NETFLIX | Spanish Lessons | 2017
They just made what the internet was already asking for / NETFLIX "Spanish Lessons"
Scrolling through Twitter, they noticed fans all tweeting the same thing: "Watching Narcos is teaching me Spanish." So they thought — let's actually turn that into a lesson.
The problem
Narcos is a show that mixes Spanish and English, and season one was a huge hit. Fans followed along with the subtitles and naturally picked up the slang and curse words used by Colombia's drug cartels. With season two coming up, ALMA DDB Miami spotted all that energy on social media.
The insight
They wanted to spread the word about season two to existing fans without paid ads. So why not give a boost to something fans were already doing — "studying Spanish with Narcos"? Have the actual characters from the show teach the words school would never dare to.
The idea
A series of short videos called "Narcos Spanish Lessons." The actors became teachers, walking viewers through crude, rough-edged Spanish phrases. They simply turned what the internet already wanted into something real.
What happened
Through completely free, organic sharing alone, it drove 30% of all engagement across season two's posts, outperforming the paid content. It reached 52 million people and generated over 1.2 million engagements. It also won multiple Lions at Cannes, including two Golds.
Afterthought
What I love is what happened after people heard about it. Anyone can notice fans getting excited. But it takes real commitment to actually put the actors in front of a camera and release something like that under the brand's name. Reaching 52 million people with zero paid media is honestly wild. The internet loves honesty. They just handed people exactly what they wanted, exactly the way they wanted it.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2017
