Bose

Bose Builds Entertainment Studio to Own Content

Bose has launched Bose Studios as part of a multi-year strategic shift toward producing owned entertainment across music, film, TV, digital and live events. CMO Jim Mollica told Digiday the studio already accounts for roughly one-third to 40% of the brand’s marketing and he expects that to reach 60–65% by the end of this year or next. The studio’s opening slate includes a documentary series developed with Steven Soderbergh, artist-focused docuseries and a YouTube performance series whose first episode centers on Sienna Spiro. Bose is prioritizing deep, niche creator relationships and in-house production (Bose Records and internal content assets) to earn attention rather than buy it. The move reflects a broader marketing reckoning: brands are investing in owned content and creators as paid-audience models become more expensive and less effective, and owned content also helps brand discovery in AI-driven recommendation environments.

Creators Are Driving Marketing’s Entertainment Era

At Cannes Lions 2026, creators moved from peripheral campaign talent to central partners in marketing, with talent agencies, brands and creative shops treating creators as media partners, production teams and IP owners. The festival highlighted a convergence between marketers and creators: brands increasingly hire creators or their representatives for longer, operational engagements (episodic/always-on content) rather than one-off posts. Agency and brand leaders — including figures from UTA, OpenAI, Bose, L’Oréal, Kraft Heinz and Unilever — argued creators supply authenticity, creative execution and audience relationships that traditional media and campaigns no longer reliably build on their own. Creators report mixed ROI for attending Cannes but see value in relationship-building and future commercial opportunities.

Creativity Moves Beyond the Traditional Agency Model

At Cannes Lions, marketers signaled a structural shift in how brands source creative work: CMOs are looking beyond traditional agencies to creators, studios and AI-driven production. Executives including Bose’s CMO and P&G’s chief brand officer described brands favoring modular partnerships, faster iteration and always-on asset flows rather than single hero ads from agencies of record. Panels and conversations highlighted creators becoming full creative partners, podcasting moving from niche to mainstream sponsor channel, and the need for agencies to adapt pricing, collaboration styles and production speed to remain relevant.