This social season\u2019s most swoon-worthy pairing? My dear reader, it simply must be Bridgerton<\/em> and its roster of brand collaborations.<\/p>\n Late last month, the hit Netflix and Shondaland-produced show dropped the second half of Season 4\u2019s episodes, finishing the tale of Benedict Bridgerton\u2019s journey to finding love with housemaid-turned-Cinderella Sophie Baek. On Jan. 29, the first batch of episodes premiered to great fanfare, debuting in the top slot in Netflix’s Global Top 10 with 39.7 million views, according to the company. In between Part I and Part II, the streamer released its full slate of brand partnerships and product collaborations, which were meant to help fans \u201cdelight in the Regency-era world of the ton\u201d as they awaited the final episodes, per a press release.<\/p>\n Those collabs have included apparel, beauty, and food and beverage brands, and involve firsts like a Polly Pocket compact of Bridgerton House, a fragrance collection with COTY, and a rental clothing collection with Nuuly. In all, Netflix rolled out collaborations with 52 partners across product and brand campaigns in various markets, all with the goal of putting fans first, according to Magno Herran, VP of global partnerships at Netflix.<\/p>\n Each season, Bridgerton<\/em> seems to have more brand collaborations than the last. Season 3, for example, had a little over a dozen partners. While Netflix has shown an increasing appetite for collaborations and product placement\u2014take, Netflix\u2019s rollout of the Stranger Things<\/em> final season\u2014a Regency-era show doesn\u2019t seem like it would allow for many modern in-world integrations. <\/p>\n Nonetheless, the British high-society tale continues to court brands\u2014and brands are flirting right back.<\/p>\n \u201cThe gift that Bridgerton<\/em> has given us is this whole Regency world, taking it from what you used to consider period pieces\u2014and that was it\u2014into the modern world, and that\u2019s through the music, through the castings, or the story\u2019s themes,\u201d Herran told Marketing Brew. \u201cThere\u2019s just a lot of flexibility and we found that fans just want to play in that space.\u201d<\/p>\n A Bridgerton<\/em> partnership marked fashion rental company Nuuly\u2019s first foray into collaborations, according to Kim Gallagher, Nuuly\u2019s executive director of marketing and customer success. With that said, she was unsure at first of how the partnership might play out.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the beginning, we were like, what\u2019s this gonna be? Bridgerton<\/em>\u2019s so huge, we\u2019re still kind of a newer, growing brand,\u201d Gallagher told Marketing Brew.<\/p>\n The show\u2019s popularity among Gen Z and Millennials was a pro, Gallagher said, but its scale was intimidating for a brand that typically has narrower reach. For the partnership to work, she said, she was focused on ensuring the end result had a distinctly Nuuly feel, which she felt was possible when the Netflix team expressed its goal to let the brand help audiences \u201clive like a Bridgerton in a modern way.\u201d<\/p>\n The resulting 22-piece capsule collection, which was released around the first episode drop, includes reimagined Regency apparel made modern with details like toile prints, corsetry, and floral patterns through a partnership with four independent women designers.<\/p>\n According to Herran, the Netflix team directs brand partners toward IP details that might best resonate, but he said he also recognizes where the brand teams should take the lead.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do let our partners play, because we come in, from a partnership perspective, as saying \u2018You guys are total experts in this field,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re total experts in the IP and our fans and what they talk about. And in that alchemy comes something special.\u201d<\/p>\n For many shows, in-show product integrations are an attractive option, but brand marketers working with Bridgerton<\/em> say they don\u2019t view the Regency setting that prevents in-world integrations as a lost opportunity. \u201cProduct placement is the place a lot of brands go,\u201d Gallagher said. \u201cTo be honest, there\u2019s some consumer backlash against that as well, so I don\u2019t know that that\u2019s always the right approach.\u201d<\/p>\n Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n There are plenty of other ways to tap into the vibe of the show. This season, Facebook Marketplace worked with Bridgerton <\/em>on two ads featuring actors Luke Newton and Golda Rosheuvel that highlights how users can leverage the platform to find Bridgerton<\/em>-esque furniture and home decor. The collaboration, which is set to run for six weeks, also includes a dedicated landing page on Facebook Marketplace\u2019s app that helps fans enter to potentially win real pieces from the show\u2019s set.<\/p>\nStep into Bridgerton House<\/h2>\n
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