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Uncovering the viral strategy behind Netflix's Wednesdaydance scene
Three tweets about four audience-building tips, five marketing hot takes and a great example of SMS marketing
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How Netflix’s “Wednesday” Generated 20B Video Views in Three Weeks
November 2022, saw the launch of the Netflix original series “Wednesday”. The show surpassed 1B hours streamed in three weeks, making it Netflix’s third most streamed series.
The series features a coming-of-age tale for the character from ‘Addams Family’, directed by Tim Burton. Episode 4, “Woe What a Night” featured a 01:22 dancing clip that sparked a viral trend, leading to fans creating videos across all social media channels. The #wednesdaydance tag on TikTok generated 2B views alone.
Social Media Trends
Netflix’s Owned Channel Video Views by Launch Phase “Wednesday” Posts from June 2022 - January 2023
Netflix’s videos posted on TikTok generated the top video views in the Launch (60%) and Post-Launch (45%) phases.
Instagram accounted for 25% of video views across all phases of the launch, seeing the most impact Post-Launch (39%).
YouTube, Facebook and Twitter generated the least views.
Pre-Launch Strategy
From June to early November, Netflix gradually rolled out “Wednesday” assets on social media.
This TikTok trend-inspired ad saw the highest budget at $879K.
Suggestion to Test
Personification: The TikTok ad was inspired by aviral trend (1B+ views) where people are asked what they’re listening to. The ad takes a personified approach to Wednesday’s answer, responding “The screams of my brother Pugsley”.
Preparation:In an interview, Jenna Ortega reveals that Netflix producers knew that her dance scene would go viral, leading to an early (organic-style) TikTok ad.
Launch Strategy
On November 23, 2022, Netflix launched all eight episodes of the “Wednesday” series online.
On Nov. 23-24, 2022, fans started posting dance content on TikTok.
Suggestion to Test
Find Common Ground: Fans quickly linked Wednesday with Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” song. The earliest identified video on TikTok features a fan edit of the dance scene with “Bloody Mary” posted on the day of launch on November 23, 2022.
Relating with the Character: A day later, on November 24, 2022, an early viral video was posted using “Bloody Mary” (33M views). It featured a fan using a TikTok transition to transform into “Wednesday”.
On November 25th, Netflix launched the only ad that features a video clip of the dance.
Suggestion to Test
Optimize: The ad features a 40-second clip from the dancing scene optimized to 9:16 for TikTok.
Adopt Organic Platform Techniques: Netflix implemented TikTok storytelling to keep viewers engaged, using text on screen to teach viewers the steps.
On the same day, Netflix posted cast reactions to the dance scene.
Suggestion to Test
Reaction-Worthy: Netflix used a split screen to show the original dance scene while the cast reacts to different moments. The cast provides validation to viewers who enjoyed the scene despite its awkwardness & distance from the norm.
Exclusive Information: Jenna Ortega gives viewers insider information into the production of the scene, claiming to have choreographed it herself, pulling from different references.
Post-Launch Strategy
From November 29, 2022, the dance scene became synonymous with a sped-up version of Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary”.
User-generated content posted online about ‘Wednesday’ peaked on November 30, 2022 at 1.7B views.
Late November saw videos that worked together to build the trend.
Suggestion to Test
Understanding Inspiration: The dance trend was ultimately dominated by a sped-up version of Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary”. The first major viral video (55M views) with that song featured a comparison of the original Wednesday dancing to Ortega’s dance scene.
More Information the Better: Viewers sourced Jenna Ortega’s choreography influences. Fans link potential sources of Ortega’s dance directly to specific parts of her scene, such as footage of the original Wednesday dancing.
On December 8, 2022, Lady Gaga posted the dance on TikTok.
Suggestion to Test
Celebrity-Character Interactions: On December 1, 2022, the personified Twitter account for Wednesday tweets that she sees everyone doing her dance to Lady Gaga. Wednesday links Gaga’s followers, “little monsters” to her own interests.
On the same day, Lady Gaga responded, validating Wednesday’s online existence and their aligned brands. Seven days later, on December 8, 2022, Lady Gaga posted her own version of the dance on TikTok.
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