Stranger Things Case Study

How was the show promoted?

- one effective way stranger things was promoted was by its partnership with popular brands.

Reebok: worn by Dustin in the show and was an exclusive launch, brand was popular in the 80's which the show is based around appealing to the older audience.

Topshop: for the Barb fans of the show the brand refurbished its London Oxford Street Flagship in honour of the character - promoted on Twitter to reach more fans.

Spotify: matching users to Stranger Things characters they are similar too and music tastes.

Lyft: surprised riders with rigged cars and pranking in collaboration with stranger things - posted on YouTube which is another platform to reach more users.

Eggo Waffles: product placement in the show which the main character is obsessed with - naturally viewers would want to try them too since they shared the recipe.

Transport for London: became Stranger Things themed.

Playstation: another appeal for the Barb fans as she hosted the binge of the show.

Pop- Ups: bars in different locations transformed there area into Stranger Things theme.

Interactive experiences: virtual reality where fans can share and connect their ideas about the show which is also promoted on YouTube with the experience of a 360 view which has received a mass of views.

Who was it targeting?

- Initially you can say the show is appealing to a teenage audience but due to some of the nostalgic 80's references in the show and it being based around that timeline it could also appeal to an audience over 30. The show itself was broadcasted on Netflix around the world 15th July 2016. A survey did show that majority 56% of the show are 18-25 year olds and 75% being female.

- Moreover the show delves into a variety of different genres like horror and science fiction and by having such a large range of genres it has a bit of everything for the audience to watch and enjoy.

How successful was it in marketing the show?

- Nostalgic marketing was a clever way for the show to market, some examples of this is  having call backs and intertextuality to Ghostbusters and iconic 80's moments like the hairstyles and the fashion appeals to the audience from that time. The font choice used in the title and opening sequence is also distinctly 80's which is captivating and brings familiar feelings for that generation. 

- As the show was broadcast of the well known platform Netflix, it's able to reach countries all over the world which also get to watch the show and spread it by 'word of mouth' and online for people to see. A clever way of marketting for a different age group is the younger generation by producing toys and memorablia which they can wear and enjoy since the show has generated a large following and has been watched by millions.

- Again with the brand collaborations with fashion brands, which is at the age for the target audience, and social media where they can follow pages related to the show and create a community in which they can send fan art and discuss the shows theories and see their favourite actors on social media. The show before realising the first episode made a cinematic trailer on the 9th of June 2016 and 8minutes of Chapter 1 was released on the 14th of June.

How are products synergetic?

- Certain things that are promoted in the show Stranger Things are synergetic since they collaborate well together and benefit from the show. Elevens favourite food on the show was Eggo's which originally wasn't product placement in the first series however the brand benefitted as their sales during the show increased dramatically and they jumped on the 80's bandwagon also by adding one of the 80's adverts in the season 2 trailer preimier at the NFP Super Bowl - as well as that National waffle day was celebrated on twitter referencing the show Stranger Things.

- The idea of retro and the iconic 80's period by having included in the show places like 7/11, a blockbuster video store, an arcade and cars like the Chevrolet making an appearence.

- Throughout the show synergy continues with the fonts and colours used on the trailers and adverts. The title sequence is captured in the same fashion and origional 80's titles- along that with the font choices giving the same authentic feeling to appeal to that certain audience and creating Stranger Things brand identity of the show being based around that time which makes it unique compared to most TV shows.

How is cross media promotion used?

- Cross media promotion is seen clearly in the show by the usage of social media and technology to promote the show. You can see this on YouTube and Netflix promoting the show through adverts and posters. Even the shows creators promoted the show via the use of technology which is the most commons form of advertisement.


Fact File:

Budgets

- Netflix purchased the show and in Season 1 of the show has a 6 million budget per episode but by season 2 that had increased to 8million per episode which proved the popularity that came with the show through the marketing since they had more money to invest into the show making it even better. Overall by the end of season 1 it costed 48million in total which compared to most average shows is a massive budget since Game of Thrones only have a 15million budget. Despite that the show has achieved an 8.8/10 on IMDb, the first 35days of release they averaged a rating of 14.07 million between the ages of 18-49 and notably 10 Emmy awards. A lot of the budget was split into paying the actors each episode since they casted people like Winona Ryder who got paid $100,000 per episode and the props costed around $200,000 like the vehicles used to recreate the 80's look.

USP's

- During the show their is many unique selling points that draw the fans and viewers to the programme.

One unique selling point is the intertextuality that's included in the show. Stranger things shows a similarity to the film E.T made back in 1982. This film was a huge influence to the duffer brothers and they wanted the film to draw parallels to that. Moreover another noticeable link is to Stephen King and how Eleven has been compared to Carrie and the theme of horror in the show itself is a homage to him also along with the font style. Looking back on old films you can see image parallels like the nightmare of elm street with the monster through the walls, the group of young boys (Lucas, Dustin, Will, and Mike) and their frienship in the show is similar to the friendship group in the goonies, lastly in  Firestarter, the girl has head manipulation techniques.

Another unique selling point for the show is the mystery and the idea behind a missing child. The genre of mystery has always been popular in culture so having the show have a storyline based around that would draw in a large interest of viewers. Moreover not knowing what happened to the missing boy Will creates suspense and questions for the audience which would keep the audience invested throughout the show. Plus the show presents how affected the friends and especially the mother reacts to the news of Wills disappearance would make a parent understand to the situation in hand.

Moreover the storyline surrounding Eleven's powers and how she got them is another genre that is explored by the show. This would specifically attract the science fiction/supernatural fans to the show and since it's all based around a laboratory it matches that genre of science fiction. It generates question and adds interest to the show to see Eleven use her powers which is a good selling point for the younger audience who like superhero's and generates that same excitement despite the fact she's not the conventional superhero.

Lastly the genre of government conspiracy is a key plotline and selling point in the show Stranger Things. This again links the science fiction genre as throughout time is always been discussed and debated by people if the government  are hiding aliens from us and other mysteries surrounding that and seeing a plotline that does delve into that would be enjoyable to those who are invested and interested in conspiracy theories in general. You could this adds real life realism to the show as laboratory's are around and science is a rational subject but the show effectively explores what Hawkins have been doing and experimenting on.

Producers:

- The Duffer Brothers

- Shawn Levy

- Dan Cohen

- Cindy Holland

- Brian Wright

- Matt Thunell

- Karl Gajdusek

- Iain Paterson

Production company includes 21 Laps Entertainment + Monkey Massacre

Distributed by Netflix

Directors:

- Cinematography - Tim Ives, Tod Campbell, Lachlan Milne, David Franco

- Editors- Dean Zimmerman, Kevin D. Ross, Nat Fuller, Katheryn Naranjo

- All the episodes were released at once read to binge, Netflix subscription paying experience available for over 130 countries.

- Did minimal visual effects in editing to make it as realistic as possible and filmed on a Red weapon 8k

- The shows episode running times vary between 42min to 77min