Oscar Wilde famously said “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life”. Never has this been more true than with the US elections and Netflix original series, House of Cards based on Frank Underwood, a fictional president.

The US elections were one of the most watched global events with media coverage of astronomical proportions. Netflix was faced with the challenge of launching a new House of Cards season against the landscape of real-life US politics with all its popcorn-worthy moments.

Netflix managed to hijack one of the most highly rated political debates in history with a fictional president and his campaign video on issues facing America today ending with an invitation to visit the campaign HQ in South Carolina.
 

A brilliant campaign fashioned to look like a traditional piece of political content, this became the top trending topic of the Presidential debate. The racy and provocative hashtag #FU2016 with its double innuendo was politically and strategically a stroke of genius.

The key to success:

1. Go where the fight is
Timing was everything for this campaign. Netflix took a brave gamble by running their launch ad during a break in the Presidential debate. They went straight to where the fight was rather than trying to find alternative ways to drive impact.

2. A powerful narrative
The content was rich with stories of the character, his policies and outlook. It was a well rounded, holistic tale that drew the viewer into its tangled web (literally and figuratively).

3. True to life collateral
The integrated content created for the website FU2016.com, for social media through Facebook, the true to life ‘call to action’ buttons and email subscriptions, were all incredibly realistic and believable.

So whilst the line between the reality and fiction of US politics continues to blur, at least one US President has continued to win the hearts and minds of his people.

By Uttara Masting, Group Strategy Director, jkr London

House of Cards FU2016, Netflix, BBH New York (Cannes Lions Winner 2016)