The Media Industry’s Identity Crisis

It’s not just about brand confusion, it’s about direction, purpose, and consistency. In a rush to stay relevant, media brands are often reacting instead of leading. They shift political tones depending on the current cultural climate or presidential administration. One year, a platform positions itself as progressive and edgy; the next, it leans centrist or quiets its stance entirely, hoping not to alienate portions of its audience. These pivots may seem like smart business, and it often can be in many industries, but not in an industry as memorable and emotion-inciting as entertainment.

People rarely remember the advertisement a software company ran three years ago, so when they put out a new advertisement that positions them differently, it is rarely cause for an uprising. Entertainment is different, however. A movie or TV show has the potential to produce an emotional experience so intense it is felt and remembered for a lifetime. This inspiring and beautiful aspect of media is also the reason making fundamental changes to a legacy brand is extremely difficult. Even small shifts in the personality of a brand, show, movie or character will cause frustration, but a complete overhaul of who a character is or what a story’s purpose is? People don’t just feel frustration; they feel as though a core memory or even a part of their personality has just been ripped from them.

There’s also a growing disconnect between what companies think audiences want and what audiences actually want. On one hand, there’s more data available than ever before – social platforms, search engines, streaming metrics, and even user-generated content can provide deep insights into what people want to see on the big screen. On the other hand, this data can be highly deceptive; with social pressures and changing algorithms providing a false idea of how people are feeling and what they want to consume when they set their phone down. We wrote more on this in our recent article.

So, what is the path forward? Media companies need to reconnect with their core identity, remember what made a TV show or movie successful in the first place, and focus on the emotional reaction a viewer had when they watched it for the first time. That doesn’t mean resisting change, but rather embracing it with clarity. Being politically reactive, constantly rebranding, or jumping on every trend creates a sense of instability. Instead, brands should ask: What do we stand for? Who are we serving? And how can we adapt without losing ourselves?

In an industry built on stories, the strongest brands are the ones that know their own. Now more than ever, that story needs to be consistent, clear, and true – because if media companies don’t define who they are, their audiences will do it for them.