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Netflix has what looks to be a great show set to launch, but you can’t see the program on its flagship streaming service.
The company plans to take over the history Marlborough Pub in London between September 3 and September 5,
when it will outfit the place much like its comedic action series “The Gentlemen,” which is about to launch its second season. At the pub, visitors will be able to look for hidden messages from the show, which is created by Guy Ritchie, order a Stella Artois, and take home limited-edition merchandise including their an engraved chalice.
The partnership, which will also include a series of vignettes outlining a five-step pouring ritual associated with the Anheuser-Busch InBev brew, marks the first brand alliance for the series, and the first execution in a multi-year deal struck between the brewing giant and the streaming titan, initially unveiled in September of last year.
Wrapping Stella Artois in the trappings of the series was key to the alliance, says Marcel Marcondes, global CMO of Anheuser Busch InBev, via email. “We didn’t want to place the brand alongside the story,” he says. “We wanted to it feel so integrated that fans wouldn’t be able to distinguish between the content and the show.”
The video vignettes will feature series star Theo James as well as soccer great David Beckham, who has served as a brand ambassador for the beer since 2024.
Netflix has worked assiduously to burnish its reputation as a home for advertisers seeking to align themselves with its popular programs and eager to avoid the traditional model of deploying typical 30-second commercials. Netflix in 2019 was able to convince Coca-Cola to revive New Coke, a failed revamp of its flagship product — all because the beverage was featured in the third season of “Stranger Things.” The streamer has put a spotlight on its ability to create bespoke alliances with its programs, according to media buyers who have negotiated ad deals with the company, realizing that such offerings might entice advertisers to buy more regular commercial inventory. Earlier this year, Netflix pushed the marketing-industry envelope by weaving popular State Farm spokes-character Jake from State Farm into the plot of its sports series “Running Point.”
“We’re really excited about how this partnership came to life. It’s a true piece of entertainment that extends ‘The Gentlemen’ beyond the screen, that we know fans around the world are going to love,” says Magno Herran, vice president of global brand and marketing partnerships at Netflix, via email. “‘The Gentlemen; checks all the right boxes,” he adds. “It’s a show that our fans love globally, with a touch of real British style and swagger that pairs incredibly well with a brand like Stella Artois. It offered the perfect place for a brand and the story to come together in a way we couldn’t do individually.”
The team-up between brewer and streamer will be seen in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. The bet is that the interesting content will entice fans around the world and grow the series’ audience as the debut of its second season draws near. Social-media feeds controlled by Netflix or Stella Artois will also boost the alliance.
