6 Content Marketing Lessons from Stranger Things

What can one learn in Content Marketing from Stranger Things?

What are some innovative ways of using digital marketing?

Almost everyone with a social media presence has watched or heard about the blockbuster horror show from Netflix called “Stranger Things”. This show premiered in 2016 and has garnered significant fan-following and interest among the millennials. The show has been watched by 64 Mn people across 190 countries, and the show went on to become the most-watched show on Netflix to date.

Although the plot of the show is very interesting, there have been significant efforts from the marketing team behind the success of this show. Netflix used the theme “Upside Down”, which appears in the show, to promote it in various online and offline mediums.

We will look at some of the elements of the overall content marketing strategy, and what lessons we can learn from them.

1. Digital Storytelling

Many companies want to establish a long-lasting brand name and telling a story about the brand is the most impactful way to get the message across. One can define digital storytelling as the process by which people or companies share their stories and creative imaginings with others.

Thanks to the new growing popularity of new forms of media and digital technologies, storytelling can be approached with unique perspectives. Keeping in mind the following aspects can help increase the impact of the story:

a. Making users part of the story:

The plot of Stranger Things is set in the 1980s, infused with references to the pop culture of that decade. Although the plot creates a feeling of nostalgia, it is enhanced by the marketing efforts. Netflix revealed a range of poster designs that reference supernatural movies from the 1980s on its Instagram and Facebook pages. They took clear visual cues from the numerous sci-fi films that influenced the show’s retro aesthetic. Image Source: Instagram

#Lesson1:

Users get more engaged with the story if they feel like a part of the story. Companies should focus on creating conversations between the brand, characters the fans, and the non-fan consumers while making users part of their story.

b.) Creating Dynamic Content:

Stranger Things had developed a subsequent fan-following post its first season. One of the characters was Barb, a nerdy girl, who gets killed by a monster at the end of the season. Although the character was not of great importance in the original show story, hashtags like “#ImWithBarb" and "#JusticeforBarb" started trending on various platforms and transformed into a movement. The creators of the show used the real-life "Justice for Barb" movement as inspiration for narrative at the start of the second season.

#Lesson2:

Adapting to the reaction of consumers and integrating the inputs in a constantly evolving story can work wonders for brands. 

2. Social Media Marketing:

With the advent of digital platforms like Facebook, YouTube, etc. it is easier to reach out to users. Although it is relatively easy to acquire a user, it is quite difficult to keep the user engaged.

a. Leveraging Platform Strengths:

Image Source: Adweek

Each platform has some strengths, that can be leveraged by the creatives. Facebook allows creating communities, which helps in engaging the audience with more user-generated content and narrowcasting. YouTube allows us to share videos, as well as notify the subscribers about new releases. Instagram helps in sharing visuals that can appeal to the audience. Twitter allows giving short updates, which can be leveraged to unfold the story in a phased manner. There are numerous other social media channels that allow users to share the content, which can also create a virality effect if users find the content relatable and engaging.

b. Understand user preferences

Platforms also allow to share personalized content targeted towards specific audiences and give companies real-time data about audience emotions, and what type of content is preferred. Stranger Things created an Instagram page called @strangerthingstv, which was used to share snippets, throwbacks, bloopers, and other original content to keep the audience engaged. It was able to garner more than 1 million mentions within 48 hours of the release of its 3rd season, which topped most of the other shows in similar genres.

#Lesson3:

Leverage the strengths of platforms to engage users and understand their preferences. Multiple platforms can be used for unfurling a storyline while complementing each other.

3. Transmedia marketing

Transmedia is defined as a multimedia product which communicates its narrative through different integrated media channels

Transmedia can be effective in the following ways:

a. Digital + Traditional Marketing:

Netflix promoted the show at Comic-Con by deploying 20 pedicabs driven by Dustin, a popular character from the show.

Image Source: Adweek

It also created a pop-up bar themed on the Byer’s family couch.

Image Source: Chicago Eater

#Lesson4:

Traditional marketing like TV ads, billboards, sponsoring regional events can be used to complement the digital marketing campaigns, and also help in generating new content.

b. Co-Branding:

Netflix leveraged some of the characteristics of the plot from Stranger Things to collaborate with brands like Burger King, Coca Cola, and Baskin Robbins. Burger King even went further to create an “Upside Down” whooper meal at select locations, thus creating a media buzz around it.

#Lesson5:

Cobranding can help brands gain on each other’s strengths and help reach a wider audience.

Image Source: CNN Business

c. Experiential/ Interactive Marketing:

Interactivity is one of the highest forms of engagement.

According to Brad Nierenberg, experiential marketing is the live, one-on-one interactions that allow consumers to create connections and evolve with the brand.

1. AR/VR in marketing: Netflix did a paid promotion with Snap and created an interactive ad through a Sponsored Lens for Snapchat. The 3D World Lens served as a doorway to the Upside Down – the virtual world from Stranger Things that gives you an augmented reality experience.

1. Streaming: Netflix broadcasted an event on streaming platform Twitch where fans could take part in an interactive experience set in the basement featured on the show. The 4-hour stream ended with a trailer for next season.
2. 360° Videos: A few weeks after the show was released on Netflix, the company published a 360° virtual reality video on YouTube allowing viewers to explore the first floor of the Byers home.
3. Games: To promote the second season of the show, Netflix released Stranger Things: The Game, a free Android and iOS app using events from the show and similar characters and settings. It was a 10-hour game bringing with an 80’s retro feel of Nintendo, bringing players back into their childhood

#Lesson6:

Usage of the latest technologies like AR, VR, Live streaming, and games can lead to new forms of experiential marketing. This also helps in the creation of fresh user-generated content and media-buzz following that.

4. Conclusion

Summarizing the above insights, having the following 3 elements is a must for delivering a unique message for any brand primarily through a digital medium:

1. A good story: Having a great storyline which evolves with time and integrates user feedback

2. Appropriate usage of Social media platforms: Leverage the strength of different platforms for creating unique experiences and complement the story

3. Engagement of the audience: Engage the audience, keep the campaign interactive, and focus on user-generated content, which in itself becomes a self-sustaining loop of content.

5. References

1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/maddieberg/2017/10/30/the-scariest-part-of-stranger-things-2-social-media-domination/?sh=62a980bca0a3
2. https://blog.sprinklr.com/how-stranger-things-takes-marketing-back-to-the-future/
3. https://chicago.eater.com/2017/8/18/16164822/stranger-things-pop-up-emporium-logan-square
4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=22&v=QehwOg6n3JQ&feature=emb_logo
5. https://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/07/26/twitch-partners-netflix-releases-streaming-survey
6. https://medium.com/@theiuvo/3-marketing-lessons-to-pick-up-from-stranger-things-973053224eec
7. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/06/13/business/burger-king-stranger-things/index.html#:~:text=In%20a%20partnership%20with%20Netflix's,Whopper%2C%20but%20upside%2Ddown.