One of the strangest phenomena of the COVID 19 pandemic has been the roaring success of Netflix’s Tiger King series. Some people have compared it to a train wreck, when you just can’t seem to look away. Love it or hate it, the show has captured America’s attention in a time when distraction and levity is needed most. But out of all of the things to watch on Netlfix, how did Tiger King break through the noise to become such a huge hit? We have some theories, nearly all of which could be applied to boost your advertising strategy.
Tiger King Tips for Advertising During a Crisis
1. Be Bold: No, you don’t need to have someone with a mullet and a mustache posing in leopard print with a tiger (though in this case it didn’t hurt). Being bold means being able to capture attention and interest at first sight. In advertising, this could look like using motion or animation in your ad. It could also mean using different colors or images in your creative. Typically, simple text on a background with no animation isn’t enough to get people to click on a digital ad, so the more creative you can get, the better.
2. Be a Distraction or Be Relevant (pick one): The world is a scary place right now and only one issue is getting nearly all of the attention. People are looking for an escape. Something that takes their mind off of the world around them. If your product or service can do that for them, great. Use it. On the flip side, if your product or service is directly related to the pandemic, then it makes more sense to tailor your message for it. We’ve already seen multiple businesses come out with COVID specific ads. It shows that they’re paying attention and they’re relevant to the current conversation. So be relevant if you can and be a distraction if you can’t.
3. Be Intriguing: Like any good Netflix series, there’s always an element of intrigue. Why is he in jail? What happened to Carole’s husband? The audience needs to know more to have all their questions answered. It’s why they keep watching. Creating a sense of intrigue will get viewers to click on your ad and visit your site to learn more. It may not be as dramatic as Tiger King, but it doesn’t have to be. In advertising, we call this a “call-to-action”. What is your call-to-action that will intrigue users enough to click on your ad to learn more about your business?
4. Be Personable: In other words, have a personality. Anyone who has watched Tiger King would agree that every single character has a very big and distinct personality. In the business world, most of the major big brands spend months trying to figure out their brand’s persona. Copywriters go through specific training to be able to write in the “voice of the brand.” A brand’s voice is its personality and having one is important to building a successful brand. Once that voice is established, it should carry over into every customer touch point, from advertising, to website user experience, to customer service. Does your brand have a personality? How can you use that in your advertising?
5. Know your Audience: There’s a subtle but distinct difference in the type of content on each of the various streaming media platforms. Netflix is known to have some outlandish content, while services like Hulu and Amazon Prime have their own primary audiences and popular content categories. As digital media enthusiasts, we have all three plus subscriptions to several more, but it’s clear that if we had to pair a Network with a fringe show like Tiger King, it would be Netflix. Had Tiger King appeared on any other network, success would have been limited. Netflix thrives on unique, out-of-the-ordinary content to keep its viewership engaged and talking about it as a media platform. They know their audience and they delivered big time with Tiger King.
What does your primary target enjoy? What captures their attention that’s specific to them? Think of things that are completely unrelated to your brand. Then, determine where you can draw connections in your advertising.
Need more ideas for your digital advertising strategy? Contact us and we’ll be glad to help.