Is it a brand’s job to tap in to challenging and sometimes dark political times, or to help consumer escape the darkness?

Both, says one agency executive who was intrigued to see both opportunities presented to her at the recent NewFronts content shop.

In this video interview with Beet.TV, MediaCom digital investment associate director Heidi Capnerhurst says the content she saw, as premium publishers touted their upcoming slate to agencies and brands, ran the gamut.

“This time there was almost a polarizing Effect of ‘We have content that is so purpose-driven and then we also have content that is just fun and you can escape this politically charged world’,” she says.

“Each of the partners in the NewFronts kind of straddled the balance between that in that kind of polarizing way. They really did a good job of ‘We’re fun, and this is a place to just enjoy and be you and create’ and then ‘Also we have purpose-driven content.”

The mix of play and purpose is something that may come in useful to Capnerhurst. She works on the Sony PlayStation account, after MediaCom won the contract from rival agencies earlier this year.

“As a brand it’s kind of our job, and as marketers to understand where we fit in that and where we can also kind of be in-between and the conversation-leading culture,” she says. “But also have this idea of play and this idea of fun.”

This video is part of Beet.TV’s coverage of the Digital Content NewFronts 2018. The series a co-presentation of Beet.TV and the IAB. Please see additional videos from the series on this page.