For Netflix, our objective is always deceptively simple: create cultural conversations. Our focus is buzz, talkability and “heat” over traditional media metrics.

The launch of Stranger Things 4 was no different. The series had become a global phenomenon and the pressure was on to ensure the launch lived up to – or even better, exceeded – the performance of previous seasons.

Netflix planned a Global Upside Down Takeover and local clients wanted to ensure Australia punched above its weight and stood out in a global line-up of 12 participating countries.

Netflix wanted every touchpoint of the campaign to be playful, provocative and joyfully unexpected.

Ultimately, Netflix wanted to surprise consumers through “WTF” activations that felt culturally in tune, witty and defied hierarchy – achieving the company’s ultimate goal of making its marketing as synonymous with entertainment as its content.

After being one of the most locked down countries in the world, Australia was finally opening up. However, Australians were still feeling sceptical and on edge.

Together with the creative agency, we decided that the ideal place for a new ‘infestation’ (hazmat suits and all) was Australia’s premier tourist destination – Bondi Beach. It would be globally recognisable enough to stand out, while also allowing us to tap into the local community to drive a sense of chaos, buzz and conversation. Our creative idea was to Welcome The Upside Down, Down Under.

While Bondi had been used for guerrilla marketing stunts in the past, we agreed this would give us a worthwhile benchmark to compare to.

The creatives got to work designing and building a giant “rift” to the Upside Down, and we focused our attention on blowing up the conversation in media.

Our target audience was Entertainment Escapists across broad skewing social tribes – Internet Pop Culture Fans, Loyal Stranger Things Fans and Fans of Sci-Fi & Fantasy – with a nearly even male/female split (53:47). Highest viewing concentration was among 25- to 49-year-olds.

As it happened, the launch date of Stranger Things Season 4 was set for one of the most highly anticipated nights of the year in Australia – the opening night of VIVID Sydney – a local festival favourite postponed for the previous two years. And one of our top new SVOD competitors, Paramount+, had planned the Southern Hemisphere’s largest drone show that weekend as part of the VIVID celebrations.

Our challenge was to get in early and highjack the conversation. And do it in a way that was so uniquely and undeniably Aussie that it earned an unfair share of attention on a busy weekend.

On launch day, we rolled out a series of timely and premeditated media partnerships across a 24-hour window.

First, Netflix leaked the coordinates on social as the ‘rift’ mysteriously appeared on Bondi Beach before daybreak.

Next, we unleashed our influencers. A drone shot by iconic Bondi photographer, Aquabumps, confirmed the sighting as popular TV show Bondi Rescue landed on the scene, warning locals to proceed with caution.

Local Bachelor couple Jimmy & Holly ‘stumbled’ upon the rift on their morning walk and shared it with their followers – as did local surfer Alex Hayes on his morning surf.

High-profile radio host Dave ‘Hughsey’ Hughes and Time Out were also live on ground.

As the crowd peaked, the police arrived, choppers circled overhead and superfans descended in droves – right on time for our Daily Mail Livestream. We were officially breaking news…cemented the following morning with a Sydney Morning Herald takeover.

‘The Bondi Rift’ was covered across all TV networks and popular websites Pedestrian, Yahoo! and NewsCorp. ABC presenters even asked viewers to phone in and explain “WTF” was going on.

The results speak for themselves:

-“Stranger Things” (#3) and “Bondi Beach” (#8) were among the most-searched topics in Australia that day.

-1.6x more online conversation than Amazon Prime’s Bondi Borat activation two years prior, and 3.7x more than Paramount+’s Drone Show at VIVID that weekend.

-Influencer content achieved >5.8M reach and >1M engagements.

-Bondi Rescue was Netflix ANZ’s most-viewed Reel of 2022 with over 1.8M views on Facebook and >1.5M views on TikTok.

-Stranger Things 4 became Netflix’s most popular show ever, holding #1 spot across ANZ for 16 weeks.

As more rifts rolled out globally, it was clear Australia had taken advantage of our time zone and, by the client’s own admission, set Netflix’s new benchmark for social stunts.