Before Brands Became Studios: In the Motherhood and an Early Experiment in Branded Entertainment
Before brands openly talked about becoming entertainment companies, early experiments quietly hinted at where media was headed. One of the most overlooked examples of a branded entertainment web series was In the Motherhood, a comedy series that began online in the late 2000s. From the start, it was conceived as a branded entertainment project. While many people remember the series for its short-lived network television adaptation, its original web incarnation reveals far more about where media was going.
I first came across In the Motherhood while researching the kinds of entertainment being created online during the early days of internet video. Platforms were still experimental, and audiences were only beginning to form new viewing habits. At the same time, brands were testing whether the web could support something more meaningful than traditional advertising.
When I discovered the series, it stood out immediately. Rather than feeling like a novelty or a gimmick, the project felt deliberate. That sense of intention made it feel familiar in an unexpected way.
In many ways, the concept echoed an earlier moment in television history, when brands did more than simply buy ad time. During the 1950s, shows like I Love Lucy operated under single-sponsor models, with companies such as Philip Morris exerting influence through sponsorship and branding. Watching In the Motherhood, it felt like history repeating itself—only this time, the medium was digital.
A Branded Entertainment Web Series Before the Model Was Obvious
In the Motherhood originated as an online comedy project developed by Mindshare Entertainment. Major brand partners included Suave and Sprint, and the series was distributed through platforms such as MSN. It launched before branded digital entertainment was widely accepted or clearly defined.
Instead of relying on a traditional writers’ room, the project invited mothers to submit real stories about parenting, work, and daily life. The production team adapted selected submissions into short comedic episodes performed by professional comedians. As a result, the content felt participatory and authentic, with the brands functioning more like enablers of storytelling than interruptions.
Why It Worked
By the standards of its time, In the Motherhood performed well. Thousands of mothers submitted stories, and the series generated millions of views online. More importantly, audiences actively engaged with the project by voting, responding, and helping shape what the series became.
That level of participation demonstrated how digital platforms could support deeper involvement than traditional media usually allowed. For the brands involved, the payoff extended beyond simple exposure. Post-campaign research showed increased brand affinity and purchase intent, particularly for Suave, which benefited from being associated with relatable, real-life stories.
Why It Felt Like the Future
Around the same time, the Television Academy brought executives together to discuss what internet-based entertainment might mean for traditional television. Many studio executives believed online video would eventually drive viewers back to watching more TV. That assumption never fully aligned with my own experience.
My viewing habits were already changing. I gravitated toward online content because it engaged me and fit my schedule. Being able to watch what I wanted, when I wanted, with a single click quickly became the norm. Once that behavior took hold, returning to rigid schedules felt unlikely.
“Once entertainment fits naturally into people’s lives, it becomes the new default.”
That realization wasn’t new to me. Years earlier, while working at a supermarket chain called Alpha Beta, I helped create weekly mailers filled with ads and coupons. Customers rarely crossed town for slightly better prices. Instead, they shopped where it was easiest. Convenience shaped behavior more reliably than incentives, and media ultimately followed the same rule.
From Web Experiment to Network Television
The success of In the Motherhood led to a network adaptation. In 2009, ABC launched a television version of the series. Although the show struggled to find an audience and ended after one season, the attempt still mattered.
It marked one of the earliest efforts to translate a web-first, brand-backed concept into traditional broadcast television. The adaptation’s failure highlights how early the industry still was in understanding digital-native storytelling and evolving audience behavior.
Why In the Motherhood Still Matters
Looking back, In the Motherhood feels less like a forgotten experiment and more like a prototype of the modern branded entertainment web series. It anticipated a media environment where brands support content, audiences actively participate, and convenience shapes long-term viewing behavior. What Suave and Sprint explored then resembles what companies like Chick-fil-A and Gap pursue today, only with more advanced tools.
The project also reflects an era when the internet functioned as a creative laboratory. People were learning what digital media could become, testing ideas without fully knowing where they might lead. In that context, a branded entertainment web series didn’t just fill space online—it helped prove that storytelling could be the point, not the wrapper.
Although the companies involved have changed, what they created still matters. Sprint no longer exists as a standalone company following its merger with T-Mobile, while Suave continues as an independent personal care brand after separating from Unilever. In the Motherhood remains important not because of where those companies ended up, but because of what the project proved early on.
It wasn’t a fad. It was a prototype. Like early television’s brand-supported programming, it demonstrated that when companies invest in stories instead of interruptions, they help shape culture.
