P&G’s Native to debut 50-part microdrama series as genre takes off

• Native, the private care brand marketed by Procter & Gamble, is producing a 50-episode microdrama inspired by soap operas, per details shared with Marketing Dive.    
• The scripted content series, titled “The Golden Pear Affair,” will premiere early next 12 months across major social platforms before expanding right into a proprietary app experience. The launch will follow Native introducing a limited-edition Global Flavors collection on its website and at Target later in December.   
• “The Golden Pear Affair” stars two actors well-known for his or her microdrama work and was made in collaboration with P&G Studios, Dentsu Entertainment and Pixie USA. The firms claim that is the primary branded, feature-length “microsoap” to debut within the U.S., a market where the ultra short-form storytelling format continues to gain traction. 

P&G’s Native brand is tapping into budding consumer interest in microdramas, a quick-hit, vertical video format catering to mobile-first viewing habits. Native is thematically tying the soapy flare of serialized microdramas to a product portfolio that spans deodorants, hand soaps, moisturizers and shampoos that boast “clean” formulas.  

“This microsoap showcases our commitment to innovation as we try to delight consumers while fueling growth for Native,” said Anna Saalfeld, head of P&G Studios, in a press statement. “By mixing classic brand storytelling with the ever-evolving landscape of mobile entertainment, we’re honoring the soap opera format P&G helped pioneer and optimizing it for a vertical, social-first world.”

Microdramas are popular in international markets like China, but have seen larger adoption within the U.S. as people spend more time consuming content on their phones. The microdrama category is predicted to generate $11 billion in global revenue this 12 months, propelled by subscriptions and transaction payments, according to Omdia research cited in the discharge.

A trailer for “The Golden Pear Affair” will drop in January, with the series rolling out not long after. Details on the plot were scarce, however the logline guarantees an adventure-romance filled with cliff-hangers and thematic inspiration from Native’s commitment to using clean ingredients. “Every scent hides a secret,” reads a poster. The content stars Nick Ritacco and Alyona Real, a pair of actors who’ve accrued fan bases for his or her past microdrama work.  

Parent P&G, which acquired Native in 2017, is aligning the concept with a history of selling around soap operas. The company helped innovate the sponsorship model for pre-war radio soaps and has continued to work across the genre into today. Dentsu for its part is constructing out a stronger foothold within the emergent microdrama space, with its enterprise arm recently investing within the short-form drama platform Emole.   

Other brands have jumped on the microdrama trend to bolster their social-first strategies. Maybelline for the vacations is promoting its Instant Eraser Concealer with a twisty five-part series featuring the celebs of Netflix’s “Hot Frosty.”