Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

By using Live performances of sentimental Mandopop music set to sentimental vignettes of friendship found in Stranger Things, typical on-screen promos could be experienced for real instead through the power of music.

Background

Stranger Things Season 3 was due to be launched in Taiwan. However, in spite of its success globally, the hit series never made it to the Top 10 charts in Taiwan. As the name itself suggests, the show attracts fans of the thriller/horror genre. But in Taiwan, shows that are of a more sentimental romantic nature dominate the popularity charts. We were tasked to rethink how to re-launch the franchise to an audience that hasn't got onto the Stranger Things bandwagon even after two successful seasons. Marketing Objective – Increase brand awareness and local viewership ratings for the series.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Using sentimental Mandopop classics, we promoted the essence of friendship found in Stranger Things to Taiwanese.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

At its heart Stranger Things is about the beauty of friendship. Our target audience were Taiwanese who steered clear of the hit series even after two seasons, because of the fear of the horror genre, or what they had perceived Stranger Things to be. Data has shown that in the local market, majority of shows that have done exceptionally well have always been of the sentimental nature, focusing on social relationships. To speak to non fans, our strategy was to avoid all things "Strange" and instead make Taiwanese see the show in a new light. Which is to focus on the Friendship between the young protagonists as the central theme of our promo. And lastly, with Netflix being a foreign entertainment provider, in a scene hotly contested by Asian content channels, the ability to localise promotional materials would resonate more with Taiwanese.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

First we divided the friendship found in Stranger Things into 5 sub themes. 1) Unlikely Besties 2) Enduring Friendship 3) Torn between Bromance and Romance 4) Going to the deepest ends for a friend 5) Overcoming all adversities Then we found 5 Mandopop Classic hits that romanced these themes. Featuring hit songs by Emil Chau, Jackie Cheung, Ronald Cheng, Shin, MayDay and Little Tigers. Matching songs to sentimental scenes, we cut new music videos, carefully avoiding spoilers and plot twists. Next we engaged seven of the most popular street buskers in Taipei for special live performances of these hits set to our new video content displayed on set. For context of scale - the Top 3 groups from these 7 boast a fanbase averaging over 70,000 each. Over the weekend of July 7th to 8th, we staged seven branded mini concerts in three prime spots within central Taipei.

List the results (30% of vote)

With the power of sentimental Mandopop music, our campaign made non-fans see the series in a whole new light. For the first time, since Stranger Things first began in 2016, the show broke into Netflix’s Top 10 viewership rankings in Taiwan. On social media, the campaign had: Total reach of 175k on Instagram Over 15,000 votes for friendship tune favourites 668% increase in social mentions 20% increase in new fans during launch week