SUB CATEGORY :

INTEGRATED LOTUS

COMPANY ENTERING :

J. WALTER THOMPSON, BANGKOK

TITLE :

NARCOS THE CENSOR’S CUT

BRAND :

NETFLIX

ADVERTISER :

NETFLIX

AGENCY :

J. WALTER THOMPSON BANGKOK, BANGKOK

MANAGING PARTNER :

SUPANNAPA TRAITONWONG

CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER :

JOAO BRAGA

EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

PARK WANNASIRI

ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR :

JIRADEJ PENGLENGPOL/CHATCHAI BUTSABAKORN

COPYWRITER :

VEERAWIN SUKSANTINUNT/KUNAT CHAENGCHARAT

ART DIRECTOR :

NATTHAPHOL HIRUNLIKID/YANNAPAT BOONKATE

ACCOUNT DIRECTOR :

JASPREET KAUR

ACCOUNT MANAGER :

PREWPRAE TIRABULKUL

CLIENT SERVICE DIRECTOR :

KUNAKORN PRAMOOLSUKH/ROBIN ROSE PULONGBARIT

STRATEGIC PLANNING DIRECTOR :

PRACHAWAN KETAVAN

STRATEGIC PLANNER :

SIWAKORN SEETARASO

ASSOCIATE PLANNING DIRECTOR :

SAKILA BANYEN

PUBLIC, MEDIA & INFLUENCER MANAGEMENT :

SARUTTAYA MAHANAVARANI/PATTIRA UTTARANAKORN

AGENCY PRODUCER :

JIROJ MECHOOJIT/JUTAMAS JUNTASORN/
JIRAPORN CHANNAWACH/ATTAPONG CHOOAMNARD

MEDIA AGENCY :

DENTSU X PTE LTD., SINGAPORE

MEDIA PLANNING DIRECTOR :

KENG KHENG KOH

MEDIA PLANNING MANAGER :

STELLA TAI

MEDIA MANAGER :

STELLA TAI

HEAD OF BUSINESS :

JESSICA BEATON

POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY :

THIS IS IT CO., LTD., BANGKOK

EDITOR :

ANUTRA TEPAKOM

POST PRODUCER :

WOOT WIMALEE

FLAME ARTIST :

ITSARA UNNAWASAKUL

SOUND PRODUCTION COMPANY :

CINE SOUND STUDIO CO., LTD., BANGKOK

SOUND ENGINEER :

SAKCHAI KANGWANPRASERT

ASSISTANT SOUND ENGINEER :

WANCHAI SINPRAJUGKUL

CAMPAIGN SUMMARY :

IN ORDER TO PROMOTE THE LAUNCH OF NETFLIX’S NARCOS MEXICO, A SERIES FILLED WITH SEX, DRUGS AND VIOLENCE, AND GET PEOPLE HOOKED, WE CAME UP WITH ONE OF THE BOLDEST AND CRAZIEST IDEA: “NARCOS THE CENSOR’S CUT”. WE CREATED THE MOST CUT ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN IN THE HISTORY OF THAILAND, USING THE HAND OF THAI CENSORSHIP. WE STARTED BY SUBMITTING NARCOS MEXICO TRAILER AND ARTWORKS TO THAI ADVERTISING CENSORSHIP. AS EXPECTED, THEY TOLD US TO CUT OUT INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT. BUT UNEXPECTEDLY, WE DID IT. LITERALLY. THEN, WE REALLY LAUNCHED THE CUT VERSION OF OUR TRAILER AND KEY VISUALS ABOVE THE LINE AND THEN ONLINE. THE CUT VERSION ONLY HIGHLIGHTED HOW HARDCORE AND RAW THE SERIES IS AND PROMPTED PEOPLE TO SEE THE UNCUT VERSION ON NETFLIX.

THE BRIEF :

COME UP WITH A BIG, BOLD, CRAZY IDEA TO PROMOTE NARCOS MEXICO SERIES TO THAI AUDIENCE AND GET THEM HOOKED.

THE STRATEGY :

IN THIS COUNTRY, EVERYTHING THAT DEEMS “INAPPROPRIATE” CANNOT BE OVERTLY REVEALED. EVEN WITH A RATING SYSTEM, BROADCAST TELEVISION AND OUT-OF-HOME MEDIA STILL CENSOR OBJECTS FROM A BOTTLE OF LIQUOR AND GUNS TO A CARTOON CHARACTER’S SWIMSUIT. THAT’S WHY THAIS HATE CENSORSHIP. AND THAT’S ALSO WHY IT’S PERFECT FOR OUR IDEA. AS PEOPLE ARE ALREADY SO FAMILIAR WITH THE CONCEPT, PROMOTING A SERIES FILLED WITH SEX, DRUGS AND VIOLENCE USING CENSORSHIP WOULD ONLY HIGHLIGHT THE RAWNESS OF IT. SO, WE CHOSE TO GO ABOVE THE LINE AND FACE THAI CENSOR HEAD ON. EVERY TRADITIONAL MEDIA MONITORED BY THE CONSERVATIVE AUTHORITY WERE USED IN A WAY THAT NOBODY HAS BEFORE, THAT IS, BY GIVING 100% COOPERATION.

THE EXECUTION :

WE KNOW THAT THE MORE WE HIDE, THE MORE PEOPLE WILL WANT TO SEE. THAT’S WHY WE USED AS MANY MEDIA WE COULD GET TO SHOW AS LEAST AS POSSIBLE. A WEEK PRIOR TO THE PREMIER OF NARCOS MEXICO, WE BOMBARDED THE CITY WITH OUR CUT ADVERTISEMENT. WE LAUNCHED OUR CAMPAIGN FIRST ABOVE THE LINE, AIRING “CUT” TRAILER ON TV NATIONWIDE TO ATTRACT TV WATCHERS WHO WERE NON-SUBSCRIBERS. WE ALSO AIRED IT ON DIGITAL SCREENS IN BANGKOK’S HIGH TRAFFIC AREA. UNSURPRISINGLY, SOME EXHIBITORS STILL FOUND IT INAPPROPRIATE. SO, WE REVISED BY CUTTING EVERYTHING OUT AND LAUNCHED OUR CUT BILLBOARDS, POLE WRAPS WITH ONLY WARNING TEXTS IN BANGKOK’S PRIME AREAS. THEN, AS PEOPLE BEGAN TO CAPTURE OUR ADS AND TALKING ABOUT THEM ONLINE, WE RESPONDED WITH ONLINE POSTS APOLOGIZING FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO ADVERTISE OUR CONTENT EXPLICITLY.

THE RESULT :

FOLLOWING THE ONLINE BUZZ, A SOCIAL MOVEMENT WHERE THE INTERNET CAME TOGETHER TO HELPED RETOUCH OUR ADS WITH ‘APPROPRIATE’ OBJECTS IN AN EFFORT TO GET IT PAST CENSORSHIP OCCURRED. THIS MADE “NARCOS THE CENSOR’S CUT” BECOME ONE OF THE WILDLY SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNS OF NETFLIX THAILAND, GENERATING OVER 93 MILLION IMPRESSION WITH 34 MILLION PEOPLE REACHED. NARCOS MEXICO MADE IT TO THE POPULAR ON NETFLIX SECTION IN THAILAND. IN THE END, “NARCOS THE CENSOR’S CUT” MADE NARCOS MEXICO RELEVANT TO THAI AUDIENCE IN A WAY THAT NO OTHER CAMPAIGN EVER COULD.