Last Month in Marketing: September 2022

In August, we were still deep into summer vacation, when every week, a different colleague put up their OOO and sent pictures of some beach or forest or skyline. Yet, despite the fact that everybody was literally checking out, marketers nonetheless continued to outdo themselves. 

Indeed, there’s a lot to admire in this entry of Last Month in Marketing, and there’s an interesting quirk as well.

Careful readers may notice that several of the products featured this month would go quite well together, and are no doubt consumed together in many an American household: Netflix, air conditioning and cannabis. 

So, let’s rundown August's best marketing moments, and perhaps bring new meaning to the euphemism “Netflix and chill”. 

Netflix Cements Its Status as Hollywood Institution

Less than a year ago, Netflix installed a permanent marquee billboard off Sunset in North Hollywood. It reads, “Don’t give up on your dreams. We started with DVDs.” It’s simple, humble and fun. 

The billboard has since generated roughly 850 million media impressions and possibly inspired countless aspiring natives and transplants looking to make it big—similar billboards have since appeared in Rome, Stockholm and Seoul. 

But more importantly, the billboard firmly established Netflix as a Hollywood institution, something that didn’t seem real or possible even five years ago. But 154 Emmys and 16 Oscars later, that is undeniably what Netflix has become and it has quite literally cemented this legacy on Sunset. 

Sure, it’s facing its first real road bumps since the whole Qwikster debacle, but courting controversy while your popularity waxes and wanes, well, that’s about as Hollywood as you can get.

Experiential Gets Cool With an Entirely Unique Air Conditioning Experience

On August 17, Midea America, a New Jersey based Air Conditioning Company, rented out a movie theater in New York’s East Village to show a 90-minute movie comprised of a single shot: an A/C unit situated in an apartment. It’s been a record-breaking hot summer in New York, so the campaign’s timing was just right—who knows how many people have lingered in malls and drug stores over the last month just to beat the heat? 

Passersby were invited into the theater free of charge where they were encouraged to socialize, work, scroll on their phone, or do really whatever else they wanted to do. They were even provided free snacks. 

This is a fun, out-of-the-box experience that required little production and never pushed too hard into a hard sale. Instead, they just coolly simulated what these otherwise sweaty New Yorkers’ apartments would feel like if they had A/C.

We Don’t Know Who Killed Bunny, But This is a Killer Promotion

Hulu creative partnered with 15|40 for an experiential gem, a popup recreation of some of the most recognizable locations in season 2 of Hulu’s hit, “Only Murderers in the Building.”

Full of twists, surprises and its own zany version of reality, the show commands a devoted following and is ideal for experiential. The popup did not disappoint, with secret passageways, easter eggs, in-character staff and photo opportunities at every turn. 

It really does seem like they thought of everything here from Third Arm Gallery and the Bloody Mabel wall all the way down to incorporating star Selena Gomez’s makeup line, Rare Beauty, into the set recreation. 

This popup is a hype machine, pure and simple. As season 2 nears its conclusion, the hype is already high, with everybody trying to solve the mystery of who killed Bunny. As New York’s influencers and mortals begin posting pictures and videos from the experience, many fans spread across the nation will be no closer to knowing who killed Bunny but would themselves kill for the chance to take a picture in the diner where she ate her very last meal.

A Virtual Influencer and Brand Ambassador

Dentsu has built a Virtual Influencer, which they call Runi, and are now helping brands build out their own computer-generated personas to endorse, influence and engage their consumers.

Developed with a combination of real-life actors, motion capture and CGI, Dentsu VI was built from the ground up to appeal to Gen Z. In fact, the team drew from IRL celebrities, cartoons and other popular personas within the demographic to find insights and inspiration.

With an eye towards the future, Dentsu IV brings real-time interactions to all digital channels, offering brands the opportunity to build a unifying persona as they begin to push into the metaverse. 

Up to this point, most brand interactions in the metaverse have mimicked real world storefronts, not yet fully embracing the vast potential of an entirely digital space. Dentsu VI looks to fill that gap. Soon, consumers will be able to engage their favorite brands by interacting with a recognizable, personable and omnichannel digital persona. 

As Dentsu CEO Prakash Kamdar explains, “It’s really about going beyond just building a retail presence or a space but starting to really think about what else do you have within the space to drive more meaningful interactions.”

Viola Vibes Out in New Cannabis Ad

For its very first video advertisement, Viola—a cannabis brand owned by former NBA player Al Harrington—stone cold knocked it out. 

With four intercut vignettes, the ad introduces the Viola Vibes system, a simple way to help consumers understand the different strains of cannabis available and their effects. Can’t get motivated to get your day going? Viola has a Get Up and Go (sativa) category just for you. Insomnia? Try the Lights Out (indica).

In our favorite of the four vignettes, an elderly couple is spending a morning on their balcony, the wife fretting about her garden as her husband just tries to relax in the shade. But nothing can snap her out of her hyper focus on her garden, which is clearly souring what could be a lovely morning for both of them. Well, nothing until her husband passes her some Viola cannabis of the Kick Back variety.

Suddenly, Grandma is at ease. The day looks brighter, the garden will wait, and the couple can focus on the good things in life. Grandma’s conclusion? “Man, this is gas!”

No notes, Viola. None whatsoever.