Emily in Paris: Marketing Genius or Tragedy?

Emily in Paris: the latest Netflix show that is taking social media by storm. Following a twenty-something marketing professional who is transferred from Chicago to Paris by her employer, Emily in Paris highlights the marketing industry from a millennial point of view; however, were these marketing strategies that Emily implemented at her agency totally realistic or completely outrageous? 

As a marketing executive, Emily is primarily focused on social media marketing and branding. Let’s dive into a few of her strategies:

Influencer Status

Upon her arrival in Paris, Emily created a new Instagram account to document her time abroad - hello, @EmilyinParis. By posting cute, fun selfies and pictures with captions full of puns and catchy hashtags, Emily’s following grows from less than fifty to several thousand very quickly, allowing her to achieve influencer status.

We have a slight problem with this plot line. As marketers, we can acknowledge that very few (if any) Instagram accounts gain that many followers that quickly. We can use every hashtag under the sun and still only gain about three followers, not three thousand. 

Branding Genius

Emily primarily works to market luxurious fashion and beauty products. Several times throughout the show’s 10-episode run, Emily’s marketing ideas are borderline controversial (i.e. the sexy or sexist perfume commercial Twitter poll). However, her ideas are bold, stir up conversation and generate brand awareness, which equals success.

All Press is Good Press

After Emily’s classic, highly regarded fashion client is the subject of mockery by up-and-coming designers, Emily manages the negative and embarrassing press to work in her favor. By not missing a beat, she maneuvers the situation to benefit her client, making them more relevant in the fashion industry than ever before. We love a good comeback story, and as they say, all press is good press.

All in all, Emily in Paris might not be the most realistic depiction of marketing, but it certainly gets us thinking. How can we make our brand stand out? What crazy ideas can we come up with to generate buzz? Should we move to Paris to market luxury fashion and beauty brands? We’ll keep you updated on that last one.