GIGIL Turns Manila’s Party District Into Hawkins for Netflix’s Stranger Things 5

Why It Matters

The stunt turned a TV premiere into a city‑wide experience, boosting Netflix’s subscriber activity and brand relevance in a competitive market. It showcases the power of immersive, culturally tuned activations for entertainment giants.

Key Takeaways

• Five bars recreated as season-specific sets.
• Over 1 million engagements recorded.
• 50.4 million organic views generated.
• Six weeks atop Netflix Philippines chart.
• GIGIL leveraged immersive bar crawl for brand activation.

Pulse Analysis

Experiential marketing has become a cornerstone for streaming services seeking to cut through digital noise, and Netflix’s partnership with GIGIL illustrates this shift. By converting Manila’s bustling Poblacion district into a living version of Hawkins, the agency blended pop‑culture nostalgia with local nightlife, creating a tactile touchpoint that resonated with both die‑hard fans and casual onlookers. The design team meticulously crafted each bar to echo a specific season, ensuring visual fidelity while integrating branded cocktails and interactive props that encouraged organic social sharing.

The results underscore the campaign’s effectiveness: more than one million engagements across platforms, 50.4 million organic video views, and a six‑week reign atop Netflix’s Philippines chart. These metrics translate into heightened subscriber intent, as viewers are more likely to tune in when they’ve physically experienced the narrative world. Moreover, the bar‑crawl format fostered word‑of‑mouth promotion, with attendees posting photos and videos that amplified reach without additional media spend, exemplifying a high ROI model for content‑driven activations.

Looking ahead, the success of the Hawkins bar crawl signals a roadmap for other brands aiming to localize global IPs. Agencies can replicate this model by selecting culturally resonant venues, aligning set design with story arcs, and embedding shareable moments that drive earned media. For Netflix and similar platforms, such immersive events not only boost launch metrics but also deepen fan loyalty, turning a seasonal release into a memorable city‑wide celebration that can be adapted for future series or film drops worldwide.

GIGIL turns Manila’s party district into Hawkins for Netflix’s Stranger Things 5

February 20 2026, 12:21 pm

Rather than competing with the holiday chaos of malls, GIGIL Philippines brought Hawkins to life in Poblacion, transforming the party district into a fully immersive bar crawl where fans could step into the show’s most iconic moments from the past decade.

Five bars were reimagined as detailed sets inspired by each season of Stranger Things. Fans moved from location to location, sipping themed drinks, snapping photos, and even coming face‑to‑face with Vecna himself.

The result? Over 1 million engagements, 50.4 million organic views, and six weeks topping Netflix’s local charts.

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Credits

Agency: GIGIL

• Chief Creative Officer: Badong Abesamis

• Chief Creative Officer: Herbert Hernandez

• Managing Partner: Jake Yrastorza

• Associate Creative Director: Alvin Adriano

• Associate Creative Director: Greggy Gregorio

• Creative Director: Leslie Cua

• Copywriter: Patrise Calumpag

• Copywriter: Hans Dimaguila

• Copywriter: Urn Gabao

• Copy Intern: Gio Baluyut

• Copy Intern: Andrea Caraos

• Art Director: Azi Oh

• Art Director: Justice Gravador

• Art Director: Haui Sacay

• Art Director: Elai Lopez

• Art Director: Leklek Nacional

• Art Director: Clister Santos

• Art Intern: Limmy Limbo

• Head of Art: Ronchris Cosme

• Video Editor: Joseph Linga

• Video Editor: Klaurence Cruz

• Group Account Director: Micco Balana

• Account Director: Adel Clemente

• Account Manager: Bea de Vera, Paolo Alejandrino

Client: NETFLIX

• Country Head of Marketing: Stef Pajarito

• Marketing Production Manager: Nina Mendoza

• Film & Series Marketing Coordinator: Hanz Laron

Production

• Activation Producer: Ma. Pamela G. Ungco

• Ingress Supervisor and On‑Ground Manager: Jamie Franz C. Ramos

• On‑Ground Supervisors: John Alfred Intia, Vince Morales, Louie Estoperez, Jhon Michael Bautista, Jayr Co

Moss Design House

• Managing Design Director: Cyndi Fernandez

• Chief Operating Officer: Mado Beltran

• Head Events Designer: Bianca Lacqueo

• Lead Events Designer: Frances Moll

• Events Designer: Aubrey Mendoza, Hateya Damole, Anna Guinto

• Project Manager: Hannah Bausing

• Project Supervisor: Rylan Ang

• Project Coordinator: Roselle Hernandez

DOBB Inc.

• Founder & Head of Creative Operations: Diosa Blancaver‑Baldoz

• VP, Production and Operations: Rowland Baldoz

• Production Head: Honesto Gene Evaristo

• Production Manager: Michael Maglalang

• Supervisor: John Reyes

Artillerie

• Executive Producer: Dancel Henson

• Production Manager: André Surio Perez

• Production Designer: Jessica Dizon

• Master Fabrication / Setman: Randy Mendoza

• Location Manager: Maricel San Juan

• Production Staff: Gerald Valmores, Sky Yap

Additional Credits

• Studio Partner: PRPL Studio

• Fabrication Partners: Garahe Trese, Raca Etnikolour

Documentation – Prime Productions

• Production Manager: Denise Blanco Elizon

• Photo Unit 1: Miguel Herce

• Video Unit 1: Richard Nathaniel Soriano

• Photo Unit 2: Ricky Emmanuel Domingo

• Video Unit 2: Luke Daniel Remetre

• Camera Assistants: Rakie Baisa, Cedie Barrameda

• Coordinator: Clarice Dela Cruz

• Production Driver: John Dwight Sunga

• Aerial Provider: Saxby Dizon, Dam Moreno