Industry Innovators 2023: Netflix

"Industry Innovators 2023: 10 Brands Redefining Event Marketing" is sponsored by Gladiator Productions, a new kind of production company igniting magic in the arena of live events, entertainment, and experience. We consistently partner with our clients by providing high-touch service through every step of the production process. 

The Basics: Earlier this month, the streaming service hosted its version of Comic-Con for fans called Tudum: A Global Fan Event. Following two years of virtual versions, this year was the first time the event was hosted in person. The three-day experience, held in Brazil, allowed attendees to immerse themselves in Netflix series and movies with interactive activations and meet-and-greets with talent, as well as first looks and announcements about shows including the final season of Stranger Things and Wednesday season two, among others.

The fan convention can be seen as an extension of Netflix’s bigger push into experiential marketing, which includes activations and retail spaces based on its popular IP such as Bridgerton and Stranger Things.

"Stranger Things: The Experience" takes guests on an adventure through the darker side of Hawkins, Ind., including the Upside Down.Photo: Courtesy of NetflixMost Innovative Experiences: Launched last year, Netflix created “Stranger Things: The Experience,” which takes guests on an adventure through the darker side of Hawkins, Ind., including the Upside Down. The experience's storyline, which was developed with the show’s creators, lets guests enter into a parallel dimension where they must run a gauntlet of terrors and unlock their secret powers to help save the people around them. It is currently happening in Paris, Toronto, and Seattle.

At the end of last year, just in time for the holiday shopping season, the streamer opened its first-ever multititle immersive shopping experience. Dubbed "Netflix at The Grove," the destination featured a range of limited-edition items and apparel from popular titles, including Stranger Things, Bridgerton, and Squid Game. This idea was an expansion on the retail-meets-experience concept that Netflix debuted earlier in 2022. “Stranger Things: The Store” popped up in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Paris, and Dallas and featured merch capsules from some of the show’s most popular settings, including The Lab, Scoops Ahoy, and Rink-O-Mania.

In a nod to Squid Game, "Netflix at The Grove" included an oversize Young-hee doll. It served as a fun photo op, complete with eyes that light up red.Photo: Courtesy of NetflixUp Next: Netflix is set to launch a pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles later this week. Called "Netflix Bites," the concept will feature menu items from chefs featured on the streamer’s shows—giving a whole new meaning to binge watching. Among the chefs participating are Curtis Stone, Ming Tsai, Andrew Zimmern, and Jacques Torres. There will also be cocktails designed by the mixologists from Drink Masters.

"Netflix at The Grove" featured a range of limited-edition items and apparel from popular titles, including Stranger Things, Bridgerton, and Squid Game.Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

Netflix kicked off the third season of its series Outer Banks with an immersive music and fan experience in Huntington Beach, Calif. "Poguelandia: An Outer Banks Experience” invited thousands of fans and influencers to live like a “Pogue” (the show's term for working-class locals).Photo: Courtesy of Netflix