With a stacked roster of new and returning original series this year, Netflix has regularly tapped into experiential marketing as a way to promote hits such as Stranger Things and Santa Clarita Diet. For its latest series, Godless—a limited series set in the American Old West that revolves around a mining town governed by gun-slinging women—the streaming service took inspiration from its female-driven plot to host a pop-up that offered arts and crafts demos and products for sale from New York-based female creators.
Netflix partnered with agency LeadDog Marketing Group to produce the Godless General Store, which was open to the public from November 17 to 19 at the 107 Grand space in Soho. Designed to resemble an American Western saloon from the 1880s—specifically inspired by the show's setting of La Belle, New Mexico—the pop-up featured stations with products from six local artisans, a photo booth with Western costume props, and a step-and-repeat with the slogan “The Frontier is Female.”
Participating creators at the store included photographer Jamie Beck of Ann Street Studios, who photographed cast members in Western garb at a V.I.P. reception on November 16; Stacey Dugliss-Wesselman of Cold Spring Apothecary, who led workshops on how to create a scented reed diffuser; Sara Harari-Buchnea of Squar’d Away, who led bandana-tying and -styling tutorials; Layce Heaton of Cates Custom Hat Company, who provided custom hats for guests to take home; Miranda Hope of Miranda Hope Jewelry, who worked with guests to help them create a stamped medallion necklace; and Fabiana Scott of floral decor company Florescer NY, who taught guests how to make custom terrariums.
The store section of the pop-up also led guests to a back room, the “Godless Saloon,” which featured Western-theme furniture, branded displays that included props and artwork depicting the show’s characters, and a bar where whiskey sommelier Heather Greene served cocktails and led a whiskey tasting.
Here’s a look at how Netflix’s Godless General Store engaged consumers.
