Pop culture has always been a big influence in terms of how my area of work has been portrayed. In the 1990s and early 2000s, we had Samantha from “Sex in the City” where all she did in PR was host parties and work with celebrities.
In the 2010’s, we then had Olivia in “Scandal” for handling crises and work in reputation management. Now, as we enter a new decade with a new show that will paint a picture of what social media professionals really do in their work.
What show am I talking about? I am talking about Netflix’s new show “Emily in Paris.”
Like everyone I know in the social media industry, I went out to check it out for a pop cultural reference. We have to know the various perceptions that are being attributed to our field and how (and why) people think the way we do about the work we are doing.
When watching the show, I immediately was able to pick up on the types of duties and responsibilities people will now assume social media professionals do on a day-to-day basis. We create content for ourselves for our own personal brand to get opportunities. We are the voices behind the brands on social. We have to be an event planner, crisis manager, content creator, strategist, creative director, influencer marketing specialist, writer, babysitter (well, not really – only for clients who need to be watched which happened in this show!),
So, I considered watching this this show to be research. I not only watched the show, but I also wanted to see what others in my field thought about how the work of a marketing (or communications professional – it was hard to determine this b/c Emily said her background was in marketing and communications at different times) about the field. What I found when I was looking online for articles for this post was that either people hated it, or loved it.
Me? Well, you will have to read to see what I think!
There are many angles to take on this show, but I will primarily focus on the one that deals with my industry and profession.
As someone who teaches, researches, and has written books on social media, here are some of the things I have taken away from this show:
Emily in Paris does put personal (or even call it personality?) branding front and center. It is not only about what you know, but who knows you. If we are able to take anything away from a lesson from Emily in Paris – it’s personal branding.
To not give away too many details of the plot of the show, a lot of the opportunities Emily got was how she presented herself online as well as offline. She was consistent in her content, but also voice and perspectives on various topics and trends.
A lack of strategy when it comes to social media in the storyline. This has been a unified point that has been raised about the show. The criticisms about the work Emily did for social media (for her own personal brand as well as for her clients). Just posting pictures and hashtags overall may not be the most effective strategy for social media.
Lots of questions came up as well for me as I was witnessing Emily do her social media work. Where are the research and monitoring tools to determine what people are saying about the brands that the agency is working for? Why isn’t Emily working hand in hand with the digital team to make sure the work she is doing on social helps in lead generation opportunities, conversions, and help with the content marketing strategy? What other KPIs besides views, media impressions and follower count growth would she be reporting?
In regards to her personal brand, Emily was only present on one platform (particularly looks like Instagram). Wouldn’t she be on all platforms? If she was in Marketing or Communications, wouldn’t she be engaging with industry colleagues from around the world on Twitter? Or consuming content and doing research on up and coming creators on TikTok or other social media platforms to engage with for her clients at the agency?
Lots of questions came up for me regarding this while watching the show.
With that being said, the strategy for the branding of the show from Netflix was very well done! Look at what they did for their IG account for the show. Now, if they were able to integrate this into the show features and storyline, that would be greatr!
If you go to another country to work, you HAVE to do your research. Huge, huge point here for me that was clearly lacking in this show. Even if you do not speak the language, you make an effort to learn it.
Understanding the media, marketing, and communication landscape is huge. What works in the USA may (or may not most likely) work in other countries. The fact that Emily did not do this shows 1) a perception people have about Americans overall and 2) This is not reflective of all.
When I went to South Africa to work in Fashion and Consumer PR, I did my research. I had four months ahead of time in a separate class to learn the culture, history, and landscape of the region. Wherever I travel for work or conferences, I pick up several books to learn as much as I can before I head to the country. Understanding the overall etiquette and food cuisine is also very, very important.
In order to create a win-win situation, we first have to understand each other and our perspectives, views, and approaches before coming together.
Emily in Paris did make some key takeaways and points related to influencer marketing. Emily was able to bring her presence with her account to social media to life under the handle @EmilyInParis – but I found that she was just posting pictures, and really nothing else, and was able to get tons of followers that way.
