Netflix France’s campaign for Season 4 of the popular UK series, “Sex Education” was announced winner of Series Mania’s Best Marketing Initiative Award. Launched last year, the prize recognizes a company’s promotional efforts to consumers (BTC) as well as initiatives by producers and distributors to raise awareness of a show among commissioners and buyers (BTB).
The jury included executives from BBC Creative Studios, Inédite Agency, and Make It Happen Studios, along with the Series Mania team. Marketing Manager Sarah Izbornicki accepted the award on behalf of Netflix France.
“Sex Education” is a British teen comedy-drama series on Netflix, crafted by Laurie Nunn and starring Asa Butterfield as its lead character, Otis. Set in the fictional town of Moordale, it delves into the lives of teens and adults navigating a myriad of personal challenges, frequently revolving around sexual intimacy.
As part of its customized marketing initiative, Netflix France collaborated with Planning Familial (Planned Parenthood) to boost their Sex Education Hotline in France. This toll-free service allowed viewers to seek guidance on sexual education from top experts. The campaign garnered over 100 million views organically and through paid promotion across various social media platforms and influencer accounts.
A Jury Special Mention was awarded to “Dark Hearts” Season 2, from France’s Newen Connect with Vincent Riva, marketing manager, accepting the award.
“Dark Hearts” is a taut six-part French series that blends action, drama and espionage. It’s set in Iraq just before the pivotal battle for Mosul in October 2016. To hype Season 2, Newen Connect created an immersive pitch deck merging Season 1 visuals with cutting-edge AI imagery tailored for the upcoming season. This bespoke deck guides users through Season 2’s settings, introduces new characters, and unveils gripping storylines.
“Last year, the award focused more on BTC creative campaigns, and for this year we decided to broaden the scope to include BTB campaigns, because series need to be noticed at every stage of their creative journey, from idea to screen,” commented Laurence Herszberg, founder and general director of Series Mania.
“You can have the best series, but it’s worthless if no one has heard of it. That’s why marketers and communicators need to be seen as part of the series ecosystem, alongside producers, writers, and financiers. Congratulations to Netflix and Newen Connect for their great work,” she added.
The award was presented during the Series Mania Forum, which took place in Lille, France over March 19-21.
