Credits: Social Media
Every lifestyle product Netflix has used to market shows, and you never realized
Streaming giant Netflix is not averse to shaking up the status quo as it has already completely changed the way we watch movies and TV shows and this approach also extends to the way the streamer partners with brands to help market its shows.
Most recently, Netflix announced a new partnership with bath shop chain Bath & Body Works for the release of a new product range to coincide with the arrival of Bridgerton season 3 later this spring. Since the streaming platform began to produce its own original movies and series, its marketing strategy has led to some well and truly unique and fascinating results.
Bridgerton brand deals
As one of Netflixs biggest upcoming releases, Bridgerton has been at the heart of several marketing tie-ins recently.
There is, of course, the newly announced range of products from Bath & Body Works but Netflix’s brand deals also extend to a line of vintage-inspired rugs by Ruggable, tapestry-style artwork by Sara Boccaccini, a Bridgerton-themed Varsity Jacket by Sue Tsai and a corgi plush by Newton.
Netflix has also teamed up with makeup artist Pat McGrath to create a line of Bridgerton-themed beauty products.
One of the most quintessentially Bridgerton tie-ins possible is that of The Republic of Tea which has created a teapot and tea gift set for the series.
Clothing and cosmetics
Another partnership that features Bridgerton is Netflix’s link-up with Lacoste which has produced a range of clothing for a host of shows including The Witcher, Money Heist, Lupin, Sex Education and Stranger Things – more on that last show later.
In 2022, Netflix teamed up with Drake to release a Top Boy-inspired jacket and more recently, the streaming service partnered with clothing brand STAPLE to produce apparel related to the film Entergalactic, Stranger Things as well as several Netflix-branded clothing items.
One of the most eye-catching collaborations came when NYX created a stunning makeup kit for The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina which was designed in the shape of a spell book.
Food and drink
Over the years, Netflix has partnered with a whole host of food and drinks brands to help promote its shows, or even the streaming platform itself.
Chief among these food-related brand deals is one with Ben & Jerrys as the streaming service has its very own ice cream flavor called ‘Netflix & Chilld’ which blends peanut butter ice cream with sweet and salty pretzel swirls and fudge brownies.
Elsewhere, Netflix has also partnered with Athletic Brewing Co to create a non-alcoholic brew called Geralts Gold in honor of The Witchers titular monster hunter.
Pepsi, meanwhile, has previously created a range of golden cans to market the series Money Heist, complete with Bella Ciao lyrics on the cans in homage to the song the shows characters often sing.
One of the most notable food partnerships Netflix has been involved in came alongside season 3 of Emily in Paris as the titular character helped to market the seasonal McBaguette sandwich for the fast-food chain McDonalds. To coincide with the release of the show, McDonalds released the product for real in its restaurants across France.
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Toys and collectibles
Almost every media brand under the sun has a deal with Funko and Netflix is no exception as the company produces collectible figures for a range of shows and movies including Stranger Things, The Witcher, Wednesday, Squid Game, Rebel Moon and Guillermo del Toros Pinocchio.
Similarly, Youtooz, Bandai, BE@RBRICK and iam8bit also produce a variety of figures and collectibles from a wide range of Netflix shows including those mentioned above as well as Cobra Kai, Heartstopper, Big Mouth and Demon Slayer.
Unusual or unique
Included in this more miscellaneous category are art prints created by Kathleen Neeley for The Witcher as well as a partnership with Walmart to sell Netflix-themed products at the supermarket chain.
Arguably the most bizarre Netflix brand partnership, however, came with the dating app Tinder. Through the app, Netflix gave Tinder users the chance to apply for its Indian reality dating show IRL – In Real Love.
Stranger Things partnerships
Weve left Stranger Things for last as the uber-popular Netflix series has been the driving force in the streaming services foray into unusual brand partnerships and according to the New York Times, Netflix has agreements with as many as 75 brands to help promote this one show alone.
As there are so many brand deals to look through, were only going to highlight a few of the biggest ones and this starts with a certain brand of waffles, Kelloggs Eggos.
Elevens favorite snacks werent part of a brand deal when the series first premiered as their inclusion was the choice of the Stranger Things writers. But in season 2, Netflix and Kelloggs seized on the opportunity to partner up, with the food brand sharing Eggo recipes inspired by each episode of the season.
Rideshare company Lyft served as one of Netflixs first-ever marketing partnerships. As season 2 of Stranger Things arrived in the days before Halloween in 2017, which is Lyfts busiest period, the rideshare teamed up with Netflix to offer free rides to customers and also included a Strange Mode within its app.
On a similar note, pizza delivery company Dominos partnered with Netflix ahead of season 4, with the brand deal including an ad featuring members of the shows cast as well as a Dominos app extension to let customers order pizza with their mind, although what this actually involved was using a phones built-in facial recognition system and pre-saved favorite pizza.
As Stranger Things relies quite heavily on its 80s nostalgia, a number of famous brands have appeared within the show itself, most notably Coca-Cola. The drinks brand has featured heavily in the background of the show and appears front-and-center in season 3 through the inclusion of New Coke, the infamous new recipe of Coca-Cola which caused uproar when it was launched in 1985 and forced the drinks brand to hastily bring back the old recipe.
Other notable Netflix brand deals relating to Stranger Things include Burger King and its Upside Down Whopper, Baskin Robbins who created custom ice cream flavors for the show as well as Doritos, MAC cosmetics, Nike, Lego, H&M, Monopoly, and many, many more.
