Industry Performance

The media & entertainment industry continues to rank first in our 2021 COVID study and has essentially maintained its average Quotient Score. Media & entertainment brands perform better with men than with women and with consumers under 35 years old versus those older than 35.

The industry’s Brand Intimacy performance has increased by an average of 8 percent since before the pandemic. Despite the hardships imposed by COVID on people and businesses, this period has actually drawn consumers closer to brands and created stronger emotional relationships.

Archetypes & Stages

The category continues to outperform the industry average across all archetypes except enhancement. Compared to our previous study, media & entertainment has shown increases across fulfillment, identity, ritual, and indulgence. Media & entertainment improved its performance in the most advanced stage of Brand Intimacy, fusing, by 24 percent. This means more consumers were able to coidentify with media & entertainment brands and significantly deepen their emotional connections during the pandemic. Sharing and bonding scores declined, which suggests newer users must be the focus to establish intimate relationships with these brands.

Key Findings & Trends

Ritual is the dominant archetype. Compared to our 2020 COVID study, more than 48 percent of consumers have an increased positive emotional connection with media & entertainment brands. Daily usage has increased by 7 percent, which suggests many continue to rely on media & entertainment, even as sheltering in place measures have been lifted.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Comparing the top two media & entertainment brands, Disney and Amazon Prime, we see Disney lead in identity, nostalgia, and indulgence, whereas Amazon Prime leads in fulfillment, enhancement, and ritual. In terms of stages, Amazon Prime leads in sharing and fusing, but Disney has a higher bonding score. Both brands have improved their fusing scores in 2021.