"Stranger Things" is Netflix's hunt for a billion dollar franchise



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Los Angeles / New York: A few days before the July 4 holiday in the United States, hundreds of Stranger Things fans lined up along the beach in Santa Monica, California, to attend a Netflix Inc inspired salon Dressed in shirts bearing the names of Indiana's characters and high school, they waited over an hour to roll on a ferris wheel, eat ice cream and take selfies in a photo booth.

Two in the United States are part of the largest marketing campaign ever undertaken by Netflix, the largest online television network in the world. In recent weeks, Netflix has combined "Stranger Things" with Schwinn bikes, Nike shoes and Coke non-alcoholic beverages – all to celebrate the arrival of the third season of the series on the day of the day. ;Independence.

On Monday, Netflix begins a long promotion with Microsoft Corp. The tech giant is reporting Windows 1, the first version of the software that has made it the most valuable company. The application includes Microsoft Paint and Write word processor, as well as games and videos of "Stranger Things". The show takes place in 1985, the year of the release of Windows 1.

Like any campaign, this one is designed to attract current fans and attract new potentials, but it's is also an important test that will determine whether Netflix can turn "Stranger Things", its most popular original series in the US, into something much bigger. The company, which has nearly 160 million subscribers worldwide, is starting to subtract some of the $ 122 billion spent by consumers on entertainment-related products.

"The category is huge and Netflix wants to play a role," said Gene Del Vecchio, consultant and adjunct professor of marketing at the University of Southern California, said, "They will need to". a strategic plan if they really want to reap the benefits in the future. "

Pillars of Profit

The World's Largest Entertainment Companies Are Based on Properties such as "SpongeBob SquarePants", "Star Wars" and "Batman", which remain visible to the public via T-shirts, games and toys long after people have stopped watching last season. "Star Wars" has generated more than $ 20 billion in merchandise sales – a virtuous cycle in which t-shirts and action figures generate ticket sales for each new film.

Despite the success of Netflix, Netflix had a hard time deterring the industry critics that it debits projects, never giving a show more than a few weeks in the spotlight. The Los Gatos-based Californian company cancels the vast majority of new series after only a few seasons, due to a drop in the number of viewers. If Netflix wants his shows to sell toys, clothes and video games, he is keeping the interest.

"Stranger Things" debuted with fanfare on the weekend of July 4, 2016. A piece of unusual nostalgia for the 1980s, the show was created by two unnamed brothers and a cast full of actors Children and companions, the creators were initially worried because they saw few billboards or traditional marketing materials.

Magnet for Viewers

A few weeks later, the cast played on covers of magazines and talk shows. The show had been nominated at the Emmy Awards and was, according to external estimates, one of the most watched original series by Netflix.

According to polls, it's number 1 in terms of customer favorites, "said Michael Nathanson, an badyst at MoffettNathanson LLC.

" Strange Things "proved that Netflix could fend for itself. at "House of Cards." "Orange is the new Blac k" or "The Crown", the show was produced without the help of a major studio. It's also the kind of hit movie that media companies dream about. It appeals to all ages and lends itself well to costumes and toys. But Netflix did not even have a licensing department when this first season appeared.

"Stranger Things" has since served as a guinea pig for Netflix marketing. The company bought its first ad for the Super Bowl to promote the second season and has agreements with "" Strange Things ", dolls and a mobile game.

In September, Netflix hired Christie Fleischer, a Disney veteran, to lead her consumer products group. She in turn strengthened the group with additional hires from Disney.

While Netflix has a huge lead over traditional streaming media companies, Disney is still the model for a modern entertainment company. Each new television show or Disney movie marks the beginning of a franchise that earns money in multiple ways.

Frozen Treats

"Frozen" generated US $ 531 million in toy sales in the United States in 2014, according to research firm NPD Group Inc. "Star Wars "is a video game, a theme park attraction and a toy giant.

"Netflix fell on a commodity" Strange Things "," said Del Vecchio.

Internet TV is still in its infancy, and the company is launching a series at the same time, making it harder to get the attention of viewers as a weekly program would. 19659002] "Emissions start to fade and start to fade," said Allen Bohbot, producer of the "Super Monsters" children's show for Netflix. "With television, the show is broadcast daily and is repeated every week – a constant reminder to a child that a show will be there."

He can not speak first hand. Netflix bought the characters behind "Super Monsters" and authorized Hasbro Inc. to produce a line of toys. The toys did not make much noise and a more ambitious release schedule for the series did not seem to help.

None of these concerns prevented some of the world's largest companies from working with Netflix and Stranger Things to reach new customers.

"We are always looking for solutions that we can use to promote and enhance cultural relevance. Said Eli Friedman, general manager of brand marketing at Microsoft, "There is a lot of buzz around the show.

Tech Camp

The promotion with Microsoft will last all summer. The software giant will produce a video game based on "Stranger Things" and will offer science camps in its US stores all summer, named after the "Camp Know Where" series. Technophiles will be able to take science and engineering courses in more than 80 stores in the United States and learn how to create a mini-game related to the series.

Fleischer has set the stage for Stranger Things promotion for months, and for the first time will be marketing products around the world, including Latin America, Asia and Europe.

The company develops campaigns for "Dark Crystal", a series based on the characters of Jim Henson, "Klaus", an animated film and "La Casa de Papel", a Spanish hold-up show , according to people familiar with the company's projects who asked not to be identified. In 2020, a Finnish video game company will launch a mobile game based on "Stranger Things".

Bohbot, producer of "Super Monsters," believes that Netflix will eventually find a way to turn its success online into promotional products. [19659002] "Nickelodeon was nothing until SpongeBob arrived and became a hit," said Bohbot.

This story was published from a news agency thread without modification of the text.

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