Red Light, Green Light. Insanely Diabolical or Marketing Genius?

Red Light, Green Light. Insanely Diabolical or Marketing Genius?

3 of the Most Powerful Content Marketing Lessons to Take Away From Netflix’s ‘Squid Game.

Open up your Netflix account and you’ll think you’re living in a dystopian future with Squid Game – though not quite as extreme. This show is like a blend between Battle Royale, Survivor and The Hunger Games. Since the release of the first episode of this TV series, memes related to this TV show have been trending on social media. It’s natural to think that this hype will die down and all the buzz is just a passing fad. However, Squid Game remains at the top of everyone’s queue thanks in part to the great storytelling strategy from Netflix! There are some really valuable lessons you can learn wrapped up in this newest craze that every marketer should know!

A good way to inspire your content writing is to study great storytellers, of which there are many! One of the best storytellers in recent times is undoubtedly Netflix. Their access to a global pool of talented writers and directors is phenomenal! They’re always putting out fresh content that catches our attention. They do everything from movies to original series, always pushing the envelope. It’s important that content be entertaining and not merely showing off your brand. The world is an ocean of stories just waiting to be told and if you’re able to tell the stories in the best, most interesting ways, you’ll be able to create an army of dedicated fans!

Think of it this way: If you want to become a master of martial arts, you’re going to study the Grandmasters. In the same way, if you want to master the different facets of content marketing, you need to study the Masters of storytelling. You can learn a lot overnight about their failed attempts but more importantly, you can learn a lot more about their recent success which took years in the making. The fact of the matter is that all of these companies have failed and succeeded at some point but they took the time to analyze why they failed and how they could improve. If they were able to learn from their experience, then you can too.

By connecting to the audience, you are putting yourself in a position where people are more likely to listen to what you have to say. Some of the most successful businesses are ones that are able to connect with their audience on a deeper level. The “Scaffolding Theory” says that people learn by creating connections between the familiar and the possible. It suggests that people learn best when they can understand something by relating it to something they already know along with some support when needed and that’s why people like stories. Stories are how we make sense of our world. They help us create mental models. Stories make the unfamiliar, familiar. They make the impossible, possible. That’s why, when it comes to developing new ideas and initiatives in your content marketing strategy, referencing, analyzing, and iterating on the stories you already know will not only establish similarities but provide the right context and relevance to your audience and help solidify important elements of tone or mood which is pretty helpful when it comes to making sure the idea you develop fits in with your consumer engagement goals!

While the most successful companies in the world have a lot in common, none of them have the same content marketing strategy for growth. That’s why every marketer or entrepreneur should take a moment to learn from their success. 

Red Light, Green Light

Netflix brings an “almost” real-life feeling to its movies, in Squid Game we quickly get introduced to Red Light, Green Light a classic game that usually involves people making their way across a yard or room without getting caught by the leader (who oversees the rules and how they’ve been conveyed). Players have to be attentive, conscientious and just generally responsive. Players need to quickly gain a sense of intuition as they learn how to control their own bodies by learning which actions are safe enough for the moment and which aren’t.

Content marketing, like Red Light, Green Light, helps marketers by outlining simple strategies for creating solid engaging content. Similar to do’s and don’ts, we will focus our attention in this article on what we can learn from Squid Games’ quick success. From Airbnb’s growth strategies to Netflix’s approach to content, here are three of my favourite content marketing lessons (Green Light) from Squid Game while avoiding any pitfalls that often come with the process of storytelling.

Lesson 1: Inspire and Influence Your Audience.

‘Squid Game’: Synopsis

The dark and gruesome thriller focuses on a man who is willing to do anything to save the lives of his family members. Gi-hun is the protagonist of this story who seemingly has no luck in his life and had accumulated so much debt through gambling. With more debt coming in every day, the only thing on Gi-hun’s mind is how he will be able to find more money anywhere for any reason soon before it’s too late – until one day his luck changes. Gi-hun manages to win the fatal Squid Game – not because of strength or intelligence, but because of kindness and real human emotion. For once, his good path was rewarded by fate!

Key Takeaways:

Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools you can use in marketing to inspire and influence your audience. It can help you sell your product, make your audience feel content and even make them cry.

It’s one of the oldest and most powerful ways we communicate and build relationships. We all communicate through stories whether we realize it or not. Regardless if it’s telling a series of relatable personal stories or enabling your audience to see greater emotional intelligence through better decision making, overcoming challenges, being a better person or changing the world. 

Creating inspiring content that speaks to the unique desires, motivations and individual situations of your viewer is one way you can provide an array of motivational benefits that leads to building trusting and loyal relationships right from the start of how people interact with your brand. When you create content that inspires others about something important or meaningful to them, they will become more motivated not only by what you have created for them but also feel inspired enough to become engaged in conversations with you after consuming this content.

Lesson 2: Learn, Grow and Let Content Educate.

‘Squid Game’: The Plot Thickens 

Viewers can fully immerse themselves into the complexities of the characters and truly understand each of their reasons for playing Squid Game when there are clearly defined rules that players must stick to. People are attracted to the bone-chilling irony of adults risking their lives to win money they need to pay off their debts by playing children’s games – but does this financial struggle justify risking your life? 

The parallels drawn with the larger, more global issues makes this film stand out as many viewers and critics have stated that it effectively makes complex social statements about the debt culture to hyper-competitiveness that kills people!

Key Takeaways:

Content marketing is a crucial part of any online business or organization. It is a way to educate your target audience about your brand, products, services, and/or mission. The best content marketing strategies aim to do more than just advertise. They aim to educate. The really, really good ones aim to educate in a way that adds value to their lives. What exactly do I mean by “adding value to their lives”? The best content marketing strategies teach people things that improve their lives. They teach people things that make them smarter, that help them make informed decisions based on current and factual information, and that help them become better versions of themselves. What makes content like this so successful is that it is honest and transparent. It is NOT about selling or convincing people to do something, it is about sharing something that you believe the audience will find valuable.

Lesson 3: Data Can Help Bolster Stories, but Human Engagement Is More Powerful Than Statistics.

‘Squid Game’: Bitter Sweet

Making bad decisions does not make you a bad person. Only one winner is chosen and that reward of the Squid Game comes to other players at a cost of death. The characters represent what is best and worst of human nature and they compete in the potentially fatal game(s).

Making mistakes is a part of everyone’s life. It is not always the most pleasant thing to see but we believe it does one good if we learn from our mistakes and don’t let them turn into repeated patterns that bring us down. The fact that Gi-hun couldn’t even envision himself with no chance of redemption for the past made him realize – by doing more for others, his own life would also benefit from it.

Key Takeaways:

The world of content marketing is a busy one. With thousands of brands creating content every day, it can be easy to get lost in the noise. Much of the time, marketers get consumed by vast data sets that can lead them to forget how important it is to stay in tune with the human side of things and be a part of a larger narrative. Choosing to look at humanity over an abundance of data isn’t everything, but it should be part of the tip of the spear. If companies focus solely on their data and neglect the wisdom of the crowd, they shouldn’t be surprised when they get the same results as everyone else.

Originally filmed in Korean, viewers are discovering the importance that talent diversity brings to the table and what makes for great content! It reinforces notions of community and commonality in culture, language or perspective – this gives people something common to root for when they hear your message because it’s less about the “big win” and more about “we win.”

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