Netflix vs Reality: Emily in Paris’ Take on Marketing

Both releases of the Netflix hit series ‘Emily in Paris’ have prompted real life marketers to do one thing: enter the search term ‘marketing jobs in Paris’ into Google and romanticise over strategy meetings with a view of the Saine. The show follows Emily (Lily Collins) carving out a career in the French capital, bringing an American point of view to a Parisian marketing agency.

Amongst the main drama of the show, the portrayal of Emily’s approach to marketing offers up an abundance of glamorous successes, leading many real-life marketers to refresh their own tactics, a-la Emily. While we can enjoy the glossy, instant-hitting nature of the show, there are a few key things to note when it comes to how it compares to the real world of marketing, and we’ve rounded up our top 4 takeaways. Bon apetite!

Managing client expectations is key

Whether you’re working for a client with an awareness of the industry, or if you’re introducing key contacts to campaign tactics that they’ve not come across before, managing expectations is essential. Viral campaigns are effortless for Emily, and in an ideal world, perhaps they would be for the rest of us, too! More often than not, clients can have their own expectations that an agency may not be aware of, and it’s only when these ideals aren’t being met that tensions arise.

For a campaign to have a meaningful performance, it must relate back to your clients’ KPIs, and you should always work with your contacts to determine what this looks like. Whether it’s making it onto a major news publication or prompting a topical conversation in the clients’ niche or area of expertise, establishing what success looks like is key. This way, you’ll have far more clarity when communicating results, and you’ll be less likely to fear missing the mark of unrealistic expectations!

3 people Networking Photo credit: Netflix

Networking does work

While Emily’s entanglements both inside and outside of work hours may involve some underhand techniques, her ability to carve a presence in the industry is commendable. While networking might feel harder in 2022 due to fewer in-person events, there are plenty of ways to be innovative, whether you’re using it for lead generation or simply for expanding your own industry contacts.

There are various ways to use social media platforms to help you to connect with new contacts and audiences. Marketing has a variety of communities on Twitter, from Digital PR’s to journalists and other agencies, and you’ll be able to join conversations this way. Over on Facebook, forums are becoming a clear way to gain an understanding of clients’ industries – you’ll find groups that your clients audiences may be part of, giving you the opportunity to pick up on trends or source quotes for content, direct from the customer. Influencers are present across all platforms too, including Instagram, and building connections this way can lead to valuable partnerships for your client.

Know your niche

While it can feel great to be a jack of all trades, dabbling with clients in different industries can dilute your offering. One thing Emily captures well is her ability to represent all things ‘luxury’, and she’s constantly looking to expand her repertoire in her focus area.

Choosing to focus on a handful of core sectors can enable you to produce high quality campaigns using tried and tested approaches for particular sectors, and in doing so you’ll build up a database of contacts that your content is relevant too – increasing shareability! You’ll also establish yourself as a go-to contact for thought leadership style pieces or guest posts, and back on your own portfolio, you’ll have an array of case studies to support your expertise in the sector you’re working in.

Knowing (and owning!) your niche will also enhance the way you pitch to prospect clients. When you’re targeting a specific sector, you’ll begin to learn what works and what doesn’t for that particular industry. Plus, you’ll be able to approach it with a broader knowledge of the sector in question, being able to tell them how your offering will give them an edge over their competitors just as Emily would – ‘first rate’.

Making marketing feel natural

Though Emily is viewed by her high-brow contacts as nothing more than a social media sensation, she fuses her marketing expertise with her ability to ‘influence without influencing’. This is one of the most valuable takeaways from the show for marketers, as it steps beyond the fact that marketing is solely about making sales.

Customers are increasingly favouring brands that break the mould by meeting their individual needs. Connections are built between audiences and brands that have deeper purpose, from communicating a cultural/social awareness, to using messaging to commit to a set ethos. By opting for these values instead of generating over-promotional, formulaic content, brands will be viewed as a more natural choice for their customers.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with your strategy, just as Emily does! Breaking away from Savoirs’ stagnant approach to marketing, she succeeds by creating content that is humanised and personable — resonating more with her clients’ audience than the tired tactics of her co-workers.

Ready to add some ‘Emily in Paris’-style flair to your own digital marketing strategy? Contact us today to discover more about how our expert SEO and content marketing services can add some pizzazz to your online presence.

Image credits: Netflix