Let the games begin! When Squid Game returns to Netflix on Dec. 26, its tentacles are guaranteed to grasp hold of the global pop culture conversation.
A new campaign from the streamer and WhatsApp hopes to make the messaging platform the forum of choice for the South Korean show’s international fanbase.
The campaign includes two social media-friendly spots as well as outdoor placements, including an eye-catching Times Square display, produced in collaboration with GUT agency.
“WhatsApp was a natural partner because it gave us the opportunity to shine the spotlight on Squid Game fan conversations,” Margo Herran, vice president of brand and partner marketing at Netflix, said of the impetus for the team-up.
“We both play a role in bridging the world globally,” added Vivian Odior, WhatsApp’s global head of marketing. “Squid Game is crossover entertainment that was created for a very specific audience, and through fandoms around the world it became a global phenomenon.”
Tapping into global fandom
Fandom in general has gone global in the past decade, with Hollywood exports like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Fast & Furious spectacles often doing bigger business outside the U.S. than within its borders. Meanwhile, Netflix and other streamers have made it easier for homegrown audiences to get hooked on international fare, ranging from anime and K-dramas to European procedurals and telenovelas.
Odior says that WhatsApp only recently started to apply the “fandom” term to the engaged conversations around media and entertainment that they saw playing out on the platform.
“One of the roles we get to play is as a place for close-knit fandoms,” she said. “You’re able to engage on the topics you’re passionate about with people that you’re probably closer to than broader groups you may not know.”
While most WhatsApp group chats tend to be between friends and family, Odior said that serious Squid Game stans can use the “Updates” tab on the app to follow show-related topics and groups and discover what other viewers are talking about. But they should beware of spoilers.
“If you’re in a group of people where they don’t respect the boundary of spoilers, you’re gonna get spoilers,” Odior cautioned.
And as anyone who has ever spent time on #StarWarsTwitter knows, fans can also be a franchise’s worst critics. Odior acknowledges that negative feedback “comes with the territory” for any brand looking to engage with fans. But she also stresses that WhatsApp wants to be an “authentic space” for fans to debate the pros and cons of their particular obsession.
“We know that people are going to have a lot of opinions and we’re happy to be the platform for that,” she emphasized.
High expectations
Squid Game’s first season was met with overwhelmingly positive opinions—not to mention major awards. But that also puts additional pressure on Season 2 to equal, if not surpass, its predecessor.
To that end, Netflix has been extra-careful with the rollout of new episodes, declining to make them widely available to press. (Golden Globes voters did score an early look, and nominated Season 2 for Best Television Series — Drama before anyone else had seen it.)
For her part, Herran said that Netflix is well-aware of the “high expectations” around Season 2 and it has informed the overall marketing approach, including the WhatsApp ads, which feature only fleeting glimpses of the new season.
“We intentionally focused on ways to celebrate their favorite themes, unforgettable moments, and characters from the show, and we found new ways to fuel their anticipation for Season 2,” she noted.
Looking ahead, Odior hopes to see other Netflix fandoms flocks to WhatsApp to talk about their favorite series. As a self-confessed fan of period romances, she’d be most eager to jump into Bridgerton-based conversations—although she’s also excited for the overdue return of Stranger Things next year. “They’re so grown, oh my gosh,” Odior joked about the show’s now-adult cast.
WhatsApp previously partnered with Netflix to create a Stranger Things sticker pack, which launched with the show’s fourth season in 2022. But don’t expect any special Squid Game emojis to debut as Season 2 gets underway.
“The point of this campaign was not to create a way to talk about Squid Game, but to shine a light on the fact that fans are already going to be doing that,” Odior explained. “We wanted fans to know that we see you and we’re in it with you.”
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