By Patrick Coffee
Advertisers are trying a new way to realize a decadeslong dream of making entertainment consumers will actually watch: Keep it short.
They are producing "microdramas," the soapy, episodic vertical-video shows that took off in China during Covid-19 lockdowns and now seem to be making inroads in the U.S.
Marketer-made titles so far include "The Golden Pear Affair" from Procter & Gamble; "Maybe This Christmas" by Maybelline, and JCPenney's Spanish-language "El Amigo De Mi Novio Es Millonario," or "My Boyfriend's Friend Is a Millionaire."
Crocs tried its hand last month with a five-episode series called "Charmed to Meet You" on ReelShort, the top U.S. app for microdramas. The shoe brand's signature Jibbitz charms become a key plot device when the protagonist, a painfully single young professional named Lex, places them on her handsome neighbor's Crocs to show her interest.
Crocs hadn't made scripted content before, but was drawn to microdramas because of their extra-low production costs and potential to break through with female Gen Z consumers, according to Carly Gomez, the brand's chief marketing officer.
"In this culture of trying to break the algorithm and stop the scroll, you're really thinking about how to storytell in very short stints," Gomez said.
The experiment appears to have worked, racking up 7.8 million views on ReelShort over three weeks, according to Crocs.
ReelShort was downloaded 23 million times in the U.S. last year, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. The microdrama category is worth an estimated $3 billion in annual subscription fees and ad sales outside the Chinese market, according to media research firm Owl & Co.
But it's not clear how big microdramas might get in the U.S., or in what form. Most shows on ReelShort and other microdrama platforms like DramaBox and GammaTime operate on a "freemium" model, offering early episodes for nothing, but charging viewers to see the complete series.
P&G emulated that approach by asking viewers to pay up to $9.99 to see the entire "Golden Pear Affair," though they can also unlock future episodes by watching promotional content.
P&G sees microdramas as a natural extension of soap operas, which it largely created in the 1930s by sponsoring and producing shows to promote its household products, a spokeswoman said. She declined to disclose how many people paid to watch "The Golden Pear Affair."
Microdramas' appeal could be limited by consumer resistance to downloading another app and paying for content, said Evan Shapiro, a media analyst and longtime industry executive.
"If you look at the original soap opera, no one paid for it," Shapiro said.
When the products drive the plotline
Microdramas hew to an established formula, with each installment ending on a cliffhanger that pushes its often preposterous story line toward a final, usually shocking reveal.
Warning: Groan-worthy spoilers ahead.
"The Golden Pear Affair" revolves around two identical sisters, a stolen diamond and supporting roles for products from P&G's Native personal-care line. In an early episode, protagonist Sophie finds a tip her missing sister scrawled on a container of Golden Pear body scrub that viewers can conveniently buy on the show's microsite. And you'll never guess where that diamond shows up in episode 55, the series finale.
Viewers are more receptive to marketing messages when they serve a compelling story, according to Jonas Barnes, founder and chief executive officer of production firm Pixie USA, which made "The Golden Pear Affair" for P&G.
Barnes spent more than 20 years as a Hollywood executive but moved into branded content after watching film franchises he helped produce, like "Sonic the Hedgehog" and "The Fast and the Furious," deliver sales growth for partner brands Sega and Dodge, he said.
Chief financial officers can more easily sign off on a microdrama than on branded entertainment in film or television given the dramatically smaller budgets and turnaround times required. The average microdrama series runs 90 minutes in total, takes three to six months to produce and costs around $200,000, with premium series running up to $450,000, according to Barnes.
There are questions besides cost, though.
P&G chose to publish "The Golden Pear Affair" on its own website, in part because many of the most popular titles on microdrama apps are too off-color for the company's brands, said Geneva Wasserman, executive vice president and head of entertainment IP strategy at Dentsu Entertainment, which helped develop the series for P&G. Some of ReelShort's steamier selections include "Selling My Virginity to the Mafia King" and "Ms. CEO's Baby Daddy Is the Merchant of Death."
Marketers also want to see returns from their microdramas.
JCPenney intended its holiday-themed series "El Amigo De Mi Novio Es Millonario" to strengthen the retailer's reputation among young Hispanic shoppers as an affordable source of fashion, according to Marisa Thalberg, executive vice president, chief customer and marketing officer at parent company Catalyst Brands.
The show's finale reveals, in true telenovela style, that the titular friend is less a millionaire than a price-conscious shopper. "Everything fabulous is actually just from JCPenney," Thalberg said.
Every product visible in the show, from dresses to Christmas decor, was available for purchase from JCPenney using on-screen QR codes. The company declined to discuss sales generated by the show.
Getting marketers hooked
"Millonario" was the first branded microdrama from the Spanish-language media company TelevisaUnivision, which operates a micro-content app called ViX MicrO and has been pitching the format to advertisers since last year's TV upfronts.
Next the company will release a collaboration with L'Oréal hair-care line Garnier targeting young Hispanic women, said Tim Natividad, president of U.S. ad sales and marketing at TelevisaUnivision.
Crocs hired ReelShort to make "Charmed to Meet You," the first time the platform produced a branded series by itself, said a spokeswoman for ReelShort parent Crazy Maple Studio, which is backed and partly owned by Chinese content firm COL Group.
ReelShort is in talks with other brands about microdrama marketing, but is also determining how it will try to balance ad sales, syndication contracts and production deals, the spokeswoman said.
But attracting the broadest pool of viewers and marketers might turn on whether microdrama can expand beyond its current telenovela and Hallmark Channel style to other genres.
That's where the format is heading, said Barnes, the Pixie USA founder. His firm is working on a drama series for a hotel chain and a workplace comedy promoting a software-as-a-service company, he said.
He compared his forthcoming hotel partnership to HBO's hit drama "The White Lotus," adding, "I just have to build a story around the hotel, right?"
Write to Patrick Coffee at patrick.coffee@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 18, 2026 06:00 ET (10:00 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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