It is a phenomenon first parodied by The Truman Show in 1998 — creating entertaining content for the benefit of the advertising industry. Ten years on, advertisers and agencies are keen to turn the concept into reality.

Sir Martin Sorrell, the chief executive of WPP, the advertising group, is pushing for his industry to work more closely with Hollywood stars and media companies to help to finance films and television series in which it can promote its clients’ products.

As traditional spot advertising between programmes comes under increasing pressure, Sir Martin foresees the advertising industry co-owning a slice of productions and possibly having involvement in the creative process of programme-making.

“There are some experiments being made by us and our competitors involving significant amounts of money,” he says.

Product placement is commonly used in Hollywood blockbusters and British programmes on commercial television are widely sponsored, but the advent of advertisers and agencies funding programme-making, and potentially determining plotlines, would be a departure.

It would also spark controversy about the quality of television programming.

The European Union is considering recommending the relaxation of rules governing advertising on television. At the same time, Ofcom, the British regulator, which continues to enforce legislation governing product promotion on all forms of media in Britain, appears to be leaning towards more lenient rules concerning television advertising.

In America, where rules governing advertising are less stringent, WPP has already created some branded content, co-producing the drama series October Road with Touchstone Television. That move took Group M, the media planning and buying division of WPP, into a role that traditionally is held by a production company, using its own finances to invest in the production. It then marketed opportunities within the show to advertisers.

The advertising group said at the time that many similar productions were likely to follow, suggesting that this was the start of a trend.

October Road, based on the return of a bestselling author to his small town American roots, made a strong debut on ABC when it aired in March last year. Although audiences tailed off, it averaged 10.5 million viewers and was recommissioned for a second series, with an option for a third.

“We want to do it [October Road-style production deals] everywhere,” Sir Martin said at the time.

“Content and intellectual property does give us an opportunity to add, or develop, a new business approach and a new structure to the way we develop our business, particularly in media planning and buying.”

To help to ensure that big-name stars are involved in future shows, Sir Martin also wants to forge closer ties with Hollywood talent agents.

“One of the things I think we don’t do well enough is develop intellectual property with people we know. For example, one of the things that’s struck me . . . is to work with Hollywood talent agencies like CAA, Endeavour, UTA or William Morris. We should work more closely with those people in trying to develop content ideas.”

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