Mark Caplan. Last year, the company received a strategic investment from Japanese conglomerate Suntory.
