Stranger Things season four drives £4.3m in brand placement for Reebok and Lacoste

The latest series of Stranger Things has generated more than $27.4 million (£22.8 million) in brand placement since launching in May, according to new research.

The fourth series of the hit Netflix science-fiction show, which was released in two volumes, was also a critical success and earned more than a dozen Emmy nominations.

Data from YouGov Stream in the UK and US suggests Coca-Cola was the big winner commercially with placements of $3.4 million (£2.8 million) – the highest of any brand.

Other brands that benefitted from placement in the show included Reebok with $2.4 million (£2 million) and Lacoste with $2.3 million (£1.9 million).

The most favoured episode for product placement was the series finale, which drove more than $7.3 million (£6.1 million) of value and featured more than 35 brands.

Dominic Prince, Associate Director of Product at YouGov, said: “What we’re seeing in this data is an extremely healthy return provided by Netflix for the brands featured in Stranger Things.

“Coke, as reportedly the largest buyers of product placement in the show, will be happy with over $3.4 million (£2.8 million) in advertising value driven by their efforts in the UK and US.

“As will the likes of Reebok, Sony, and Jif Peanut Butter. Note that the audience figures for Stranger Things will only continue to grow over time, and consequently so will these valuations. It’s also important to look at this data in the context of the broadening push by SVOD (subscription video on demand) services to offset production costs by creating new revenue streams.

“Our total valuation of $27.4 million (£22.8m) demonstrates the value that this media can generate for brands. A blue-chip streamer like Stranger Things is effectively a marketing tool with monumental reach for brands looking to target even the most stubborn, ad-averse consumers.”