Entertainment marketing: trends and future research

Abstract

The 21st-century entertainment landscape has undergone a radical transformation driven by the internet, smartphones and the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI). As entertainment becomes deeply integrated into everyday life, marketing has evolved from a supporting function to a vital strategic pillar necessary for navigating a hyper-competitive attention economy. This monograph provides a comprehensive, integrative scholarly review of entertainment marketing, specifically addressing the radical demand uncertainty inherent in experiential goods. A central contribution of this work lies in its synthesis of two frequently competing viewpoints: the consumer perspective, which frames entertainment as a hedonic pursuit of emotion and narrative, and the business perspective, which conceptualizes it as a high-stakes commercial endeavor requiring advanced analytics and global distribution strategies. By identifying points of convergence, including content quality, personalization and community building, this monograph illustrates how firms can create a virtuous cycle in which individual gratification and commercial performance mutually reinforce each other. The scope of this research encompasses the major pillars of the entertainment world: movies, video games, music, books, tourism, gambling, social media and sports. Beyond the consumer–business dyad, the review also incorporates the perspective of artists and content creators, including the well-documented concentration of rewards among a small set of superstars, and critically examines industry consolidation, privacy and related public-policy concerns that complicate optimistic accounts of consumer welfare. Finally, this work evaluates emerging trends, with a particular focus on the AI revolution, exploring the impact of generative AI and virtual influencers on the authenticity paradox of contemporary branding. This monograph serves as both a theoretical foundation for academic researchers and a practical roadmap for industry leaders operating within the shifting boundaries of the global entertainment ecosystem.