A waitress from small-town Ohio is unwittingly ensnared in her jet-setting twin sister’s international jewelry heist scheme — and ends up falling for the dashing Interpol agent who’s tracking down her kidnapped sibling. The end!
OK, the story isn’t quite that rapid fire. But that’s the gist of “The Golden Pear Affair,” a “microsoap” that runs 50 episodes, most clocking in at under two minutes, produced by P&G. The show, which debuted online earlier this year, is meant to entertain. But it also functions as an 80-minute ad for Native, P&G’s personal-care line that includes deodorants and body wash, which makes cameo appearances throughout the narrative, starting with the brand’s Japanese Golden Pear scent.
“P&G invented soap operas, and this is the modern-day version,” says Stevie Archer, chief creative officer for ad agency M+C Saatchi Group (which wasn’t involved in the project).
Amid the tech talk that will inevitably swirl around AI at Cannes Lions this month, microdramas and other series shot in vertical video are set to be a hot topic on the Croisette at the annual advertising festival. The microdrama format originated in Asia, and it’s now being quickly adopted — and adapted — by U.S. studios, producers and brands as a vehicle to reach younger (i.e. Gen Z) audiences gobbling up short-form video hits on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
