The One Show
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Wednesday hates marketing
Agency Netflix / Los Angeles + Trailer Park / Los Angeles + Art Machine / Los Angeles + Hustle / Los Angeles
Category
Craft / Writing
Annual ID
OS23_IG052M
About the Work
This reimagining of Wednesday needed to introduce the new drama series, build anticipation, and lift up Wednesday to become a global pop culture figure as the ultimate iconoclastic and appealing outsider, especially resonant for her shared Gen Z tribe. Wednesday and Gen Z both hate ‘marketing’ aimed at them, laden with inauthenticity and condescension. Their inherent skepticism became the campaign’s guiding spirit – ‘What would Wednesday do?’. If Wednesday found herself the center of manufactured attention, she wouldn’t quietly accept it.
Six months prior to premiere, Wednesday first launched with a self-aware Twitter feed. This anti-marketing introduction carried through 83 Twiter and 163 IG posts in June and July. Every beat of the campaign was designed to drive social conversations and create earned media headlines. Wednesday often broke the 4th wall, speaking directly to fans. Her anti-awards post to Emmy Nominees gained millions of views and headlines in mid-September. Every new creative drop (teaser, art, character posts, trailer) was simultaneously released on social alongside paid media – and propelled additional conversations, more followers, and greater engagement.
Wednesday’s iconoclastic voice and anti-marketing attitude called out daily tedium in a series of out of home contextual posts ranging from commuter boards / posts / wallscapes, to transit and airport takeovers, and surprising ambient pop-ups like mirror clings, elevator signs, coffee sleeves. Each unit carried Wednesday’s sharp sting, provoked widespread social sharing, and kept building conversational anticipation.
In the final two weeks leading to premiere, Wednesday’s Black Friday and World Cup posts another wave of conversations. What Wednesday did – she became the biggest pre-premiere campaign in Netflix history: earned 3B owned impressions in the US, gained +3M followers on Wednesday’s social channels, and added +50M followers across main cast self-managed channels. Fans embraced Wednesday as the ultimate DGAF hero.
Global dominance followed. Wednesday became Netflix biggest Season 1 of TV ever, with over 1B hours viewed. Wednesday’s Dark Prom dance challenge melted TikTok with 25B views. That’s how the world snapped for Wednesday.
2023 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
Trailer Park / Los Angeles
Art Machine / Los Angeles
Digital Agency
Hustle / Los Angeles
Client / Brand
Netflix / Los Angeles
Photographer
Matthias Clamer
Global Creative Marketing Coordinator
Carl Smith
Global Creative Marketing Director
Jean Tanis
Global Creative Marketing Manager
Ali Feinstein
Desiree Finley
Global Social Lead
Angel Van Der Biest Arocha
Marketing Production
Melinda Okoye
Media agency
Mediahub Worldwide / Los Angeles
Media Lead
Isabella Kursman Neri
Out of Home Media Agnecy
Rapport Worldwide / Los Angeles
Series Planning
Joanne Yi
Video Director
Greg Jardin
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