What the brand needed
How do you launch a show when you can’t have a physical premiere?
Netflix knew that its latest locally produced series, Blood & Water, deserved to be launched with a bang – but a ‘normal’, star-studded affair was out of the question because of lockdown restrictions.
When Netflix asked Clockwork to create hype around the upcoming show without breaking any lockdown rules, we had to find a way to virtually shine a spotlight on the South African drama.
The team got to work, organising Netflix’s official Blood & Water YouTube premiere – it would be a first-of-its-kind unveiling of the initial episode for global audiences to enjoy for free.
Insights and execution
Our biggest challenge was not being able to film the cast for the premiere, so we sent phones and lighting to the talent so they could pre-record their own introductions. Direction was provided over Zoom – of course.
In the build-up to the premiere, we paired the cast with top influencers to host Instagram Lives. We made it look effortless, but behind the scenes, these were carefully planned with pre-production meetings to make sure everything worked together.
To continue the momentum after the premiere, we created a 90-minute afterschool special. The entertaining, variety-style show included musical performances by Nasty C, Rowlene and Tellaman, fun challenges and Q&A sessions with the cast.
The results
The virtual premiere hit 2.2 million views on Netflix’s global YouTube channel and reached the coveted number one spot on YouTube trends.
Blood & Water’s afterschool special received an impressive 363 000 views.
The series has already climbed to Netflix’s Top 10 chart in many countries, including the U.S., the U.K. and France, and it’s been renewed for a second season because of season one’s success!
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