Inside Stranger Things Marketing Strategy: How Netflix created a regionally relevant content mix

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Sneha Medda
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Stranger Things 4


With Stranger Things making a comeback for the 4th time, their marketing strategy saw regionally relevant content in markets such as India, Indonesia, Ireland, and more. This was done in addition to the global outreach through content created in typical Netflix style.

Netflix's Stranger Things is one of the most expensive shows on the platform and according to media reports, for Season 4 of the show, the makers have invested USD 30mn per episode. With an investment as big as this, Netflix is going all out to keep the buzz around the new season. Stranger Things Season 4 marketing strategy is focused on geographically and regionally aligned content properties, recaps of previous seasons, and lots of look and remember Hawkins theme.

Here's a look at Stranger Things season 4 Marketing Strategy.

Announcement & Teaser Drop

After a long wait of 2 years, Netflix announced the return of their much-anticipated horror-flick, Stranger Things in mid-2021, with small teasers. The short video showed snippets of the core show theme - the town, the upside-down, and more.

Following the teaser releases, their official social media saw some posts related to the previous seasons to keep the buzz around the upcoming season going and jog viewers' memories.

Finally months after the initial announcement, the makers dropped the official full-length trailer.

A Stranger Morning Cartoon

In the same old Stranger Things style, the makers chose a different route to reach the mass; this time by tapping into animation.

To make the upcoming season more relatable and the already loved characters stand out, Netflix roped in local cartoonists and artists to create short-form direct-to-video animation films. Giving a twist to 'A Saturday Morning' and naming it 'A Stranger Morning'.

The films were renditions of popular scenes from the previous 3 seasons and ranged in a number of animation styles. These minute-long videos saw a good amount of traffic and promoting the new season also gave exposure to unknown artists.

Global Reach

From the very beginning, Stranger Things had a massive global reach. Following this already set trend, like always Netflix reached the masses globally by posting regionally relatable content.

From going live on TikTok Indonesia to roping in Bollywood star Varun Dhawan in India for the strangest interview ever, and setting up not so suspicious posters on the streets of the UK and Ireland; the makers went all out.

To promote the upcoming Tamil and Telugu dub of the season, Netflix made a promotional film with Musical Maestro Ilaiyarajaa.

To further reach the Indian audience better, Netflix also partnered with influencer and actor Ayush Mehra and Yashaswini R Dayama, who took a walk down the Hawkins memory lane.

Brand Collaborations

Not only within their channels, but the makers also collaborated with brands.

By creating food and makeup with a hint of 'Stranger Things', the makers reached the audience in unique ways covering all the aspects on a universal scale with limited-edition goods.

Generating Anticipation

The official handle of 'Stranger Things' and 'Netflix' around the globe continued posting anticipation posts, that ranged from never-seen-before Behind The Scene visuals to giving recaps from the previous seasons.

Mysterious Happenings Around The World

Adding to the regular posts around the release of the show, the makers shared a mysterious clue with a bunch of numbers and the city's name at the bottom, dated May 26. The cities in the post covered different parts of the world.

Following these mysterious co-ordinates, on the said date, 14 countries around the world saw the infamous 'Upside Down' rift open, covering 15 landmarks including Empire State Building in New York City, Bondi Beach in Australia, and The Gateway of India in Mumbai to name a few.

Indian fans got to relish the 'Stranger Night' with a light-up coastline of the city and an equally lit 'Gateway of India'. To showcase the returning of the series, fans witnessed a larger than life display of scenes, characters and popular elements of the series projected on the monument and creating India's very own 'Upside Down'.

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Along with this grand reveal, the cast of the show shared their recap versions and for the Indian audience, Netflix created a special Tamil version of the recap as well.

Also Read: Modern Love Mumbai: A marketing strategy befitting the Mumbai spirit of the show

Final Details

Finally, after months of creating hype and content around the world in varying languages and genres, Netflix, at last, announced the 2 volumes of the upcoming season with the release dates and a special clip.

The OTT app shared the first 8 minutes of the show, creating further anticipation and buzz, giving users an opportunity to sample the product before they invest the time and money.

And after that they dropped the final trailer for Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 1, tying the last loose thread.

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