Netflix really wants you to know that Squid Game season two is coming, and it’s doing so by greenlighting a massive marketing campaign.
The Korean drama series is Netflix’s most-watched show, and the second season of is one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The series is already nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Television Series – Drama category although it has not yet been broadcast. The second season premieres on December 26.
Netflix isn’t playing games when it comes to the series’ marketing rollout either. The streamer is running a massive marketing campaign to promote the new show, including IRL experiences, merchandise based on the series, and billboards.
Netflix declined to comment on the amount of its marketing budget centered around Squid Game.
Immersive experiences
For fans who want to get closer to the world of Squid Game, Netflix has launched immersive activations, including Squid game: the experience. The New York activation launched in October and was sold out for six weeks straight, according to Netflix.
A similar activation recently opened in Sydney and another is planned in Madrid. Early next year, Netflix plans to expand its activations in Seoul.
As part of an advertising deal with Johnnie Walker, Squid Game: The Experience features a sponsored bar that serves custom cocktails.
Bringing brands into the mix
XBox, Domino’s, Johnnie Walker and Duolingo are some of the brands Netflix is partnering with to market the new season.
Magno Herran, vice president of brand and partner marketing at Netflix, said his team tries to approach its work from the perspective of a true partnership. He added that Netflix has a global in-house team of strategists, creatives and producers who are experts in the fandoms and worlds of the streamer’s titles.
“The starting points of each partnership are different,” Herran told ADWEEK. “Our goal is for all of our partnerships to be authentic in terms of intellectual property and enriching for our fans.”
The Johnnie Walker collaboration limited edition labelNetflix
In addition to the bar at IRL activations, Johnnie Walker’s global partnership with Netflix spans 26 countries and includes custom Johnnie Walker Black Label Squid Game Scotch Whiskey, sold in 20,000 stores. The alcohol includes the bottling and packaging of Squid Game and there are 456 different bottles, just like the players in the series. The Johnnie Walker Striding Man logo was also changed to show a special tracksuit from the series. Johnnie Walker is leading the campaign in the form of commercials with the NFL, which will appear in Netflix’s Christmas Gameday coverage of the game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens.
For Domino’s, the pizza chain has already seen success with Netflix’s Stranger Things and wanted to expand on that with the second season of Squid Game.
On the other hand, Duolingo is a new advertiser with Netflix and is running a campaign promoting its Korean courses. The campaign features mascot Duo as a pink guard, for a “Learn Korean from Else” message, which will also air on Netflix’s ad-supported plan. The campaign also includes a K-pop remix of the song “Pink Guards.” The song “Korean or Get Eaten” is available on Spotify. There are also billboards in Los Angeles and New York and a TikTok campaign included in Duolingo’s work.
The Squid game consoleNetflix
And for Xbox, players will be able to choose their team with the Pink Guard Instinct Pro controller for Xbox from SCUF Gaming, inspired by Squid Game, featuring the iconic pink of the series’ uniforms. The controller can be purchased at Best Buy in the United States and on the Scuf Gaming website. Scuf Gaming has also created controllers inspired by the series.
Give viewers a choice
Netflix’s Herran said there was more marketing pressure on Squid Game this time around because the first season didn’t have a big marketing budget.
“We knew it would work well in Korea, but we didn’t expect the scale and level with which it captivated members around the world,” Herran said. “I think the stakes are a lot higher because everyone is talking about the show and excited about the return.”
In the second season, players are forced to collectively make the decision to continue or leave the competition after each match. As the game progresses, the choice becomes more difficult and more convoluted. This element of the show is integrated into marketing campaigns, he said.
“Many campaigns rely on the concept of choice and encourage fans to make their own difficult choices,” Herran said. “It’s no secret that Squid Game is an intense show, but its position in the culture is quite the opposite. From memes, costumes, and theme parties, fans have taken the world of Squid Game and created a lighter, more fun conversation and we wanted our partnerships to reflect that.
