How Netflix’s “Wednesday” Generated 20B Video Views in Three Weeks

Key Takeaways

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Applying Trends and Tactics

Netflix dropped teaser content for Wednesday 5 months ahead. The show was announced at Geeked Week, a virtual sci-fi event.

• Actionable Recommendations
  Drop teasers up to 3+ months ahead. Identify launch events or online spaces for the launch that have a natural synergy.

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1 week before launch, Netflix spent $2.3M on ads, 80% of their total budget. 38% of ads featured organic TikTok-inspired trends.

• Actionable Recommendations
  Use top-performing pre-launch creative for paid ads. For Wednesday’s Gen Z audience Netflix replicated a TikTok trend.

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Netflix launched organic Wednesday assets on all social media synonymously, focusing on the dance that had been trending.

• Actionable Recommendations
  Activate partner and owned content based on top performing launch content, and that is designed to inspire UGC.

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Leverage trending content. Netflix dropped an ad with the dance scene and released organic content of the cast reacting to it.

• Actionable Recommendations
  Go above and beyond to create spin-off content with it trending scenes, such as a follow-along dance ad and "meta" content.

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Build community. Wednesday represents justice for the outcasts. TikTok users flocked to that idea, representing themselves as her.

• Actionable Recommendations
  Be an open line to support fans as they fulfill themselves through your content. Wednesday did this through a Twitter account.

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After the Wednesday dance become connected with a Lady Gaga song, the celebrity engaged and participated in the trend herself.

• Actionable Recommendations
  Continue to push top performing organic content with ad spend to build frequency with prospective viewers and fans.

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Netflix encouraged fans to take on the Wednesday persona by working with everyday influencers to take on the challenge.

• Actionable Recommendations
  Identify the top UGC creators and partner with them to create more and keep the momentum moving.

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Purpose of This Research

To identify the content and marketing strategy that contributed to the viral success of Netflix’s “Wednesday” dance scene:

• ‍Assessing the launch timeline for the show
• Identifying key players in the distribution of content
• Highlighting factors that helped create a successful campaign

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November 23, 2022 saw the launch of the Netflix original series “Wednesday”.

• The series features a coming of age tale for the character from ‘Addams Family’, directed by Tim Burton.
• The show surpassed 1B hours streamed in three weeks, making it Netflix’s third most streamed series. (1)
• Episode 4, “Woe What a Night” featured a 01:22 dancing clip that sparked a viral trend, leading to fans creating videos across social media channels. The #wednesdaydance tag on TikTok generated 2B views alone.

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Worldwide Search Interest for “Wednesday”

November 2022 - January 2023

*A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. A score of 0 means there was not enough data for this term. 

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From November 2022 to January 2023, the term “Wednesday” saw an average of +48% more interest on YouTube than the Web.

*A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. A score of 0 means there was not enough data for this term. 

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When the series launched on November 23, 2022, the term “Wednesday” saw a +267% and +583% increase in average interest.

*A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. A score of 0 means there was not enough data for this term. 

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Web interest peaked earlier than YouTube on December 3, 2022. YouTube interest peaked seven days later on December 10, 2022.

*A value of 100 is the peak popularity for the term. A value of 50 means that the term is half as popular. A score of 0 means there was not enough data for this term. 

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Wednesday quickly became the third most streamed show on Netflix due to a solid launch & the virality of the dance scene. 

Timeline is a visual representation and is not to scale.

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Netflix’s Owned Channel Video Views by Launch Phase

“Wednesday” Posts from June 2022 - January 2023

Analysis include videos about Wednesday only.

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Netflix’s videos posted on TikTok generated the top video views in the Launch (60%) and Post-Launch (45%) phases.

Analysis include videos about Wednesday only.

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Instagram accounted for 25% of video views across all phases of the launch, seeing the most impact Post-Launch (39%).

Analysis include videos about Wednesday only.

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YouTube, Facebook and Twitter generated the least views. However, YouTube and Facebook saw the highest share of views Pre-Launch at 24% and 29% respectively.

Analysis include videos about Wednesday only.

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From June to early November, Netflix gradually rolled out “Wednesday” assets on social media.

Timeline is a visual representation and is not to scale.

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Netflix Announces “Wednesday”

On June 1, 2022, Netflix announced the fall release of “Wednesday”.

• ‍Geeked Week — Netflix aligned the announcement with their virtual conference to celebrate their sci-fi and fantasy division.
• Netflix created a Wednesday Addams Twitter (297K followers) and Instagram (3.5M followers) account to personify the character and make her relatable.
• Netflix cross-posted the same launch asset on all platforms, generating a combined 7.3M views.
• Five days later, Netflix used the Geeked Week conference to announce Jenna Ortega as Wednesday, generating 21M total views on another cross-posted asset.

Total Views: 7.3M

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Netflix spent $7.3M on ads for Wednesday. 

73% of the budget went to trailer assets while 27% focused on TikTok-inspired creative assets.

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On November 15, 2022, Netflix launched nine ads at $2.3M.

38% of the budget went to a TikTok-inspired ad and 2% went to a photo ad of Wednesday’s dance scene.  

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TikTok-Inspired Pre-Launch Ad

This TikTok trend-inspired ad saw the highest budget at $879K.

• The TikTok ad was inspired by a viral trend (1B+ views) where people are asked what they’re listening to. The ad takes a personified approach to Wednesday’s answer, responding “The screams of my brother Pugsley”.
• In an interview, Jenna Ortega reveals that Netflix producers knew that her dance scene would go viral, leading to an early (organic-style) TikTok ad. 

Spend: $879K | Imp: 84M | CPM: $10.5

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On November 23, 2022, Netflix launched all eight episodes of the “Wednesday” series online.  

Timeline is a visual representation and is not to scale.

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From November 23 to December 12, 2022, videos about Wednesday generated 20B views across all social platforms.

User-generated videos featuring “wednesdaydance” or “wednesdayaddams” posted between November 23 - December 12, 2022.

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From November 23-25, 2022, UGC video views saw a steady increase from 632M to 1.1B in three days.

User-generated videos featuring “wednesdaydance” or “wednesdayaddams” posted between November 23 - December 12, 2022.

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First Viral Dance Scene Clip

On Nov. 23, 2022, a fan posted the entire dance clip on YouTube. 

• ‍The video gained 44M views. Regardless of countless other posts made on the launch date featuring the dance scene, this one went viral bringing visibility to the awkwardness and unique aspects of the dance.
• The video features the original scene’s song “Goo Goo Muck” by The Cramps.
• ‍Netflix released the entire show on one day, as opposed to weekly releases. The dance scene quickly became accessible for viewers who finished the show in one or two days. Those who had seen the dance already shared it with viewers who hadn’t seen it yet platforms like YouTube.

Total Views: 44M

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‘Bloody Mary” TikTok UGC

On Nov. 23-24, 2022, fans started posting dance content on TikTok. 

• ‍Fans quickly linked Wednesday with Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary” song. The earliest identified video on TikTok features a fan edit of the dance scene with “Bloody Mary” posted on the day of launch on November 23, 2022.
• A day later, on November 24, 2022, an early viral video was posted using “Bloody Mary” (33M views). It featured a fan using a TikTok transition to transform into “Wednesday”. 
• The creator shows herself pre-Wednesday before switching into a darker outfit and lighting while dancing along in a close up shot. The caption reads “Jenna Ortega please teach me how to dance”.

November 23, 2022

Views: 132M

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November 24, 2022

Views: 33M

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On November 25, 2022, an ad called “The Wednesday Addams Dance” launched on TikTok at $192K. 

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Viral Dance Clip Ad

This is the only ad that features a video clip of the dance. 

• The ad features a 40-second clip from the dancing scene optimized to 9:16 for TikTok.‍
• Netflix implemented TikTok storytelling to keep viewers engaged, using text on screen to teach viewers the steps.‍
• On the same day, Netflix launched the full unedited dance clip on all social media platforms, generating 116M total views.

Spend: $192K | Imp.: 18M | CPM: $10.5

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Cast Reacts to Viral Dance

On the same day, Netflix posted cast reactions to the dance scene.

• ‍Netflix cross-posted the video on all social media platforms, leading to a combined 99M views. 
• Netflix used a split screen feature to show the original scene while the cast reacts to different moments.
• The cast provides validation to viewers who enjoyed the scene despite its awkwardness & distance from the norm.
• ‍Jenna Ortega gives viewers insider information into the production of the scene, claiming to have choreographed it herself, pulling from different references. 

Total Views: 99M

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From November 29, 2022, the dance scene became synonymous with a sped-up version of Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary”.  

Timeline is a visual representation and is not to scale.

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User-generated content posted online about ‘Wednesday’ peaked on November 30, 2022 at 1.7B views.

User-generated videos featuring “wednesdaydance” or “wednesdayaddams” posted between November 23 - December 12, 2022.

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Viral User-Generated Content

Late November saw two videos that worked together to build the trend.

• The dance trend was ultimately dominated by a sped-up version of Lady Gaga’s “Bloody Mary”. The first major viral video with that song featured a comparison of the original Wednesday dancing to Ortega’s dance scene. 
• ‍Viewers sourced Jenna Ortega’s choreography influences. Fans link potential sources of Ortega’s dance directly to specific parts of her scene, such as footage of the original Wednesday dancing.
• The most viewed video (175M) for this dancing trend was posted on November 30, 2022 by @heyitsbessma. The video features her dressing up like Wednesday to replicate the dance.

November 29, 2022

Views: 56M

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November 30, 2022

Views: 176M

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On December 8, 2022, Lady Gaga posted the dance on TikTok.

Video views plateaued in December (averaging 802M views a day), while December 8, 2022 saw a peak of 905M (+13%).

User-generated videos featuring “wednesdaydance” or “wednesdayaddams” posted between November 23 - December 12, 2022.

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Lady Gaga-Wednesday Interactions

Early December, ‘Wednesday’ acknowledges the viral videos. 

• On December 1, 2022, the personified Twitter account for Wednesday tweets that she sees everyone doing her dance to Lady Gaga. 
• Wednesday links Gaga’s followers, “little monsters” to her own interests.‍
• On the same day, Lady Gaga responded, validating Wednesday’s online existence and their aligned brands.   
• Seven days later, on December 8, 2022, Lady Gaga posted her own version of the dance on TikTok.

Likes: 55K

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Likes: 105K

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Views: 14M

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On December 12, 2022, @solcarlosofficial posted a partner post. Out of 6 partner posts, it was the only one with dancing.

Content sourced from posts including “wednesday” and “#netflixpartner”.

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Partner Posts

During the launch, six #netflixpartner TikTok posts were made.

• Only one video featured the dance scene, posted on December 12, 2022. 
• The #netflixpartner posts generated about 3M video views on content about Wednesday.
• Due to the success of Lady Gaga re-igniting the fan base’s videos with her own on December 8, Netflix may have been aiming to do the same with the partner post that launched on December 12, 2022. 
• 50% of videos show creators imagining if they were Wednesday, like this video or this video. 
• ‍This creator posted three videos, one on her main account (3M followers) and two on her side account (3.3K followers). Despite the variance in followers for her accounts, all three videos performed well. She discusses the show in her videos and provides similar recommendations on Netflix.

Views: 1.7M

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Views: 1.4M

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Views: 196K

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Views: 79K

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Views: 21K

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Views: 2.4K

Content sourced from posts including “wednesday” and “#netflixpartner”.

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Matilda the Musical Launch

On December 2, 2022, Netflix launched “Matilda the Musical”.

• Netflix followed a similar release strategy to “Wednesday”. They compressed the key elements that were successful and applied it to the popular “Revolting Children” dance scene. 
• On December 2, 2022, Netflix launched a $589K ad for “Matilda the Musical” which featured a split screen of the popular dance scene with the behind-the-scenes footage.
• On TikTok, the Revolting Children dance scene became a challenge generating upwards of 796M views.   
• Fans took to dancing beside the original clip as seen here, showing how well they could mimic the choreography.

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Ad spend includes Facebook, Instagram, Display, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok & YouTube.
Spend is a directional approximation and does not include retargeting, or behavioural targeting.

Reference:

(1)Most Watched Series & Movies on Netflix of All Time