When does an ad become a film? The rise of long-form

A new study from the agency Billion Dollar Boy has found that 68% of marketers and 64% of creators have increased the amount of long-form content they’re producing over the last 12 months.

With 70% of marketers planning to increase production of long-form content over the next 12 months and 72% of creators aiming to do the same, it feels like a significant pattern.

The survey took in some 500 content creators and 500 senior marketers and brand managers, while long-form content was defined as everything from long-form video, live streaming and podcasts to writing.

It’s the long-form video where there has been a notable creative shift, though. The likes of outdoor and apparel brand Patagonia, sports apparel brand On and automotive brand Land Rover are telling compelling stories that don’t really have anything to do with their products.

Last week, Patagonia released the 25-minute film The Last Observers. It shows the life and work of Karin and Lennart Mikkelsen, explored through their daily lives as weather observers and birdwatchers in Falsterbo, Sweden.

Told through the eyes of their filmmaker daughter, Maja Mikkelsen, it depicts their enduring dedication to their manual weather station observation duties. The couple have made 100,000 observations since 1987 through the births of their four children, illness and snowstorms. Other stations have become automated, but they remain.

It’s very much a self-contained story and the Patagonia product is entirely absent. It has the kind of high production values and sharp storytelling you would expect from a documentary and is full of charm, focusing on an enduring relationship between an older couple (very much in love) and their shared relationship with the landscape, the elements and their work.

Patagonia’s senior marketing manager, Jelle Mul, was executive producer on The Last Observers and other Patagonia films. “We work on complex issues that often can’t be explained by short content but need storytelling often in a longer form. The world moves faster and people seem to have shorter attention spans, which means we have to change how we get our communities to take the time to really understand topics.”

Mul speaks like someone whose job it is to share and protect things of cultural value. “Maja, the filmmaker, telling the story of her parents’ beautiful life is as authentic as stories can get. It is an absolute pleasure to work with creatives on projects such as this and these are the stories that deserve to be told.”

A lot of Patagonia content is gathered by photographers who join ambassadors on climbing routes or surf trips. “The same goes for our films; we focus on real people doing real things.”

Focusing on ‘what it means to live simply’

The stories have to be unique to Patagonia, says Mul, and span subjects as different as particular stories about surfers to one about a mountain hut in Chamonix or The Last Observers, which embodies “what it means to live simply.”

There is still a significant parallel to be made between the story and the absent product or brand, even if it is not at first apparent.

“Just as much as we focus on simplicity and the lifetime of a product, our storytelling is focussed on making sure people do not see products as consumption items but as stories they wear. These films are focussed on quality of life and the appreciation of what we have and own.”

Clearly, the long-form ad is not about quick results and I’m not even sure we can call it an ad, really. Mul speaks of “long-term engagement” and “connection with our community” being the driver for all this. “Authenticity is key… Real change is not always created by measurable goals but understanding community journeys and engagement better.”

Running shoe maker On has spent the last few years blending shorter-form ads with detailed explorations of individual athletes’ psyche, struggle and success. In August, it focused on Dominic Lobalu in To Chase a Dream, a nine-minute film that picks up Lobalu’s remarkable journey from orphaned refugee to Swiss citizen and Olympic runner. It’s the second time On has focused on the athlete, having introduced him in The Right to Race in 2023, which came in at a whopping 33 minutes.

Getting into ‘the humanity of what drives athletes’

Both films leave you in awe of the athlete’s achievements on and off the track, particularly his ability to not only survive but then struggle and thrive, driven by an admirable sense of determination.

On’s head of film and documentary, Michael Paul Stephenson, says: “Longer formats get past the surface and the glossy perfection of sport and into the humanity of what really drives these athletes.

“Unlike traditional advertising, which often has to deliver a message quickly, longer formats give us the freedom to dive deep into our characters and stories in a way that resonates emotionally with the audience. It takes time. It pulls you in and lets you feel something.”

The filmmaking approach allows Stephenson to “shift the focus to storytelling” and helps the brand build a connection with audiences. “Audiences today crave connection. When you show them an athlete’s fear, their joy, their vulnerability and courage – their human side – you’re offering them something real.”

Authentic storytelling is easy to find in the best long-form examples and you will find that word “authentic” used a lot in this article, but it’s difficult to be cynical about it. For Stephenson, it’s “no longer about product advertising or brand awareness; it’s about something more profound, human connection.”

The product is still there in the Lobalu films, but you have to look for it. “When you introduce people to these remarkable athletes without pushing the brand front and center, it builds trust.

“Authenticity is the key and people want to feel something real. That leads to something deeper, something that lasts. They walk away with a connection, not just to the athlete, but to the story and to the brand behind it.”

It seems to be working for On as well, with millions of views generated, media coverage and “positive comments from all over the world,” according to Stephenson, who believes that On is a brand that inspires and motivates people.

It’s this feeling that he says viewers will take away with them, “a universal drive to keep moving, to push through whatever stands in the way.”

There are so many good examples of the format these days. I was particularly moved by parts of this Jasmine Jobson partnership with Land Rover, created by ID, in which the Bafta-winning actor, best known for her role as Jack in Top Boy, returns to the estate she grew up on.

It’s a touching story full of genuine interactions with long-lost friends, a visit to the community acting school she attended and stories of her upbringing and how eventually she found opportunities growing up in care. Granted, there is a rather overt use of a new Range Rover in this one, but it’s never mentioned and just becomes part of the set as the story unfolds.

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that there is authentic storytelling to be found in films commissioned by brands and maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that while you’re watching, all they’re trying to sell you is something as imperceptible as values, a mood or a good story, but probably not a product.

Meanwhile, the infrastructure around long-form content is improving and this is driven by demand. It is something that came up when I met with YouTube vice-president for EMEA Pedro Pina. “Long format is popular and monetizes very well,” he told me. “Brands are trying to figure out the best way to try to express themselves.”