"Entertainment is the Trojan horse": How The Gold Studios is breaking through ad blockers

"43% of global internet users now employ ad blockers, and 58% of UK audiences pay for ad-free versions of at least one streaming platform," says Eddie Gold, founder and CEO of The Gold Studios. "Gen Z feels bombarded by commercials - they don't want them. People are literally spending money to block advertising."

In an industry where consumers actively avoid traditional advertising, The Gold Studios has positioned itself as the solution to this growing challenge. Their approach? Using entertainment as a "Trojan horse" to break through the digital barriers that consumers have erected against brand messaging.

From traditional advertising to digital entertainment

Gold's journey began after spending a decade as a creative at advertising agency Adam & Eve DDB. While he enjoyed creating TV commercials and billboards, he recognised the digital transformation reshaping the industry and wanted to be part of it.

"I saw where the world was going," Gold explains. "As much as Adam & Eve DDB was an incredible agency, it wasn't really leading in the digital space."

The catalyst for launching his own agency came from an unexpected source, digital creators who needed help with commercial content. "Quite a few friends who were becoming what we'd now call digital creators or influencers would come to me saying, 'Eddie, I've been asked to make a commercial, but I don't know anything about commercials.'"

What began as a side hustle creating commercials for YouTubers and TikTokers evolved into a full-fledged agency specialising in digital advertising, entertainment, and brand content for both talent and brands.

Solving brand problems through entertainment

The Gold Studios differentiates itself through its entertainment-first approach to brand challenges. "We like to solve brand problems with entertainment," Gold emphasises. "We're thinking about the audience constantly. What do they want? They want to be entertained."

This philosophy stems from Gold's observation that creators are intensely protective of their audiences. "YouTubers, TikTokers, creators—they care so much about their audience, which means they really care about their commercials. They will not create a commercial that won't do well because their audience won't want it."

This audience-centric mindset has become central to The Gold Studios' approach, even as they've expanded to work directly with brands. "Brands saw what we were doing and started saying, 'This is what we need. We don't need a 30-second TV commercial. We need something that's going to resonate with the right audience.'"

Building versus buying: The always on content approach

Gold is particularly energised by clients who understand the value of building something substantial in the digital space rather than simply buying media.

"We're energised by clients that want to build something, not just buy something," he says. "The biggest success stories online in the brand world are ones that have built something—look at what Red Bull have done, what Chase with Grace have done, what DraftKings have done, what Waitrose are doing."

This approach aligns with Gold's belief in the power of "always-on" content, a strategy borrowed directly from the entertainment industry.

"Your favourite podcast is there every day. Your favourite digital creator is there every single day. How can a brand try and just jump into the conversation once a year?" Gold questions. "When you go to a supermarket and see two bottles, you buy the product you recognise most. If you're part of the always-on conversation, you're always there. You will be the brand they choose."

Culture of collaboration and tenacity

Behind The Gold Studios' work is a distinctive culture that Gold has deliberately cultivated. "It's loud. Very, very loud," he says with pride. "When we were in a shared space, we used to get told to be quiet a lot."

This energetic environment fosters the collaboration that Gold sees as essential. "You do not want one person making your campaign. You want a group of people. You want multiple ideas, multiple options, multiple thoughts going into anything."

The agency operates with a clear set of values, encapsulated in a mantra repeated at weekly team meetings: "We don't settle for bronze or silver at The Gold Studios." This commitment to excellence is paired with what Gold calls "chasing with grace"—pursuing views, creativity, talent, and ideas with determination but always maintaining professionalism.

When hiring, Gold looks for "tenacity with a smile"—people who push boundaries but do so with positivity. He shares an anecdote that captures this spirit: during a pre-production meeting, a client jokingly mentioned wanting Greek food on set. The junior executive—who happened to be Greek—arrived the next day with homemade spanakopita made by his grandmother.

"This sums us up," Gold says. "Whether it's the food you're eating, the shoot we're doing, the talent we're booking, or the copy we're adding to the commercial, we do not settle for bronze or silver. We just go all out."

Traditional foundations, innovative execution

Despite their focus on digital innovation, Gold emphasises that The Gold Studios maintains a traditional approach to strategy and creative development.

"Strategy underpins everything. We don't go to a meeting and say, 'Here's a YouTube show.' We build strategy. We sell strategy. And off strategy, we then build creative," he explains. "We're not doing anything different to what Adam &  Eve DDB did. We're not doing anything different to what Bill Bernbach was doing. Strategy leads to creative. The execution is different, but we're still traditional."

This blend of traditional strategic thinking with innovative execution positions The Gold Studios at the intersection of advertising's past and future—creating work that respects the fundamentals while breaking new ground in how brands connect with audiences.

The future: Entertainment as the way forward

As ad-blocking technology becomes more prevalent and consumer resistance to traditional advertising grows stronger, Gold sees entertainment as the only viable path forward for brands.

"Ad blockers are everywhere. Gen Z, older audiences, they are saying no to adverts. Entertainment is the Trojan horse," he states. "We are now creating commercial work that people are looking for, searching for, clicking on. The time we put into a thumbnail is incredible because we're asking people to click on the commercial. It's never happened before."

In this new landscape, The Gold Studios is helping brands not just reach audiences but attract them, turning advertising from an interruption into a destination. As Gold puts it: "At the same time people are saying no to commercials, we're getting them to click on our commercials."

For brands navigating an increasingly ad-resistant world, that might be worth its weight in gold.