If you have not binge watched the latest season of Emily in Paris, you are missing out. This Netflix series is taking the millennial and Gen Z audience by storm and turning them into wannabe marketers.
We love this series, not only because the story line is cute, but because of the creativity Emily exhibits. Her ability to pitch unique ideas in spur of the moment encounters and last minute meetings is the magic most marketers dream about.
Through her failures and missteps, from her just-in-time “ah-ha” moments, and her continual love for her community, Emily shows us what to do and what not to do as marketers. In this modern, Parisian Mad Men, we fall in love with Emily’s character and wish we could be her all at the same time.
Let’s jump into five marketing lessons taught by the characters in Emily in Paris!
Nurture Your Creativity
Emily’s life in Paris is filled with beautiful architecture and people. And who wouldn’t be inspired when you can run by the Seine every day? We might not all have the luxury of living in an awe-inspiring city, but there are many things that can be done to enhance our creativity wherever we are in the world.
Build a Community of Creatives
Her Parisian community is filled with creatives who provide Emily with inspiration. She is surrounded by singers, musicians, chefs, artists, fashion designers, and other expert networkers. It’s said that you become like the individuals you spend time with regularly. So, it’s no wonder that Emily is creative, when each relationship in her life is centered around artistic expression.
Set Aside Time for Creative Thought
Setting aside time to think and brainstorm with other marketers is also something Emily fits into her busy schedule. Long lunches and cigarettes at cafes may not be the common practice here in the U.S. where we value hard work and long hours behind our desks.
Yet, according to science and historical evidence, it’s proven that changing your surroundings and leisurely bouncing around creative ideas is the best way to nurture your imagination. It’s not just good television–most episodes depict Emily running around town instead of behind her desk because that’s what creatives do in reality.
Express Yourself through Style
Expressing yourself with your clothing, hair styles, make up, and shoe choice is another tactic that creatives use to enhance their mental abilities. Just look at this creative’s experiment in changing her clothing choices as a method of removing her creative rut.
The outfits worn by the Emily in Paris characters are not everyone’s idea of professional, but their use of color, shape, pattern, textures and glitter are simply an outward expression of the internal inventive mind. The good news is that you don’t need to live in Paris to experiment with creativity-enhancing fashion.
Be Bold
Emily is bold. Almost cringey amounts of bold at times. But she regularly gets out of her comfort zone and connects with people she finds intimidating. Emily networks wherever she goes, and meets with others in her industry, offering suggestions and ideas for partnership. Emily doesn’t shy away from opportunities because of her fear but embraces it willingly even in the midst of her anxiety.
Though she has brilliant ideas, Emily is simply an anxious millennial worrying she’ll get fired after each setback. This sounds a bit too close to home for many of us. And, as we see in the show, her boldness doesn’t mean that she is always embraced for her good ideas. In reality, she is rejected quite often. Yet, the next day she heads out with more ideas prepared to pitch. If we could continue to pitch and let rejection slide off of our backs, we might have more success in our day-to-day lives.
Never Stop Pitching
Whether her ideas land well or not, Emily is always pitching. Everyone she meets, she pitches. We may not regularly come up with ingenious ideas on the spot like Emily’s character, but we could learn a thing or two about her willingness to pitch.
Sharing her ideas freely, without being asked, is what leads her to so many new opportunities. She does not withhold her ideas, but speaks them openly and without expectations. She is never salesy, but relates the product or service at hand with the target audience flawlessly. This is what brings in new business, keeps current business, and expands her network for future seasons.
Support Your Community
She also includes her friends in many of her pitches, helping them to grow as well. Emily’s support for her friends and her network makes her a beloved character and an expert marketer. We love to see friends supporting friends.
Though Emily supports her friends without fail, she also makes mistakes. Being able to admit her pitfalls and own them is what determines her success in business and relationships. Too many scenes depict Emily stressed and anxious, and usually it is in these scenes that she is hiding something. If we can be open about our mistakes, support our friends without ceasing, and allow failures to help us grow, we too can be successful marketers.
Stay Calm and Schmooze
Though there is much to be learned from Emily’s character, we can also learn a few things from Sylvie, Emily’s French manager at Savoir. The contrast between Emily and Sylvie makes for a great marketing duo, and a great binge-worthy series.
Sylvie is elegant and graceful in a way that her profession demands, but rarely is seen providing innovative concepts. Regardless of Sylvie’s genius, her ability to network and nurture relationships is what keeps the business afloat. She consistently wins new business and keeps long-term clients through her ability to stay calm and schmooze the big dogs of her industry.
Whether you are marketing luxury perfume or your local car dealership, there is much to be learned through the characters seen in Emily in Paris. With the latest release of the third season, you have quite a bit of learning and catching up to do! Au-revoir!