Harnessing The Unpredictable With Wild Card Creative Group’s Alison Temple

What lies ahead for branded content as traditional Hollywood evolves?

In today’s digital world, there are inherent tools for marketers in search of a wider and more targeted audience. Specifically, think social media, artificial intelligence, and the influx of streaming platforms. But with opportunity come challenges, including increased competition and fragmented audiences across multiple platforms. How do brands adapt and stay relevant within their target audiences? How do they attract the proverbial eyeballs in this sea of content clutter? And how does the marketing agency behind the brand find creative and impactful ways to engage with consumers and build awareness in this evolving landscape?

“It is all about going beyond the eyes and into the mind to evoke emotion, create desire and build real-life conversation not about the brand, but about how it makes us feel,” noted Mike Tankel, partner/optimist at the marketing and development firm To Be Continued. “Embedding themselves in pop culture the way music, sports and entertainment do is what brand marketers dream of. By merging movie-like marketing with brand strategy, it is possible to break through the clutter and be talked about long after the campaign.”

For independent Los Angeles-based agency and consulting firm Wild Card Creative Group (WCCG), the goal – past and present – has always been building fandom. It is about collaborative storytelling, creating content that benefits both the brand and the audience, and nurturing an authentic connection.

“Our objective is to create campaigns and materials, whatever we are doing, with the understanding of who our audience is. That has really evolved for us over the years,” said Alison Temple, CEO Wild Card Creative Group, who collaborates with filmmakers, studios, game developers and brands in the early stages in a project’s development to brainstorm integrated content and marketing extensions.

“We have the streaming services, who are new to the game. We have our legacy studios that are trying to evolve as well. We must define the audience and create content relevant to their interests. And we need to leverage social media platforms for engagement and use our available technical resources to analyze data,” she said. “This is all while maintaining an identity consistent to the brand and relatable to the audience.”

“There’s so much more that we can do to understand how to connect with the audiences and their mindset,” noted Temple. “So, we’ve really kind of taken our DNA, and our roots, from working in movies and finding those resonant themes for certain audiences, to working across multiple platforms and industries with more insight.”

From the Beginning

Founded in 2007, WCCG began as a trailer shop of sorts for the film community and has evolved into a full-service marketing agency stacked between film, television and digital. The focus is on building a deep audience connection with Hollywood-type storytelling to create brand experiences that resonate globally. The blueprint is adapting entertainment marketing techniques for brand campaigns that resonate. And the end-result is representation of a brand that seamlessly fits within the story.

The major entertainment clients at WCCG includes Disney, Warner Bros. and Netflix. The agency has created campaigns for films that include Dune, Barbie, American Fiction, Avatar, Killers of the Flower Moon and many titles from the Marvel and DC universe. And the brand partnerships include Adidas, Corona, Microsoft, Audi, Under Armour and Mattel.

“When I came to the agency, we were focused only on theatrically released films. We weren’t even doing home entertainment. It was trailers, teasers, and TV spots,” remembered Temple, who early in her career was employed as the Head of Production for Motion Blur, a commercial production company.

“I wanted to evolve the agency and avoid any material that felt promotional or inauthentic to the audience. And I knew how to convey a story within a short window of time,” she said. “So, we started doing more creative content that would be original shooting on sets with filmmakers. We crafted content to convey stories that did not seem overly promotional. And we launched an integrated marketing and social division.”

Integrating Brands into Film Narratives

Prior to WCCG, Alison Temple was Executive Vice President, Creative Content, Theatrical Marketing at Fox Filmed Entertainment, where she honed her marketing storytelling skills on the 2012 Ridley Scott science fiction/horror film Prometheus. As the precursor for future brand partnerships, she utilized unused footage with actor Guy Pearce for a campaign with Verizon.

“Since we already had an excess of B-roll on set, we started to think of ways to put it to use,” remembered Temple, who at Fox Filmed Studio helped launch the campaigns for Avatar, X-Men and Planet of the Apes, among other movies. “And we worked with more high concept stuff that would be low impact on the production crew, and we used it as a financially viable option to tell stories.”

Putting Artificial Intelligence to Use

Last March, WCCG partnered with BlueMoon AI., which is dedicated to developing artificial intelligence (AI) toolkits tailored for creative communities in the advertising and entertainment sectors, to develop marketing materials using cutting edge technology.

“WCCG’s dedication to forward-thinking and partnership perfectly aligns with our vision, making them perfect partners for this endeavor,” said Jason Yang, CEO of BlueMoon AI in a statement. “We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead as we work together to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation in the marketing industry.

The two companies have established the BlueMoon Studio at Wild Card Creative Group, which offers a center for clients and filmmakers, among others, to engage with and learn about the latest advancements in AI-driven marketing solutions. The initial creation between the two firms is the “VO Sim,” which can demonstrate potent concepts to clients without the unnecessary time or cost investment.

“The VO Sim allows us to take tests for only presentation purposes. Not for finishing purposes, but for narration. Instead of having to call someone and schedule it and have them record it, and it potentially not being quite right, we do it internally with AI. It doesn’t leave our agency; there are no vendors and there is no cloud. So, that gives some comfort to the clients and allows us to try things in a much quicker way.”

Fusing Artistic Vision with Data Insights

“For a long time, we did not fully understand who exactly our audience was. Now, we are armed with more information, which makes us better storytellers,” noted Temple. “We also work with filmmakers and financers to help them with their sales materials when they have projects that they want to sell because our clients are their buyers. And we consult and help with the development of projects and the marketability of certain things.”

“So, we really have kind of expanded to all parts,” she said. “And we are focused on invigorating the fans and building out those communities with brand messaging that seamlessly fits.”