Everyone from my friends to my parents binge-watched Netflix’s hit show “Stranger Things.” In fact, I had to put my hands over my ears anytime I entered the break room because my co-workers kept revealing spoilers. And, like everyone else, I felt a huge void in my life the moment I finished the last episode.
Not to fear, however, the show recently released a teaser for the second season. (Breathes sigh of relief.) But, with all this time on my hands, I’ve been reflecting a lot about what made the show unique. The characters were amazing, the plot line was captivating and the ’80s backdrop gave everyone the perfect dose of nostalgia (even for those who weren’t alive in the ’80s).
But, the most amazing element of the show’s success (besides my new hero, Eleven) is the fact that it used very little traditional marketing techniques. And yet, the show was a huge hit. Once I started thinking about it, I realized there were a few “Stranger Things”-inspired marketing takeaways that any brand could implement.
Keep reading for my four promotional marketing tips.
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Consider a throwback campaign
This is probably the most obvious takeaway from “Stranger Things.” The show’s ’80s references, throwback fashions and retro products captivated fans everywhere. For your future marketing campaigns, consider a throwback campaign: perhaps limited edition, retro branding. You might be thinking, “We don’t want to neglect our millennial users who were not alive in previous decades.” While that’s a good point, I can guarantee that millennials watched “Stranger Things” (myself included) and actually loved the ’80s nostalgia.
(Image via Short List) Promotional products that encapsulate the ’80s theme include retro backpacks, trucker panel hats, contrasting collars, lunch boxes, walkie-talkies and more.
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Let your product speak for itself
The show avoided most traditional marketing tactics. Instead, the show’s creators let the fans create the hype. If you have a great product, you don’t need to invest funds in numerous, intense marketing campaigns.
(Image via Tumblr) Try sending out samples to prospective buyers, and letting them try the products for themselves. Ideally, they’ll love the products so much, they’ll be eager to talk you up.
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Use social media
If you don’t believe that “Stranger Things” struck gold with no marketing, you’d be correct. The show did utilize some marketing tactics, but none that broke the bank. Instead, the show utilized online broadcast chat services, like Twitch, and greatly relied on social media to get the word out.
(Image via Twitch) None of these methods required a large marketing budget, but still were effective. If you’re not using social media to get your branding out there, you’re doing your brand a disservice.
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Make interactive experiences
“Pokemon Go” demonstrated the value of virtual reality, and so did “Stranger Things.” The show released a YouTube video that let viewers experience the show in 360 degrees. Currently, the video has nearly 1 million views. But, if you’re not quite ready to leap into virtual reality, there are some other web-based ideas, too. There is a “Stranger Things” Lightbulb Message Maker that enables fans to customize their own lightbulb messages, and a text creator that allows you to put text in a “Stranger Things” font:
(Image via makeitstranger.com) Consider using virtual reality and interactive experiences to connect clients to your products. Do you use virtual samples? It might be time to start.
Above all, remember this advice from Chief Hopper:
