3 Marketing Lessons We Can Learn From Netflix's 'Squid Game'

 

Truth be told, word-of-mouth is what you usually read about when you're opening a 100-year-old marketing book; it's considered an all-time classic technique. I was always a believer that it works as a minimal factor in any marketing strategy, but Squid Game proves that it can be the major leading factor in advertising. Unfortunately, marketing firms can't buy or secure word of mouth, so it's usually done organically, but with social media being so accessible to brands, businesses can now attempt to trigger a wave of trends or buzz to get word-of-mouth going. 

 

I heard about Squid Game from friends of mine who could not stop talking about it, but that was still not enough to convince me to watch it. When I opened my phone to see countless memes flooding my news feeds on every social-media app including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and, of course, TikTok, I stopped for a second and had to give the TV show a try. A TV show accompanied by trends and memes results in one thing for certain: It almost forces you to want to watch the show so you can relate to the community around you and understand the jokes being told. 

 

TikTok did not only reinvent the way brands reach their audiences, but it also set a new standard for how companies should approach their consumers. Today, it's acceptable for a large brand to comment on a post without having to be professional; in fact, serious brands that take an informal approach on the platform get a lot more praise and attention, resulting in higher free impressions. The dating app Tinder, for example, gets a ton of impressions by simply commenting funny phrases on any content related to relationships.

 

This South Korean survival drama going viral will make sense once you actually watch it. It's a great TV show that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and it's rated highly by critics. Additionally, it's the perfect time to release such a show because audiences are bored of the copy-paste-styled shows now available on all these streaming services. There is a gap in the market, almost a need for something odd and fresh like Squid Game. The third and most important lesson the show can teach us is that we really can't predict what consumers want next until they show us. 

UK changes travel rules for travellers from Nigeria

The United Kingdom  on Thursday announced its decision to change its travel  rules for fully vaccinated travellers from Nigeria.

In a statement made available to journalists  by the Acting British High Commissioner, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, said: “fully vaccinated travellers from Nigeria will be able to come to England without needing to provide a pre-departure test, undertake a day 8 test or self-isolate for 10 days, although will still need to book and pay for a day 2 test.

According to the statement, “This policy applies to those fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (including Covidshield), Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen (Johnson and Johnson).

He  explained that “Fully vaccinated means that you have had a complete course of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England.

The day you had your final dose does not count as one of the 14 days. You must be able to prove that you have been fully vaccinated under a vaccination programme and have a valid proof of vaccination recognised by the British Government (for Nigeria, the certificates with valid QR codes as issued by Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency are recognised).