Tanqueray wants to raise a glass to the second season of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” — and generate some publicity for itself while doing so.
The Diageo gin brand is teaming up with the streaming-video giant in a promotion that aims to create a new social occasion that’s tied to the themes of the drama series, which is set in London during Britain’s Regency era. The two companies are set to release a video for followers of their social accounts that will show Joe Jonas, comedian Phoebe Robinson and “Bridgerton” actor Jonathan Bailey turning “tea time” into “T-time” while exploring many themes of the series.
When it comes to working with Netflix, traditional commercials just won’t do. The streaming service doesn’t sell them (at least, not right now). And many marketers are finding that reaching consumers in an era when many are leaving linear TV for streaming video requires new tactics.
“We need to always continue to find ways to give value to our consumers,” says Christina Choi, senior vice president of rum, tequila and gin at Diageo, in an interview. To attract attention these days, she says, advertisers need to be more mindful of offering a consumer something in exchange for their time. “We are not trying to push something on you. We are trying to give you something you didn’t know you wanted.”
Some of the TV shows that advertisers want to associate with most, as it turns out, are not on TV, but only available via top streaming services that either show only a few ads, and in many cases, none at all. But Madison Avenue continues to try and work out new models that will tie pitches for drinks, deodorant and more to the entertainment being offered on venues like Netflix, Disney Plus and HBO Max.
Netflix has long worked with advertisers to put together so-called “brand partnerships” that help promote its shows. Teaming up with Tanqueray, says Magno Herran, head of marketing partnerships at Netflix, will help promote the start of the second season of “Bridgerton,” and potentially lure audiences who haven’t see the show to sample the first.
Such stuff is likely to come under new scrutiny as some of the top streamers unveil new plans to incorporate commercials into their business plans. Walt Disney Co. intends to unveil an ad-supported version of Disney Plus later this year. And WarnerMedia’s HBO Max is selling what its executives call “brand blocks” that pair pre-roll advertising with HBO’s library of movies. Netflix raised eyebrows earlier this month when its chief financial officer, Spencer Neumann, said during an investor conference that the company didn’t intend to offer an ad-supported tier but believed it should “never say never” about the prospect.
Recent Netflix marketing partnerships have had Coca-Cola reviving New Coke to call attention to a new season of “Stranger Things” and Procter & Gamble’s Old Spice unveiling new horrific scents and creating a promotional video celebrating “The Witcher.” But Magno cautions these alliances aren’t expected to ramp up exponentially in the future, because they each one is tailored to particular pieces of content and consumer insights.
“We are always super tuned in to what our fans are doing and how they are engaging with our shows,” he says in an interview.
In the case of the Tanqeray promotion, he says, Netflix marketing executives examined how aficionados of “Bridgerton” were talking about the series on social media and what sorts of “fan behavior” they could find. That led to the discovery of discussions, for example, about Joe Jonas looking like a “Bridgerton” character.
As part of Tanqueray’s promotion, fans will have a chance to win one of three exclusive “Bridgerton”-inspired experiences by sharing original photo or video content on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook highlighting their very best ways doing “T-time.” One includes access to the “Bridgerton”-themed Queen’s Ball in New York City, including complimentary hotel accommodations, an appointment with a stylist who will dress them in Regency-era regalia, and a “T-time” happy hour experience. Another offers a curated “Bridgerton” Watch Party with up to 10 friends featuring Regency-era décor and a “T-time” cocktail experience hosted at a lavish hotel suite or viewing location. A third gives ten friends the chance to take part in a Regency-era “live oil painting” at a “T-time” party in a luxurious hotel suite, where a stylist will costume everyone in “Bridgerton”-inspired fineries and a live painter will whip up a Regency-era painting of the guests.
Big advertisers still need to create commercials and buy advertising time on traditional media, says Choi, but standing out to consumers often means “really going above and beyond, giving your consumer something that they would not have been able to get without us.”
