A literally EXPLOSIVE stunt! How did Netflix build anticipation for the biggest HEIST in 2021? [Thursdays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing]
Miles Everson’s Business Builder Daily speaks to the heart of what great marketers, business leaders, and other professionals need to succeed in advertising, communications, managing their investments, career strategy, and more.
A Note from Miles Everson:
Guerrilla Marketing.
For those of you who aren’t yet familiar with it yet, this marketing strategy is unconventional, engaging, impactful, and sometimes, inexpensive. Campaigns of this type spark an emotional reaction that leads to effective and lasting brand recall.
I personally enjoy knowing about various guerrilla marketing stunts. They remind me that promoting or advertising a brand doesn’t always have to be too complex, formal, or traditional.
Today, we’d like to share with you an example of a powerful guerrilla marketing strategy.
Read on to know how online video streaming service Netflix used a significant event in Spain to promote the final season of one of its popular TV series.
Miles Everson
CEO, MBO Partners
Chairman of the Advisory Board, The I Institute
Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing
The Las Fallas or Falles is one of the most memorable and iconic annual celebrations in Spain.
Held in the city of Valencia, the traditional celebration lasts for 5 days—from March 15 to 19—in commemoration of St. Joseph, the patron saint of workers.
In this event, various monuments and papier-mâché sculptures are made and placed at the heart of the Spanish city. They are then burned down at the last day of the festivity as a symbolic rite of cleansing, where people leave all the bad events of the previous year behind and start the new year with a fresh and positive attitude.
An EXPLOSIVE Guerrilla Marketing Stunt
In December 2021, Spanish crime drama TV series “Money Heist” a.k.a. “La Casa de Papel” aired its final season. After 5 seasons (6 if you count Volume 2 as another one), the show signed off with the conclusion of its most elaborate theft.
Photo from HIGHXTAR
To promote the series’ finale, Netflix and marketing agency David Ogilvy Madrid took their outdoor advertising to the next level by creating a one-of-its-kind excitement for the pulse-pounding season of “Money Heist.”
The campaign team’s strategy?
Creating a “Money Heist”-inspired La Falla during the March 2021 Falles celebration in Valencia:
The La Falla de Papel!
Photo from Las Provincias
The 32-feet flammable monument was placed at the heart of the city. Thousands of residents flocked the area to behold and take photos of the elaborate masterpiece.
A commemorative merchandise store was also set up near the monument. Here, people could buy T-shirts, push pins, mugs, and other goods with “Money Heist” prints on them.
Photo from Ogilvy
What else?
A giant billboard was placed in Valencia for 5 days to promote the final season of the TV series!
Photo from Saulo Rocha
Now, for the last part of the event a.k.a. the “burning” time…
On the night of March 19, 2021, crowds gathered around the area in anticipation of the burning of the “Money Heist” monument. With their phone cameras ready, many of them couldn’t keep their eyes off the papier-mâché.
Then, a voice from the loudspeaker spoke:
“Please, we need you out of the square. Get out of the square, or we won’t be able to burn it down.”
Once the surrounding area was secured, the campaign team prepared to burn the monument down.
3… 2… 1… BOOM!
As pyrotechnics engulfed the sculpture in flames, spectators witnessed a plot twist worthy of the show itself—one that carried a teaser for the season finale.
Photo from Saulo Rocha
Unlike other Fallas, the “Money Heist” monument didn’t completely turn to ashes. Beneath the papier-mâché was a message that said:
“We will burn, but we will resist.”
This message gave viewers a clue on how the TV series would end. Additionally, the unburned structure stayed on the streets of Valencia for another week as proof of survival and teaser for the last season.
Photo from Saulo Rocha
Was the “La Falla de Papel” campaign effective?
Thousands of people enjoyed witnessing the burning of the “Money Heist” sculpture in Spain. Some of them even commented that it was the “winning monument” of 2021. Moreover, many people got curious and excited to watch the TV series’ finale.
Below are the results of the explosive guerrilla marketing stunt:
- The “Money Heist” merchandise sold out immediately during the first day of the Las Fallas event.
- During the festivity, many Spanish media outlets wrote about the guerrilla marketing stunt, calling it one of the most unique Fallas ever.
- Throughout the campaign, the “La Falla de Papel” garnered over 5.2 million social media impressions.
- Over 250,000 people watched the burning of the Falla during the last day of the festivity.
- The guerrilla marketing stunt bagged 2 Bronze Awards at the El Ojo de Iberoamérica Awards in 2021.
- The “Money Heist” finale became a Netflix hit and had been watched by over 34 million households in Spain alone. This was a 6 million+ increase from the 28 million Spanish households who watched the previous season.
Great job, Netflix and David Ogilvy Madrid!
The results above clearly show that the guerrilla marketing stunt was a hit in Spain!
*Claps*
—
One of the things that contributed to the impact of the “La Falla de Papel” campaign was its timeliness. By connecting the TV series’ explosive finale with the explosive nature of the Las Fallas event in Spain, the campaign team successfully captured people’s attention.
… and besides, “Money Heist” itself was Spanish. That also added up to the appropriateness of the marketing stunt.
We hope you enjoyed reading today’s guerrilla marketing feature!
Think about a timely marketing activity for your own business too. This will help you draw your target market’s attention better and raise awareness about your brand.
Keep that marketing “fire” burning!
(This article is from The Business Builder Daily, a newsletter by The I Institute in collaboration with MBO Partners.)
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Thursdays: Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing”
Jay Conrad Levinson (1984) said that Guerrilla Marketing “works because it’s simple to appreciate, easy to execute, and inexpensive.”
Guerrilla Marketing is unconventional.
Looking beyond the traditional ways of advertising, marketers, and advertisers need to spice things up in order for their brand to have campaigns that not only make an impact but also stick to their target market’s mind.
Guerrilla Marketing usually aims to have direct contact with consumers.
This type of direct contact should spark an emotional reaction that leads to consumers effectively remembering the brand.
It’s about making a big impression and making that impression last a long time (if not forever).
Guerrilla Marketing can be inexpensive.
The effect of this is being able to create a buzz around the brand, and the strategy used to market it. Almost everything is passed around through word-of-mouth.
Word-of-mouth is one of the greatest outcomes and it usually doesn’t cost anything.
This is every business’ or brand’s dream!
Every Thursday, we publish tips, examples, and other useful content on unconventional ways of marketing and promotion.
Learn more about how to grab your target market’s attention and make an amazing first and lasting impression without having to spend a lot of money.
Businesses don’t really need to spend much for a guerrilla campaign. You do not need a big budget to be successful. You just need creativity and a good imagination.
Hope you’ve found this week’s guerrilla marketing insight interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Thursday’s Gorillas of Guerrilla Marketing!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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