THE ART OF INTRIGUE
In 2016, The OA landed on Netflix with barely a whisper. No flashy campaign. No pushy press. No nothing. Then, after two seasons building a Kool-Aid drinking following – it was cancelled in an “official” statement from Netflix.
Or was it?
Between cryptic clues from the creators and a frenzied fan hunger strike at Netflix HQ, there’s reason to believe the cancellation was part of a wider marketing ploy. That, or the fandom (me) are totally spiralling.
So after diving down the Reddit rabbit hole, I started thinking about the art of intrigue in marketing. How does it take a hold of us? Why is it so effective? And who the hell do Netflix think they are? Let’s unpack the mystery.
BREAK THE MODEL
Whatever the message, we typically try to make it land directly with the receiver. Nothing gets in the way. If it’s understood, job done. That’s the basics of comms theory, right?
Intrigue marketing expects more from your audience. They need to meet you in the middle to understand your message. Leaving a gap gifts your audience the opportunity to feel clever by making the connection themselves. And that unexpected gift helps make the message stick in their mind.
Your audience don’t expect to work for the message, so make it worth it.
KEEP IT SUBTLE
Subtlety is all about being cryptic to understand, using a certain sly cleverness to land a message without screaming about it. Only the ‘smartest’ audience will catch it on the first go. And that’s the point.
Maccas mastered the art of subtly in their ‘delivery’ campaign. Stepping away from their classic big M, one singular golden arch was all it took. It gave their audience the respect and “quick-get” they deserve. And sent the message that they trust the intellect of their audience to fill in the gaps.
Less is more. Give your audience the chance to draw their own conclusions.
SPRINKLE BREADCRUMBS
Dropping hints in different places with different people can drag your audience deeper into the intrigue. Make the mystery follow them from the radio to Facebook and back to the telly.
While Fyre Festival is the world’s most famous flop, the marketing was admittedly mint. Using big names helped – but it was the snippets from Bella, Kendall and the rest that reeled us in. And while the organisers taught us what not to do (like over promising), sprinkling cryptic breadcrumbs was pretty clever.
A clue here, a red herring there – it all builds a wider vision. If you pull it off.
TELL THEM THEY CAN’T
No one likes being told what to do. That resistant feeling is what psychologists call ‘reactance’. So naturally, if you tell your audience not to do something, they’ll want to do it that much more.
In a sea of ads that scream “buy this” – “don’t buy this” grabs attention. But to make it work, you really need to trust your audience to get it. But will they follow through? Patagonia nailed it here with a screaming header and smart prop. The benefit of not buying the jacket makes their planet loving audience want the jacket.
Knowing the psychology of your audience is the key to reeling them in.
BEWARE THE RISK IN INTRIGUE
Straying away from the tried and tested sender-receiver model can risk it all. Leaving your audience to connect the dots may be a counter-intuitive if your message is lost in the mystery.
If it turns out the OA truly is cancelled, it probably comes down to the risk in having no marketing in the first place. Expecting the story to sell itself through word of mouth was a brave move. But it’s only a smart one if Netflix releases season 3.
Either way, the art of intrigue did a number on me. Done right, it grabs attention, validates the smarts of your audience and leaves them feverishly hungry for more.
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