How Netflix promoted Manoj Bajpayee starrer ‘Killer Soup’ with a home-spun offbeat influencer

A mysterious billboard recently surfaced in Mumbai posing a cryptic question, "Killer Soup kab milega?" 

The billboard is one of the latest products of Netflix's unconventional promotional strategy for its upcoming original show, Killer Soup, featuring Manoj Bajpayee and Konkona Sen Sharma.

As part of its promotion for the show, Netflix crafted a marketing recipe to create an offbeat 'soup-er' influencer.

The result? @soupsalu (Salauddin), whose six-week-old Instagram profile chronicles his quest for the ultimate 'Killer' soup.

With 46 posts journaling his daily soup-tasting adventures, soupsalu's mission became a unique challenge series, orchestrated to engage social media users.

Creating a daily-posting social media sensation from scratch is no easy task. Following an extensive screening process that failed to yield a suitable candidate, Netflix eventually chose Salauddin, a head spot boy by profession.

Executed by The Rabbit Hole and amplified by YoungGun and Kofluence, this innovative campaign diverged from traditional promotional methods, aiming to leverage daily posts to emotionally captivate the audience and cultivate interest, engagement, and anticipation.

Salauddin's Instagram profile showcased his quest for the perfect 'Killer' soup, experimenting with various weird flavours such as Baingan-Lemon, Aam Panna-Lauki, and Vegetable-Coffee.

Each day, the intrigue surrounding soupsalu's mission grew on his page, garnering engagement from followers who echoed his signature introduction, "Helle Gaiz," and anticipated the revelation of the 'Killer' soup.

The campaign started escalating when, in a post, Salauddin was spotted standing in front of Netflix's office, demanding his elusive 'Killer' Soup.

Soon after, another post showcased a billboard featuring soupsalu and the question "Killer Soup kab milega?" (When will we get the Killer soup?).

On December 14, Netflix brought the suspense to a close with a decisive revelation on its Instagram handle through a compelling reel post. The video featured soupsalu alongside the lead actors of the show, Bajpayee and Sharma, engaging in the tasting ritual of his 46th soup flavour - Mutton-Paya.

After tasting the Mutton-Paya soup, soupsalu spits it out. But instead of dwelling on another failure, he announces that the wait for Killer Soup is over, revealing the show's release date: January 11, 2024.