Let me say this right off the top. I have not seen Squid Game. My wife and I have both said that we want to see what the hype is about, but it is really hard for me to watch dubbed movies and TV shows because the out-of-sync nature between what I am seeing and what I am hearing gives me a headache. So far, it has been easy not to want to get started, although I am sure I will eventually.
I started thinking about this topic because of a conversation I had with a program director last week. I told him that it was shocking how few show promos he ran on his station. Didn’t he want to highlight reasons for listeners to come back and check out the station at other times of the day? That’s marketing 101!
He cited the Netflix. “If content is good, people will find it. Look at Squid Game. It’s good. People started saying it was good and other people went and watched it. That was more important than any commercial for the show.”
The idea that people will just naturally be drawn to good content has been proven false so many times that I genuinely wonder how people say that line with a straight face anymore. Great shows fail on TV and radio all of the time. Quality is an afterthought to marketing. The best-selling album of all time is The Eagles’ Greatest Hits. What more proof do you need than that?
Credit where it is due, Squid Game really is a surprise hit for Netflix. The show is about a game where desperate people are given the chance to play children’s games for money. If they succeed, they could win billions. If they fail, they are killed. It is a show that various studios around the world had passed on for decades. As the Wall Street Journal described it, “Squid Game is the dystopian hit no one wanted—until everyone did.”
Now, let’s talk about what actually happened. Netflix had a model it could follow. Just like Squid Game, Tiger King was a wild ass story that no one was really looking for. Then all of the sudden, people saw it, tweeted about it, posted memes, made jokes on late night TV and suddenly, Tiger King was everywhere.
Word of mouth marketing should only ever be a jumping off point. For studios and stations and whoever else that knows what they are doing, it will never be the entire strategy. Do you think all of these stories popping up about Squid Game are an accident or born totally out of interest in the show? No! Netflix has a large team of very good PR agents sending emails and making phone calls to networks and publications asking if they would like to do a story on the show or talk to its creator and stars.
Netflix saw a wave and realized that it was time to surf. You have to do the same! If you see or hear that you have a great product, that is more than enough reason to double down on the promos with the details of who these people are and when they are on the air.
Audiences won’t always find what is good, because what is good is subjective. What if someone that might really love your show was only exposed to it for a moment and thought what they heard was boring? Are you really okay letting a single impression be the only impression?
Last year, I looked at five states and how they dictated the outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election in a distinct way. My message was every victory happens for a reason and it is important to understand why. Squid Game is no different and it is important that hosts, producers and programmers understand how it has become a sensation.
Squid Game is a totally original thing. This isn’t something based on an old movie or a toy from the 80s. The story didn’t come from a comic book or a series of novels with a huge, built-in fanbase. The love for this show is based on this show. It has themes that audiences connect with and tension to give us the dopamine hit we crave and are willing to come back for over and over again.
No one is going to tell you that a well-constructed piece of entertainment will not win people over. You can follow Squid Game’s lead and build something original and valuable by following a playbook. Book big name guests to give listeners reason to show up. Be creative and funny in the escapism you create for your audience. Connect with them through shared local experiences.
Maybe the most important lesson of Squid Game is to be where they are when they want you. Is your content easy to find and available on-demand? That is pretty damn important in 2021.
What I will tell you is that if you have a show hosted by entertaining people that know how to satisfy an audience, you should put effort into making sure the audience knows that show exists. If you don’t view promoting content as important as creating it, you can’t ever maximize your audience.
Demetri Ravanos is a columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. He is also the creator of The Sports Podcast Festival, and a previous host on the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas in addition to hosting Panthers and College Football podcasts. His radio resume includes stops at WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC.
You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos or reach him by email at DemetriTheGreek@gmail.com.
