• by Danielle Oster , December 26, 2024

Last year,’ Warner Bros. Pictures’ release of ‘Barbie’ (itself adapting a Mattel property) set a new standard for the barrage of brand collaborations accompanying the most hyped new entertainment releases, one continued with the recent rollout ahead of the theatrical debut of "Wicked."

Netflix has been building up its partnership program over the past few years, with one example its collab with The Wine Group’s Cupcake brand on the release of “Love Is Wine” ahead of the new season of its hit “Love Is Blind” reality series earlier this year.

So it’s unsurprising that Netflix kicked such partnerships into overdrive ahead of the second season of its most-watched original series ever, “Squid Game.” Even though its creator wrote the series, at least in part, as an allegory criticizing the excesses and rampant inequality of modern capitalism, its viral success meant a full roster of brands enthusiastic to associate with “Squid Game” ahead of its Dec. 26 season two debut.

Some brand collaborators focused more on celebrating Korean food and culture with a regional or global audience, or otherwise tangentially tied a food company to the series, including everyone from Korean food brand Bibigo to Domino’s and Doritos Dinamitas, There were also a number of more straightforward releases in the collectibles category from Netflix brand partners (including Mattel).

There were also some stranger branded bedfellows for the series, a few of which are outlined below. The roster of brand partnerships could provide a template for how companies approach entertainment properties that aren’t as clearly brand-friendly as a trip to Barbieland or Oz.

Olive Young

Beauty brands have been big collaborators for “Barbie” and “Wicked’ partnerships, but “Squid Game” doesn’t provide the same entry points -- although South Korea is known for its beauty products. So Korean retailer Olive Young released an exclusive skincare and color cosmetics collection “inspired by” the second season of the series and its “dramatic Bloody Rose theme” featuring limited-edition “Squid Game” packaging.

Crocs

Crocs has been a common collaborator across previous brand partnerships on hyped entertainment franchises. But the resulting take on the brand’s classic clogs still takes things to an unexpected extreme. Instead of shying away from the gore of the series, Crocs added a blood-splattered design to the “green tracksuit”-colored “Squid Game” footwear, while also releasing a series of its decorative Jibbitz shoe accessories featuring characters and iconography from the show for fans to adorn its footwear.

Puma

It’s not unusual to see apparel brands release exclusive products as part of a partnership with a hit entertainment property. Typically, though, the film or series in question doesn’t have the kind of body count that “Squid Game” has. Still, Puma provided the uniforms for the contestants on the second season in the form of its green T7 tracksuits, and made a version of the tracksuit with “Squid Game” branding available for sale to fans, along with typical footwear and apparel releases featuring references to the series.

Duolingo

Duolingo likely takes the cake for the most unhinged advertising brand partnership, supporting “Squid Game”-themed content within the language learning app. The brand continued a penchant for attention-grabbing stunts. with the threatening “Learn Korean Or Else” campaign turning its cute owl mascot sinister, alongside an army of dancing pink guards from the series. More about the effort here.