Young.monks

media.monks in collaboration with cannes lions and Netflix

2 weeks 466 participants 9 film teams shortlisted

The Stranger Things brief:

What can we do to reinvent the way we launch new and existing titles? Hollywood has been creating the same marketing assets to sell a series or film for years. What can we do to bring a refreshing take to the way we market entertainment? Create a 60 second video that responds to the brief and a 30 second cutdown for social.

Our approach:

Our insight: The mainstream audience’s attention span has dwindled. Because of VR and other immersive experiences like the metaverse, the typical trailer isn't nearly as engaging as it once was.

Our strategy: Inspired by video games and other interactive entertainment, we’re pulling viewers closer to titles than they’ve ever been before. Unlike the usual highlight reel, we’re approaching this from the first-person POV. Our audience isn’t simply viewers, they now feel like a character from their favorite, or soon to be favorite, TV show or film. The audience is transported to a surreal place - somewhere between reality and the show’s universe. They’re dropped in the middle of a scene scattered with elements from the story, fostering a sense of ownership of and relationship to the show. This new trailer experience is a giant PSA to its viewers: You can’t just dip your toe into this series, you’ll be sucked right in

Our plan for social:

Our digital world is becoming increasingly interactive, so we find it imperative that the new approach to trailers follows this trend.

As social media users produce more and more of their own video content, our new approach to the trailer will live seamlessly on social platforms. Cutting through that noise calls for more delicate actions than the typical idea of disruption. People are flooded with content, so they can sniff an ad from a mile away. To get users to stop scrolling, the content needs to (a) be captivating and engaging, but also (b) look like something that belongs on that platform (read: not a movie trailer).

To broaden our reach on social, we’ll have content creators make their own versions of a first person POV trailer at home. Social media users big and small will be encouraged to create their own trailers in this world and through this format.

Our plan for expansion:

The Upside Down is a fun place to play with visually, but we’re confident that this format can live beyond Stranger Things and will work seamlessly with any Netflix title. Here is a glance into how this format could support other existing Netflix shows:

The Queen’s Gambit: It’s blurry. Can’t make sense of what’s in front of you. Glance down, or is that up? Chess pieces emerge. Stand up and reach for one. They turn to blue pills and fall from the ceiling…

Schitt’s Creek: You wake up. Roll over in bed. A roach runs out from under your twin to the one next to you. A rose is in a vase on the nightstand next to you. A petal falls. You get up and walk to the bathroom. Your pathway to get there is cluttered with wigs from every era or style you can imagine...

Partner: Johanna Huss