Gilmore Girls Revival: A case study in millennial marketing
Last week’s revival of Gilmore Girls represented more than just a cult classic revival, but also a case study in spectacular marketing to millennials. Gilmore Girls isn’t the first 90s — early 2000s show to get a reboot, but it’s the first to tap into its audience and create real buzz beyond the screen. Just a quick search into Google Trends reveals that during its premiere week, Gilmore Girls was searched more than Full House or Boy Meets World, both shows that reprised in the last few years.
Ten years after its original air date on the WB, Gilmore Girls finds itself more relevant than ever, especially to its target demographic — millennials in their late 20s and early 30s. Having grown up with Rory and Lorelai on network TV, then rediscovering the duo on Netflix in 2015, millennial women feel a connection to the show. And, the way in which the revival was relaunched took this fact into account.
Only one in four millennials pay for traditional cable (and that number is steadily decreasing), instead opting to cut the cord and utilize streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime and HBO Go. The ability to watch shows anywhere, anytime and have access to exclusive, original content is appealing to this demographic. Millennials also love tapping into the nostalgia of their childhood and having access to the shows they grew up with is appealing. Just scan Buzzfeed’s headlines. And, those who didn’t grow up with the Gilmore clan were able to binge watch the original series with the help of hundreds of “best episodes” guides published in the weeks leading up to the launch.
Netflix’s marketing of the Gilmore Girls revival truly takes the psychology of the millennial generation into account. Given the theme of the show, a generational coming of age story featuring a millennial character, this makes sense. The revival’s marketing tactics tapped into these three key millennial-isms resulting in trending conversations on Twitter, Facebook, Google, and while less trackable countless Black Friday conversations.
Nostalgia
As mentioned above, millennials love being reminded of their childhood. Netflix released several trailers on social media that highlighted mannerisms and well-loved characters, resulting in shares and social chatter among fans. Even the official posters (which received some criticism) pulled in key themes (like coffee) that were woven throughout the show’s seven season run.
Exclusive Opportunities
While the millennial generation is known for being social savvy and twitter friendly, the importance of real life experiences wasn’t lost on Netflix’s marketing team. Millennials prioritize experiences over things (72 percent in fact), and the more exclusive the better. That’s why Netflix’s pop-up Luke’s Diner concept was such a smashing success. Tapping into the nostalgia concept, the pop-ups were launched exactly 10 years to the day of the original launch of the show and helped fuel even more buzz for the revival.
Social Sharing
The revival’s social chatter was largely fueled by the interaction of the cast on various social networks. From who would be joining the cast, to confirmations by Netflix, social media was the major medium of news about the show’s reprise. Post premiere, the cast even posted behind the scenes videos of what it was like being back on set in Stars Hollow. Millennials like to discover and learn things from their friends, peers, and those they follow on social media. The social sharing phenomenon that took place before, during and after the premiere of the four part event has allowed the show to stay trending and relevant.
So, lesson learned. Know your audience, especially when it’s millennial.
