Released in installments over the Christmas and New Year break, the Stranger Things finale is much anticipated, as many people wait with bated breath to find out the fate of Will, Eleven, and the gang in the final episodes.

With the rapid change of pace and vast amount of content we consume today, it’s hard to dominate the cultural zeitgeist for any period. However, for the last decade, Stranger Things has sustained popularity and become a global phenomenon, with viewers desperate to return to Hawkin’s time and time again.

How do they do it? The star-studded cast, unique plot and iconic soundtrack are all important, but, particularly with this fifth and final season, the PR and marketing has been critical in ensuring record breaking engagement and viewership. Let’s take a look at what makes the Netflix and Stranger Things marketing strategy so successful, and what B2B brands can learn from their approach. 

Drip feed your content

Unlike previous series of Stranger Things, Season 5 is dropping in multiple installments. As with every campaign, timing is everything, and episodes are strategically planned for when viewers are off work/school. For example, episodes will drop Christmas Day and New Years Eve, hitting cultural pillars where fans are often at home, slowing down, and looking for crowd pleasing TV.  

It’s an innovative idea which draws on the nostalgia of pre- streaming simultaneous viewing, giving fans a shared experience and reminding them of past shows which dominated Christmas viewing (X Factor finals anyone?!).  Consequentially, The Stranger Things finale is no longer being viewed as an episode of television and instead has become synonymous with the festive period. While B2B companies might not be speaking directly to a consumer audience, PR and marketing teams must still think about the time of year, what people want to read and what journalists are likely to be writing about. B2B companies should always consider how a story can be elevated by tying it to a cultural moment, trend or named day, for example International Women’s Day. This can help ensure engagement, and at this time of year in particular, pitching news that’s seasonally relevant can help journalists fill their “Christmas basket” of pre-prepared stories to run in the quiet period between Christmas and the New Year.

Put people at the centre of the story

The promotion for the show has also largely centered around the talented, stylish and now, very well-known cast members. Another key lesson for marketing and PR, people should be at the centre of storytelling. Putting the individual stars at the heart of the campaign keeps viewers engaged, especially if they can discuss the show in a fun way or share an opinion. Currently, you can’t look at a news site, TikTok or Instagram without seeing the cast front and centre, from interviews, to advertisements, to photoshoots.  
 

This approach means that viewers feel they really know the characters well, and buy into the show makers’ vision of how the story will play out.  

For B2B companies, the lesson is exactly the same, PR is a people business. No one tells a story or compels an audience better than a strong spokesperson who can speak in an engaging manner about their product or service. Ideally, a spokesperson will be able to speak confidently about their products and services as well as other related issues of interest. 

Use data to power relevance

Data is a valuable asset to any marketing campaign! Ahead of the Stranger Things final series, Netflix used first‑party viewing data to micro‑target fans with personalised placements, emails and even used different promotional artwork in the app depending on the audience being targeted.  

This data‑driven approach bolstered the Stranger Things marketing strategy by boosting reach and loyalty. B2B marketing and comms campaigns can readily adopt this strategy to improve results. First, think about adapting messaging, visuals and CTAs by sector, role, and buying stage. Also personalise content around the pain point each customer segment cares about most. 

Volume 1, episodes 1-4, launched at the end of November, achieving 59.6m views in its first five days on the platform, making for the best premiere week for an English-language series ever on Netflix. It is highly likely that Volume 2 will smash records once again, cementing Stranger Things as a blueprint for success, not only in TV and streaming, but in marketing and PR too. 

Need help turning your marketing campaigns “upside‑down” and bringing them to life? Get in touch with the team today on hello@pearl-comms.com and we can help!