Marketing Lessons from Netflix Show: Emily in Paris
Bonjour!
I just finished binging the first two seasons of the Netflix original series, Emily in Paris.
I’m in love with it and I highly recommend this show for women like myself who are interested in navigating the world of digital marketing and more specifically, content creation. If you haven’t seen the show and plan to watch it, I would suggest stopping here because there are a few spoilers in this post.
The character Emily is played by the beautiful Lilly Collins, where Emily is a determined marketer from Chicago who moves to Paris for a sudden open position as a marketing executive. Her goal is to deliver an American perspective to a French marketing firm, Savoir. As I was watching this show, I was very inspired and gathered some useful points that could help people with their marketing. Some things on the show were a little unrealistic, like Emily becoming an influencer overnight by using a hashtag that nobody else uses, but overall the show still made me feel nothing but motivated. So, I would like to share some of my favorite marketing lessons that I pulled from the show.
Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion.
I like how Emily is bold and not afraid to speak out, even when it contradicts those in authority. In one episode, Emily calls out an agency for perpetuating misogny and stereotypes when shooting an ad for a perfume. Advertising can be sexist. Because Emily was so opinionated in the show, she displayed her strong traits to the people around her. People respected what she had to say and began to value her opinions. She knew what she was talking about.
The Importance of Social Media Presence
To quote Emily from the show, “To build a brand, you must create meaningful social media engagements.” When your customers comment on your social media posts, you should engage with them. The way you interact with people is important. Emily utilized her own social media account for her business because of the following she gained overtime. She made it a point to talk about the brand she represented on her account and used hashtags to create brand awareness. Social media is such an insanely powerful tool that helps you connect with customers, increase brand recognition, and gain a following. Social media can give your brand a personality.
Build Connections!
Emily built many connections that helped her navigate her marketing journey throughout the series. In one episode, they forgot to call for a DJ to an event last minute ~ luckily, Emily’s friend Mindy was a singer and came to her rescue. In another episode, Emily had booked an important dinner with a client for the wrong day at a restaurant. She needed last minute reservations for a party and most restaurants were booked, but she had a friend who was a chef that was able to squeeze her party into his restaurant last minute. The night was a success. Marketing can be a job where you don’t know what each day is going to look like ~ it depends on external factors and everyday events. Connections can influence your ideas and overall work, and even come to your rescue sometimes. Surrounding yourself with the right people is vital.
Customer Opinions Matter
Whenever Emily got stuck or wasn’t sure what the right answer was, she would turn to social media to ask her follows what they thought. This is also a way to create engagement. And as we’ve all seen in the recent years, controversy draws attention. It draws clicks. It draws a conversation. Referring to the episode where Emily thought the advertisement for a perfume company was sexist, she turned to Twitter Polls to ask her followers, “Sexy or sexist?” Followers will appreciate that their opinion is being sought and it draws attention to the product itself. So when you’re stuck, don’t be afraid to utilize tools like Twitter Polls and Instagram Polls.
The Value of Influencer Marketing
Influencers are the future of marketing. Emily became an influencer on Instagram through her many posts that went viral. This not only added to her value, but also the value of Savoir. It’s crazy how much impact you can make simply through your own following. A large following can be gained through good content, regular posts, engagement, hashtags, and diversity of posts (polls, stories, reels, etc). And as stupid as it sounds, people respect you more in the marketing world when they see you have a large following. It is what it is.
Make your content creative.
Nobody wants to see lazy or boring pictures on their feed anymore. Emily said, “It’s not just about followers. It’s about content, trust, and engagements.” Great content is a significant asset because it builds an impression. If your followers find your content entertaining or valuable, then your customers will engage more with the brand. Study what people like on social media. I’ve found that people love aesthetics, a good filter, great colors, humor, and creativity. Post content that stands out from all the other content cluttered on your social media feed.
Additional Sources: https://www.bizadmark.com/6-amazing-marketing-lessons-from-emily-in-paris/
