Why is worldbuilding suddenly everywhere?

And how it's driving big shifts in every aspect of our lives

I’m mildly obsessed with the Quiet Place films and recently watched the prequel. It’s an edge-of-your-seat thriller and somehow still artsy. Artsy films usually bore me but it turns out if you add in some murderous aliens with super hearing, I’m in. I recommend it if you enjoy that style of film. 

The movie stood out to me for another reason, though. 

A Quiet Place: Day One

You probably can’t tell, but this title is longer than most movie titles. See that colon in the official title. It’s more popular than ever for colons and ampersands to appear in movie titles. 

Over the last 25 years movie title length has increased 14%. They’re getting longer because of worldbuilding. What do I mean by that?

Big franchises are a big cause here (and yes, Disney is involved). 

For example, check out the epically long title Pirates of The Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl [36 characters]. Most of the longest movie titles come from franchises like Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson, Indiana Jones, Harley Quinn, Pirates, Narnia. 

Hollywood is also making more book-to-film adaptations than ever. See Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day [33]. Reese Witherspoon has helped lead the book-to-movie pipeline with her book club production efforts. 

Even seemingly “shorter” titles are historically longer than average. See Where The Crawdads Sing [20] or Daisy Jones & The Six [17]  (both are Witherspoon book club films).

Big franchises and book-to-film adaptations feed our need for bigger stories. And it’s not just movies, you see it everywhere — in media, entertainment, consumerism, social media, sports, and more.

Look at the 2024 Olympics we all just collectively streamed together. We watched through Peacock, but the larger world of the Olympic Village and athletes was more open to us than ever, largely through TikTok. The Chocolate Muffins alone feel like they achieved their own cinematic universe.

Why do we crave worldbuilding?

Many of you reading this likely have day jobs that boil down to figuring out how to tell better stories. Copywriters, social media marketers, brand strategists, movie directors, PR professionals, etc. We try to craft stories that are relatable, memorable, and trusted.

Those storytelling skills are more useful than ever, but stories can also be improved with scale. 

By telling a bigger story over a longer period of time and within a larger world. Don’t get me wrong, you still need talent and approval to make something that’s not boring, but the scale of the stories we tell is more important than ever.

And that’s when wordbuilding says hello. 

When we evolve from telling a single story within one setting or narrative to building a larger history, geography, and culture that can envelope multiple interconnected stories — that’s worldbuilding. 

Pioneers of worldbuilding like J.R.R. Tolkien in the Lord of the Rings and the creators of Dungeons & Dragons built immersive fictional worlds. They invented cultures, world maps, lore, and entire languages.

These larger worlds become richer sources of inspiration, but they’re also a more detailed playground for our minds to escape into. All without any real-world stakes to drag us down (I’m looking at your Friday AM finance meetings). 

The bigger the world, the larger the escape. AND, the more likely a story moves beyond just entertainment and can become part of our identity. 

We define ourselves through the things we love and invest in. To signal that we're unique and who we want to connect with in the world.

The lessons of worldbuilding are more relevant than ever in media, marketing, and for anyone trying to capture attention or build an audience.

Madison Avenue’s Worldbuilding Heritage

Worldbuilding is not new to marketing. 

I grew up in the middle of North Carolina and as a kid, I remember getting excited every year to go see the Budweiser Clydesdales at Woolworths every Christmas. 

I knew it was clever and some kind of marketing at the time, but looking back on it with my strategist glasses on I’m even more impressed. To bring a beer commercial to life by hosting local events that families brought kids to (again… as a beer brand!) is a pretty special type of worldbuilding. It makes the brand real, wholesome, and relatable in a way that’s incredibly rare. 

Since the earliest days, Madison Avenue has consistently built larger worlds for brands through mascots, jingles, and unique events/experiences.They instinctually knew that the bigger you could make a story, the closer you could bring that story to the consumer, the more meaning it would hold for people. 

The Michelin Man was one of the earliest examples of a brand mascot (1898) and still shows up at Michelin Star Restaurant award ceremonies today.

Kellogg's invented the first world of characters with Tucan Sam, Tony the Tiger, and Snap/Crackle/Pop still crowding the cereal aisle today.

And Betty Crocker essentially owned the kitchen for decades. Betty’s "test kitchen" recipes and cookbooks were mainstays in most American homes throughout the mid-20th century and still get passed down as family recipes today.

What Does Worldbuilding Look Like For The Modern Brand?

Worldbuilding is a concept I’m planning to write more about. But, I’ll leave you with how worldbuilding is impacting marketing today. 

In a digital world of doomscrolling, AI efficiency, and the memefication of everything, consumers crave connection more than anything. They’re searching for identity and trust.

How can a brand create a bigger world and spend more time with an audience?

Two things: owned media + creator studios.

First, let’s talk owned media. I first wrote about the rise of Trust Content more than a decade ago. This is content that allows you to spend more time and more meaningful moments with an audience. It can include events, communities, long-form resources, webinars, and more.

But a sweet spot of Trust Content is owned media — specifically newsletters, podcasts, and video series. 

I love seeing brands like HubSpot build their podcast network and Robinhood launch their financial news media channels. I’m also seeing more startup founders writing on Substack than ever before. 

Owned media lets us spend more time with an audience in more meaningful ways. 

A caveat here. The quality bar for owned media is higher than it used to be. 

If you’re going to invest in a podcast or newsletter, how will it be different? What is your contrast? A 500-word highlight of company news, favorite links, and client case studies isn’t going to cut it.

Lean into personality and research. Hire top people or upskill steadily over time through training and iteration.

Owned media investments are not just opportunities to spend time with an audience. When done well, they can turn into culture. Strong communities create their own traditions and vernacular. Look at Reddit AMAs, OP (original poster), and Karma points. Duolingo has Duo the owl (Duo is watching), streaks, and lingots/gems (their currency). Or Disney’s cast members and hidden Mickeys. 

Duo the owl + Senior Global Social Media Manager @ Duolingo, Zaria Parvez

Engaged media viewers and communities tend build their own little worlds.

Second, let’s get to the buzzword of our time: creators. You may have picked it up already, but owned media requires internal creators. 

When we think of modern “creators” (which a few years ago we were still calling influencers but I digress) we’re really talking about video.

RedBull and GoPro are pioneers at creating internal creator capabilities at a high level.

I’m also seeing more brands invest in talented social media creators and giving them the agency to create something new and unique. Shoutout to the early innovators on Twitter like Amy Brown (the voice of @Wendys), Patrick Wells (the voice of @moonpie), and Nathan Allebach (the voice of @steak_umm). 

In recent years, we’ve seen the modern extension of this work by RyanAir, Duolingo, Flex Tape, and Aviation Gin among others. More brands are taking risks and allowing creators to take the wheel.

The brands that invest in internal creators are the brands that can build larger worlds. In an AI world, this looks remarkably close to real people expressing themselves, helping others, and being good stewards for their audiences.

Take a look at the work you do and the media you consume. Even the traditions you create in your personal life, friend group, or family. Worldbuilding is all around us. And it represents some of our best instincts as humans. Go build.