It’s been just over nine months since “KPop Demon Hunters” first premiered, winning two Oscars and becoming Netflix’s most-watched movie ever in the process — and the streamer’s vice president of Brand Marketing & Partnerships Magno Herran knows how it’s done (done, done).
“It was Day 1. I mean, we obviously had our intuition about it once we saw the finished piece and heard the songs. What a special story to tell. But then once it got on service and we started seeing the reaction, it just took over the world, seemingly overnight,” he told TheWrap this week. “So then it became a race. How do we give fans more so they can engage with this title? And it’s been the most fun race ever since.”
“I think as a marketing team, we’re generally really good at understanding what our fans are talking about, what they’re into and giving them nuggets to continue the relationship they have with their favorites. As a partnership team, we think about it the same way. What would they want if they were to engage with this title?” Herran continued. “So that’s where McDonald’s came to life. It was an opportunity to give fans just a little bit more — new animation, a meal, a new battle for the fans that they could dive into. It’s just been a fun thing to see fans react to something like this.”
Indeed, Netflix and McDonald’s have partnered for new “KPop Demon Hunters”-themed adult Happy Meals that include dueling HUNTR/X and Saja Boys food options, as well as collectible cards. The companies even threw a Battle for the Fans: After Dark event at The Bellwether in Los Angeles on Thursday night, complete with DJ sets, dance battles, merch, McFlurries, photo-ops and an appearance from star Kevin Woo.
“We are highly selective about these, so we have a couple of things when we go into partnerships. One is, we’re fan-first. So if you want to collaborate with us, you can’t just take the IP and slap it all over your brand, we have to work together to create something that makes sense and adds value to the fan experience. That’s the criteria. Brands that want to participate in that space, they’re more than welcome to,” Herran explained. “There’s obviously some financial component behind the scenes, but at the core, it’s really about who wants to co-create something that will make fans lose their minds. McDonald’s, to give them all the credit in the world, came in with that mentality from the get go: ‘Let’s work together, let’s figure it out.’ Then once we landed on this idea of like a dueling meal, it just kind of took off from there and it was a playground for all of our joint creative teams.”
And just as Rumi, Mira and Zoey say in the movie, it’s all “for the fans!”
“One of the jobs of the marketing team is to keep the story alive and to keep the fandom wanting more. That could be in the form of toys that we’re releasing, that could be in the form of backpacks coming out, Netflix House, different things that we can engage with,” Herran shared. “But for us in the partnership space, how do we really push brands to think about what they’re getting into? With this title, there’s an army of fans that are waiting to engage with it, so let’s go tell good stories with them. It’s about serving the fans.”
“We give our fans the highest respect: We don’t try to trick them; be authentic, speak the language. I think this partnership is a best-in-class example,” he added. “From the custom animation to the little teasers, to the way that the meals and the flavors were formulated, the collectible cards, there’s a small unlock that’s coming, another video — we want to give you something new to experience for some of the worlds that you love so much.”
So what lessons has Netflix taken from the IP’s success, especially now that a sequel from original filmmakers Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans is officially on the way?
“There are musicals and the role of music in titles. The characters and the authenticity of them is always something that we want, but there’s no formula for it. When it all comes together just right, it’s something special,” the VP noted. “So there’s a lot of conversations: How do we do more of this? How do we figure this out?”
Ultimately, Herran, who actually got his start at Netflix on “Stranger Things” Season 1, is proud to be Team Huntrix, considering he’s a dad to two young girls: “It’s been one of the most rewarding things in my time at Netflix.”
“For this franchise, how do we continue to extend it and give fans more at different points of the year so they can continue to find a little bit of what they love. It’s just been a rewarding thing to see, the impact of something like this. Travel to South Korea has gone up, music charts have skyrocketed because of a fictional band,” he concluded. “When done right, it really is remarkable to see and is inspiring to all of us inside Netflix.”
“KPop Demon Hunters” is available to stream on Netflix.
