Netflix: Netflix

Credits & Description:

Brand NETFLIX
AKQA Sao Paulo, Brazil Entrant Company
AKQA Sao Paulo, Brazil Idea Creation
BANDO Sao Paulo, Brazil Production
VML Sao Paulo, Brazil Media Placement
Hugo Veiga AKQA Executive Creative Director
Diego Machado AKQA Executive Creative Director
Renato Zandoná AKQA Creative Director
Mauricio Dias AKQA Copywriter
Murilo Santos AKQA Art Director
Allan Langer AKQA Motion Designer
Aline Garcia AKQA Account Director
Mariana Pacheco AKQA Account Manager
Marcela Santos AKQA Producer
Daniele Wieczorek AKQA Project Manager
Carolina Campos AKQA Digital Strategy
Ana Júlia Agostinho AKQA Digital Strategy
Allan Langer AKQA Motion Designer
Synopsis
Stranger Things Season 1 captivated audiences around the globe with an original story, characters, and set of visuals that were at once incredibly fresh and yet hauntingly familiar. Since in Brazil the huge majority still prefer to watch free-to-air TV and don't know what Netflix is, our challenge was take advantage of the quality of the show to introduce the streaming platform to millions, bringing new members and promoting awareness for Stranger Things Season 2 launch locally.
Strategy
For the first time ever on free-to-air TV history, a full episode of Stranger Things, and 10' minutes of branded content were played. SBT Network permitted one hour of its programming following the iconic show Teleton, which has 83% non-Netflix user audience, to Netflix’s broadcast.
In order to promote the Stranger Broadcast, 15” + 30" commercials and merchandising on prime time shows started to activate the audience one week before the stunt.
We also created content and media on digital platforms and social networks including teasers, posts, Instagram Stories, and facilitated an interaction between brands on Twitter, where Netflix and SBT started a conversation just like good friends.
Relevancy
In Brazil, the huge majority of people still only watch terrestrial TV. To introduce Stranger Things Season 2, and attract new members to Netflix, we developed an integrated media strategy that drove our target to participate in an epic stunt: a one hour taste of Netflix, specially created to be broadcast on SBT Network, the 2nd largest free-to-air TV channel in Brazil.
We used the Media of one of Netflix’s main competitors to showcase the quality of Netflix’s programming, and explain how the streaming platform is easy to use and cheap to have.
Outcome
By taking over a free-to-air TV channel, we introduced Netflix to millions of people, helped Stranger Things become the most watched Netflix series by Brazilian families in 2017, and converted new members to the modern way of watching TV.
Results include:
· For the 1st time in the World, a streaming platform led the national TV ratings.
· Two different hashtags reached the global trending topics on Twitter.
· On Google, Netflix-related searches surpassed Stranger Things Season 2 launch day.
· Created 741 Million social media impressions.
Execution
It all started in a strange way: we leaked the title "Stranger Broadcast" into SBT's programme guide, and let media and fans talk about it. Due to the total secrecy around the stunt, huge speculation surrounded it. Three days after the leak, our media strategy began on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TV, through commercials and merchandising on major SBT shows. This created huge excitement about the stunt.
On D-day, the Stranger Broadcast reached SBT's audience through a one-hour content package on TV, and live streaming on Facebook and YouTube. This included a full Stranger Things episode; commercials that explained what Netflix is and how to sign up; fake products commercials related to the series; and a News Special that used decades-old news footage to connect the Chupacabra myth with the Stranger Things’ monster.
One day after, Netflix uploaded a 10' version of the stunt on YouTube.
Campaign Description
We created a one hour taster of Netflix as if the streaming platform had been turned into a free-to-air TV channel from 1984 — the same year when the series takes place — and broadcasted it on Brazil's 2nd largest network SBT, the one with best affinity with our target audience. During the Stranger Broadcast, the whole country could watch an entire episode of the series, plus 10 minutes of content specially created for the stunt.