My question for this was – besides the pictures, what value was she providing for her community? Did she ever interact with her followers to build a sense of community or engage with them? It appears Emily was using the push message strategy in her content creation and marketing for her personal brand instead of engaging with her community with her content but asking them for feedback and inviting them to be part of the conversation. Her social media presence seemed very one way in my opinion.
I do think that the one thing I found interesting that Emily *did* do well was when she was invited to the influencer event as an influencer.
She was a real fan of the makeup account and made sure the content reflect why *she* liked the account and was not there just for the experience, free swag, or the paycheck.
This is important for all of us working in social media to recognize – we want to work with influencers who are real, authentic, and advocate for our products and brands – not just ones who pride themselves on vanity metrics.
Perception of social media as a “fad” is present in the show, but that’s not the case. Sure, if this show was presented 10 years ago, that may be true. However, if you are working in marketing and communications now and you do NOT have a team (not one person, but a team) focused on digital and social, you are lost. The fact that Emily was the only one that knew how and why to use social media was an issue for me.
I also found it interesting about the agency life and perspectives of the “new guard versus old guard” mentality. Agencies in marketing and communications are battling to stay relevant and aligned with new approaches and perspectives – and Emily in Paris showcased how some agencies are doing things still the same way as they have always done, and what is the new expectations are.
This is true – the agencies that are evolving and agile can move easily to adapt to these new trends and expectations, whereas historical and established agencies may find it takes longer for them to do this.
There were some truths about what working in social media really is like. I know there have been many criticisms about the perception of what working in social media is like – but there were some truths that came up in the show.
The long nights and hours where Emily was working at night near the end of Season 1? Yep – social media professionals work a lot outside of their normal hours, especially ahead of big events. Doing what has always been done is never good in social media – creativity and innovative ideas that tie into experiences is what gravitates audiences. Interjecting personality and a brand voice into content that’s entertaining and relevant for audiences? This is one of the fundamental roles social media professionals need to have when it comes to creating content, which Emily did for the brands she was overseeing their social media for on the show.
The myth that the best minds in social are “young” is integrated throughout the show. Ageism in the social media industry is a huge issue that everyone is discussing. Plus, the perception that if you are young – you must know everything there is about social media and are an expert – is not always true. This came across in Emily in Paris – and I found that to be a message that is not necessarily reflective of what is happening in the industry. The social media industry is full of bright minds from diverse backgrounds and age cohorts.
Social media professionals live on coffee, not croissants. Don’t get me wrong – there is NOTHING like having a croissant in Paris (YUM!). However, I believe that coffee is a major food group for social media professionals, but it seems wherever Emily went out and about – she had a french pastry in her hand. There were some aspects of coffee present, but for a real social media professional, one hand has your phone, and the other has a big cup of coffee.
Summary
After watching Season 1 of Emily in Paris – I am not in the hate or love camp for the show.
- Personally, I thought it was entertaining and Paris is certainly a special city to visit and be a part of. I have been to France several times, and watching the show reminded me of the trips and visits I took and how I loved going to the local bakeries, sitting outside and enjoying the overall atmosphere. This show also reminded me of my times working in Fashion and Consumer PR in South Africa – and how learning the language, culture, and understanding the do’s and don’ts of business is so important.
- Professionally, I think there were some missed opportunities to showcase the social media field (as a professional as well as personally from a personal brand perspective) here that could be addressed in the future.
This is why I think Netflix and the show should have had some social media / marketing consultants for the show to help them with addressing some of these points. A lot of the points I made could have been addressed and fixed if that was the case. Maybe they did – but I do not know for sure.
If they go on for Season 2, I hope they consider inviting a few social media marketing professionals on board who could help them integrate these points here for the show. I know many professionals (myself included!) who would be happy to help and answer any questions.
Let me know what you think about this and your views on the show. Hope all is well and have a great day!
Best Wishes,
