Unveiling the Unspoken: Connecting with Audiences on a Deeper Level
By Evan J. Cholfin
In today's saturated media environment, brands are increasingly leveraging entertainment to capture attention and build meaningful connections. However, simply creating engaging content isn’t enough.
The key to truly resonant branded entertainment lies in uncovering a powerful, often unspoken audience insight—a deep, sometimes subconscious truth about the target audience that they might not even be fully aware of. This "aha!" moment, when the audience recognizes something profound about themselves, transforms branded entertainment from mere content into a transformative experience.
It’s not just about relatability; it’s about revelation. It’s about tapping into the primal desires, anxieties, and hopes that drive human behavior. When brands understand these deeper motivations, they can create content that doesn’t just entertain—it illuminates.
Let’s explore how this principle is playing out in some recent examples:
1. "We Are Ayenda" (2024) – WhatsApp
The Challenge:
Demonstrate the real-world impact of WhatsApp’s secure messaging platform in a way that goes beyond features and functionality.
The Branded Entertainment Solution:
In 2024, WhatsApp released "We Are Ayenda", a 30-minute documentary that reenacts the true story of the Afghan national youth women’s football team. Following the Taliban’s ban on women’s sports, the team used WhatsApp’s end-to-end encrypted messaging to orchestrate their escape from Afghanistan, allowing them to continue their football careers elsewhere. The film highlights the role of secure communication in facilitating their journey to freedom.
The Audience Insight:
"I never realized how much I take my personal freedom for granted."
Most people in the Western world have never had to fear for their basic rights—especially something as simple as communicating with loved ones or planning their future. Watching this story forces them to confront an uncomfortable reality: their privilege to move freely, speak freely, and pursue their dreams without persecution.
The moment of revelation comes when the audience feels the weight of what it means to have no safe space to communicate—and realizes how critical secure messaging can be in life-or-death situations.
Why it Works:
It reframes WhatsApp from a simple messaging app to a tool for survival. Most people think of WhatsApp as just another messaging platform. This film shatters that perception by showing how it can be a lifeline for people fighting for their freedom.
It transforms security from an abstract concept into a deeply human necessity. The word “encryption” may sound technical, but when framed in the context of saving lives, it suddenly becomes emotionally powerful.
It makes the audience uncomfortable in a way that demands reflection. By confronting viewers with the stark reality of these young women’s experiences, the film awakens a sense of empathy, gratitude, and responsibility—turning a feature into a cause worth championing.
The Results:
The documentary garnered widespread attention, highlighting the critical role of secure communication in crisis situations.
It emphasized WhatsApp’s commitment to user privacy and security, reinforcing trust among its global user base.
Won the Entertainment Lions Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2024 for its cultural impact and storytelling excellence.
Reference Links:
2. "Clash of Clans: 40th Anniversary" (2023) – Supercell
The Challenge:
Re-engage lapsed players and celebrate the game’s legacy in a way that feels fresh, nostalgic, and culturally relevant.
The Branded Entertainment Solution:
For its 10-year anniversary, Supercell launched a brilliantly misleading campaign that pretended "Clash of Clans" was actually turning 40.
The campaign featured:
A 20-minute fake documentary, complete with actors, a fictional game founder, and a pretend gaming historian.
A timeline of “Clash of Clans” games that never existed, stretching back to the 1980s.
Three playable retro-style Clash of Clans games, each representing a different era of gaming history.
The Audience Insight:
"I never realized how much this game has shaped my identity as a gamer."
Gamers often think of video games as fleeting pastimes—something they play and move on from. But by presenting "Clash of Clans" as a decades-old cultural phenomenon, the campaign forced players to reexamine their nostalgia and recognize the game’s significance in their own gaming journey.
The revelation wasn’t just that Clash of Clans was still around—it was that players had grown up with it, and it had been a key part of their gaming identity.
Why it Works:
It plays with perception and nostalgia. By “rewriting history,” Supercell made players rethink their relationship with the game—turning it from just another mobile title into a legacy experience.
It creates a joyful shared illusion. People love to be in on the joke—especially when it’s done with creativity and commitment.
It makes veteran players feel like part of something bigger. By celebrating gaming history, Supercell elevated Clash of Clans from just another game to a cultural landmark.
The Results:
Became the #1 trending video on YouTube, achieving the highest fan sentiment in the brand’s history.
The campaign's mini-games saw 170 million players engage globally, with related YouTube content amassing over 5 million views.
Reference Links:
3."The National Sport of Kazakhstan" (2024) – GForce, Almaty
The Challenge:
Address the prevalence of domestic violence in Kazakhstan, a topic often ignored by men, by engaging them through a medium they are passionate about: ultimate fighting sports.
The Branded Entertainment Solution:
Recognizing that many Kazakh men are enthusiastic about MMA, the campaign took a bold approach by announcing a provocative, first-ever Men vs. Women fight in Kazakhstan.
This strategy aimed to move the conversation about domestic violence from private spaces into the public arena, leveraging the popularity of MMA to spark dialogue. The "fight" was ultimately revealed as a staged event, with a powerful message: “Violence against women isn’t a sport.” The shocking reveal forced audiences to confront their own perceptions of violence in a way they had never done before.
The Audience Insight:
"I never connected my passion for fighting sports with the issue of domestic violence."
For many men in Kazakhstan, MMA is seen as a symbol of strength, discipline, and national pride. But this campaign forced them to face a difficult realization—that violence in any form, when used outside the controlled environment of a sport, is not about strength, but about harm.
By subverting audience expectations, the campaign made men see domestic violence through a new, deeply personal lens. The realization came when they felt the discomfort of watching what they believed was going to be a sanctioned fight—only to be confronted with the truth that violence against women is never justifiable.
Why it Works:
It forces a visceral reaction. The shock of the "Men vs. Women" fight announcement grabs attention, but it’s the emotional reveal that delivers the campaign’s punch.
It meets the audience where they are. Instead of using traditional awareness methods that might be ignored, the campaign enters the cultural conversation through MMA—something deeply valued by the target demographic.
It uses audience discomfort to fuel self-reflection. By engaging men through a space they feel comfortable in, the campaign makes them actively question their attitudes toward violence.
The Results:
The campaign sparked national conversations, bringing the issue of domestic violence to the forefront of public discourse.
It reached 3.3 million people, with 90% of the engaged audience being men—the very demographic that typically avoids discussions about gender-based violence.
Generated 135,390 reactions, showing strong emotional engagement.
Won Kazakhstan’s first-ever Cannes Lion, taking Gold in the Social & Influencer category in 2024.
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In Conclusion
These examples demonstrate that the most effective branded entertainment goes beyond surface-level engagement. It delves into the deepest layers of human motivation, uncovering insights that resonate on a primal level.
By understanding what their audience truly craves—whether it's a sense of purpose, the desire for recognition, or the longing for belonging—brands can create content that not only entertains but also transforms.
WhatsApp’s "We Are Ayenda" leveraged secure communication as a tool for empowerment, tapping into a universal need for safety and freedom.
Supercell’s "Clash of Clans: 40th Anniversary" played with nostalgia and humor, reinforcing players’ emotional connection to a game they’ve enjoyed for years.
GForce Almaty's "The National Sport of Kazakhstan" disrupted cultural norms, using MMA to engage men in a national conversation about domestic violence—a conversation they would have otherwise avoided.
This is the true power of audience insight: it allows brands to connect with people in a way that transcends mere transactions and builds true emotional bonds.
Want to unlock the power of "aha!" for your brand? Contact us today for a consultation on how to develop audience-centric branded entertainment that truly resonates.
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