How Netflix took marketing and turned it Upside Down. The not-so strange case of Stranger Things.

Who's already binge-watched the new season of Stranger Things? It felt like it was the only topic to talk about this weekend.

At least 10 people asked me if I've finished it yet. Come the work week - the chatter will continue. 'Did you watch it?' 'Hey! No spoilers!'.The hype is real.

This type of buzz is synonymous with a Netflix show - and one of the main reasons they have been so successful.

The thing is - what they are doing to build the hype, really isn't anything new.

When you think of Netflix - the words innovative, disruptive and new come to mind - with good reason. They have upended the entertainment industry in a way never before seen.

But their marketing hasn't followed the same path. In fact, the core of their strategy remains with one of the oldest forms of advertising. They've just turned it Upside Down for the digital age.

It's word-of-mouth.

Yep. It's not the big, sexy TV ad that is on our screens for weeks, or the jumbo billboards plastered around every major city.

Instead, Netflix have taken the concept of word-of-mouth and super-charged it into the perfect hype machine for the digital age. Now, they have everyone doing the heavy lifting for them - whether it be sharing the content online, commenting about the latest partnership, or talking about it at the water cooler.

People are influencing people.

This 'virality' so to speak, can sometimes be viewed in marketing as fickle. Some people still think going viral is all about luck. Right time, right place - boom. Viral cat videos!

However in Jonah Berger's 2013 book 'Contagious', he argues that this is just plain wrong.

Berger puts forward evidence to suggest it comes down to an actual science - a formula to create word-of-mouth which is underpinned by human behavior. Simply, there's a reason we talk about some things more than others.

In the research, Berger continually found that the same set of principles, like creating triggers, social proofing, and forming a 'social currency' as the way to get people talking.

This is the case with Netflix and Stranger Things. Every partnership, tactic or execution has word-of-mouth at it's core - they just turn it Upside Down to thrive within the digital ecosystem.

Here's how:

Create triggers at the strangest of times

Netflix got creative by tapping into the daily habits of a consumer - like hailing a ride, or listening to music, and connecting it to Stranger Things. Each was inherently shareable that would allow word-of-mouth to spread.

The first example is their partnership with Spotify, which fit perfectly with the show's heavy ties to music culture. Each Spotify user can connect their music profile (based on what they listen to) to what each of the Stranger Things characters would be listening to - creating a unique playlist. Simple, interactive and easily shareable.

The second partnership was with Lyft - Uber's main rival in the US.

Customers in certain US states could order a 'Strange Mode' Lyft vehicle over Halloween - which came full with radio interference, blinking lights, and the driver would even vomit a slug. Everyone told their friends - and it tapped into a key time when people were hailing lifts to get to Halloween parties. Perfect.

Using Berger's principle of social triggers - Berger found that if something was top-of-mind more often - it would create talk-ability that would last. Here, Netflix found a way to embed Stranger Things into the daily habits of their audience - in a way that makes them a part of the daily conversation.

Building social currency through a not-so strange tactic

Have you seen the latest 'insert movie' trailer? Thanks to social media, some movie trailers can get even bigger than the actual movie itself.

Netflix is no stranger to this - and they have used this tactic to create a huge wave of word-of-mouth when dropping the final trailer for Stranger Things.

Another of Berger's principle's is to create 'social currency' - and Netflix have done just that by tapping into people's desire to be 'in-the-know'. No FOMO for this generation. They knew people wanted to be the first to see it, and that they would share with all their friends to get social props. They did, with close to 13 million views, shares and engagements for the trailer since launch.

As proof that this continued on across social - this month Stranger Things was mentioned an additional 2 million times across social posts. The hype is real.

Strange and new experiences to spur sharing.

Netflix also partnered with Snapchat to encourage sharing and word-of-mouth on the platform in the lead-up to launch. They created a unique 'world-lens' within the app, one of the world's first, that took users inside the show's 'Upside Down' world. It went public across 11 countries this past weekend.

Berger speaks to 'going public' as a principle - with it being important to firstly catch the public's eye with distinctive branding - and then find a way for users to imitate each other, and spread the word. This social proofing gives people the confidence to share - if one person is doing it, I will too.

This type of push makes Snapchat the perfect medium. Users copy each other with the use of filters, sharing with their friends - and pushing word of mouth out throughout Halloween. 'Have you tried the Snapchat filter yet'?

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Hi I’m Luke Maher, a passionate advertising guy working in Melbourne, Australia. Currently my role at Initiative is to evolve the communications of some of the leading businesses in the country.

I like to write about all things advertising and technology, and have been fortunate to be recognized as one of the Australia's top LinkedIn Newcomer Influencers for 2017. See below a few of my favorite pieces.

• Humanise or ostracise: A thought piece around new technologies challenging real human connection
• Filter bubbles everywhere: A thought piece on a new platform that would do the exact opposite
• The $#@!$ mobile experience: A view on how we can fix the mobile experience for customers

If you have any questions or would like to reach out – please contact me at [email protected]