Brands are eager to partner with Netflix’s Stranger Things to reach young viewers.

Brands are eager to partner with Netflix’s Stranger Things to reach young viewers.When season 3 of the hit series was coming up, YPulse noted that Stranger Things brand integrations were a hint of the future of advertising to generations of viewers who flock to platforms without ads, and we’ve since seen that brand collabs have expanded to other Netflix series as well. For season 4, brands from Timex to JanSport to Doritos have been eager to create merch and marketing surrounding the show—though the balance of power has shifted. There is more SVOD competition than ever, and in the wake of their recent 200k+ subscriber loss Netflix is under more pressure to prove their worth to brands. More “brand-friendly hits” and “mainstream shows that stretch across months and years” could be key to their success. Still, Netflix continues to be the top platform that young consumers watch content on weekly by far, according to YPulse data, and for brands looking to reach Gen Z and Millennials, creative campaigns around some of their most popular shows are a must. As Domino’s explains of their Stranger Things campaign (which includes a commercial features some of the series’ stars and an app that lets you order pizza with your mind): “This is a play to reach a younger audience, and their expectations are higher. They don’t want to be advertised to in obvious ways.” (Fast Company)