Inside Netflix’s Massive Marketing for Squid Game Season 2

Netflix really wants you to know that Squid Game’s second season is coming, and it’s doing so by giving the green light to a massive marketing push.

The Korean drama series is Netflix’s most-watched show ever, and the sophomore season of is one of the year’s most-anticipated shows. The series is already nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Television Series — Drama category despite not having aired yet. The second season premieres Dec. 26.

Netflix isn’t playing games when it comes to the show’s marketing rollout, either. The streamer is running a massive marketing campaign to promote the new show, including IRL experiences, products based off of the show, and billboards.

Netflix declined to comment on the amount of its marketing budget centered around Squid Game.

Immersive experiences

For fans who want to be closer to the world of Squid Game, Netflix has launched immersive activations, including Squid Game: The Experience. The New York activation launched in October and has been sold out for six weeks straight, according to Netflix.

A similar activation recently opened in Sydney and Madrid, while Netflix plans to expand the activations to Seoul early next year.

As part of an advertising deal with Johnnie Walker, there is a sponsored bar at Squid Game: The Experience that serves custom cocktails.

Getting brands into the mix

XBox, Domino’s, Johnnie Walker, and Duolingo are some of the brands Netflix is partnering with to market the new season.

Magno Herran, vp of brand and partner marketing at Netflix, said his team tries to approach their work through the lens of true partnership. He added that Netflix has a global in-house team of strategists, creatives, and producers who are experts on the fandoms and worlds of the streamer’s titles.

“The starting points for each partnership are different,” Herran told ADWEEK. “Our goal is that all our partnerships are authentic to the intellectual property and rewarding for our fans.”

In addition to the bar at the IRL activations, Johnnie Walker’s global partnership with Netflix spans 26 countries and includes custom Johnnie Walker Black Label Squid Game Scotch whisky, which is sold in 20,000 stores. The alcohol includes Squid Game bottling and packaging and there are 456 different bottles—just like the players in the show. The Johnnie Walker Striding Man logo has also been tweaked to show a special tracksuit from the show. Johnnie Walker is running the campaign as ads with the NFL, which will appear in Netflix’s Christmas Gameday coverage of the game between the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens.

For Domino’s, the pizza chain has previously success with Netflix’s Stranger Things and wanted to expand on that with Squid Game season two.

On the other hand, Duolingo is a first-time advertiser with Netflix and is running a campaign that promotes its Korean courses. The campaign introduces mascot Duo as a pink guard, for a “Learn Korean of Else” message, which will also run on Netflix’s ad-supported plan. The campaign also features a K-pop remix of the song “Pink Guards.” The song, “Korean or Get Eaten,” is available on Spotify. There are also billboards in Los Angeles and New York and a TikTok campaign included in Duolingo’s work.

And for Xbox, gamers will be able to choose their team with the Squid Game-inspired Pink Guard Instinct Pro Controller for Xbox by SCUF Gaming, featuring the signature pink of the series’ uniforms. The controller can be purchased at Best Buy in the U.S. and Scuf Gaming’s website. Scuf Gaming has also created controllers inspired by the show.

Giving viewers a choice

Netflix’s Herran said there is more pressure marketing Squid Game this time around because the first season did not have a large marketing budget behind it.

“We knew it would do well in Korea, but the scale and level at which it captivated members around the world was something we didn’t expect,” Herran said. “I think the stakes are so much higher because everyone is talking about the show and excited about the return.”

In the second season, players are forced to make the decision to continue or leave the competition collectively after each game. As the game progresses, the choice becomes harder and more convoluted. This element of the show is integrated into the marketing campaigns, he said.

“Many campaigns build on the concept of choice and prompt fans to make some tough choices of their own,’” Herran said. “It’s no secret that Squid Game is an intense show, but its position in culture is quite the opposite. From the memes, costumes, and themed parties, fans have taken the world of Squid Game and created a conversation that is more lighthearted and fun and we wanted our partnerships to reflect that.”