How Netflix Got It Done: 4 Strategies Web Developers Can Steal from the KPOP Demon Hunters Oscar Campaign Playbook

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The 98th Academy Awards were held on March 15, 2026. One Battle After Another may have walked away with the biggest prize of the night, but the true star of the night was KPOP Demon Hunters. KPOP Demon Hunters dominated the conversation throughout the night and won both categories in which it was nominated (Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song).

KPOP Demon Hunters has become a surprise hit ever since it was released on Netflix on June 20, 2025. All eyes have been on this movie throughout the award season, and the journey the movie has taken to get to the Academy Awards is an amazing story itself. People didn’t really start thinking of the KPOP Demon Hunters as an Oscar contender until Netflix announced they planned to put the movie and the song “Golden” up for Oscar consideration a month after the release.

Now that the 2026 award season has ended, people will be analyzing and studying the KPOP Demon Hunters Oscar campaign closely to identify everything that worked and what they can use to get the same type of results. Luck and money might be two reasons why this campaign was so successful, but on a deeper level, it was a much more. It was a tactical plan, carefully constructed and refined as it drew closer to the Academy Awards.

It was going to take everything Netflix could do to get KPOP Demon Hunters to the Academy Awards. The path KPOP Demon Hunters took to get to the Academy Awards is similar to the path developers take in tech. We set a destination we want to get to (i.e., finding a job, getting a freelance client, building a dream project, etc.), then we use a system to help us get there.

Is there anything we as developers can learn from this campaign? Today’s post is going to take a look at the Oscar playbook Netflix used to get KPOP Demon Hunters to the Academy Awards. I will share 4 strategies Netflix used and how you can apply them throughout your tech journey.

1. Staying Relevant = Constant Promotion

KPOP Demon Hunters were everywhere throughout the award show season. The singing voices of Huntrix were performing “Golden” live anywhere there was a live performance. As the Academy Awards approached, it was all hands on deck as the voice actors joined the promotional campaign and discussed the movie.

Netflix’s goal might look like it was trying to keep KPOP Demon Hunters in people’s minds forever, but it actually wasn’t the end goal. All their efforts during this campaign were aimed at keeping the movie top of mind and relevant. This meant keeping the movie in the conversation throughout award season.

Netflix’s approach is similar to building a fire in a fireplace or a campfire. They didn’t just have to build the momentum, but the hardest part was actually keeping it going. Every little action built or sustained the momentum they needed to get the Academy Awards, so the promotion was consistent and carefully timed.

Developers might not have access to a marketing team like Netflix does, but they are consistent with their online presence on the web. They aren’t posting every single day, but they are active. This means can be posting once a week on LinkedIn, committing code to GitHub, or networking in communities they are a part of.

You don’t need to post something every day because that’s a quick way to burn yourself out. You just don’t want to disappear completely from the web. So start small by sharing some of those small wins as well as the big victories every week, posting something on LinkedIn, or joining a conversation on a Slack channel.

Little actions like these do add up, and you’ll learn more about what you’re able to commit to. Think of it like working out. Constant promotion works best when you make time for it. It is less about having a set schedule you have to follow each week, but making room for it in your schedule in a way that works best for you.

2. Targeted Visibility = Showing Up Where It Counts

Visibility isn’t about being seen everywhere - it is about being seen by the right people. Streaming platforms like Netflix are experts on this because their job is to engineer visibility. Netflix used this skill throughout the KPOP Demon Hunters Oscars campaign to make sure their target audience saw this movie and heard “Golden”.

Movie studios don’t target the fans during the award show season. They concentrate on the Academy Awards voters, critics, and the media. KPOP Demon Hunters was already a hit with the fans, and the media was already talking about the movie, so Netflix’s attention was on the Academy Awards voters.

Many of the things Netflix did during this campaign did double duty by pleasing the fans and putting the movie in the eyes of the Academy Awards voters. The Huntrix girls made appearances at events where lots of people were watching, such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Snoop Dogg’s halftime show on Christmas Day. They also appeared at places Academy Awards voters would be at, like Time’s “A Year in Time” or other award shows.

Developers need to think about their target audience and find ways to build a connection to that audience. It doesn’t matter if it is a potential client or a hiring manager. Understanding your target audience and who they are is going to help you find and relate to them.

Every developer needs to have a basic understanding of UX design. Just knowing a little bit about UX will help you better put yourself into the perspective of any audience you want to reach. It won’t help you learn about your audience. It will help you keep your focus on this audience as you work towards the goal you want to reach.

After you get to know your audience, use this information to help bridge a connection with them. Developers do this by spending time in places their audience would be. You don’t need to be there every hour of every day, but you need to be active in these communities and provide value in these groups to build rapport with them.

3. Social Proof and Credibility = Building Trust

Popularity wasn’t enough to secure an Oscar nomination. People trust what others validate, depending on the proof used to support it. KPOP Demon Hunters was (and currently is at the time this post is published) the most-watched movie on Netflix during the 2026 award season, but that wasn’t enough proof to be seen as a legitimate movie.

Movie studios like to build legitimacy with reviews from well-known critics, media, and celebrities. When The King’s Speech was battling for the Best Picture category during the 2011 award season, the movie’s legitimacy received a big endorsement from the late Queen Elizabeth II. Various reports confirmed she watched the movie, and her comments about it appeared shortly before the Academy Awards that year.

KPOP Demon Hunters needed to build proof and credibility fast after Netflix announced their Oscar plans. Movie studios often do this by using all the accolades and awards the movie won throughout award season, and Netflix did the same thing for KPOP Demon Hunters. Netflix had tags on the movie indicating what movies it was nominated for or what award it recently won.

This didn’t happen on the Netflix platform either. The movie was introduced by the nominations it received, the records it broke on the music charts, and other accomplishments it achieved. The social proof and credibility also came from other celebrities (i.e., James Cameron) and the K-pop industry.

The K-pop industry could make or break this movie, so support from the genre was important for credibility. It helped that the writers and producers that were behind the music were already established in the genre, with several of the members on the music team behind big-name K-pop talents people know today. The other support came from K-pop artists who sang covers or copied the dances on their social media feeds. The most famous came from BTS when they referenced the movie in their first appearance together since 2022 to announce they were back in the studio recording ARIRANG.

Social proof and credibility help developers build trust with their target audience. People trust what others approve. Think of social proof and good credibility as extra evidence of your skills. Examples of proof and credibility for developers look like:

testimonials from previous clients if your freelance
endorsements from previous co-workers
recommendations from other developers

The secret to having social proof and credibility is real-world use. Your target audience wants to see how everything you do works outside of the web. Any proof you have will reassure your audience that you can do everything you are saying.

Numbers are going to be your best friend for this strategy. Developers include any kind of metrics in any place they share anything, such as their resume, LinkedIn, and portfolio. Some numbers that grab attention are things like traffic and engagement, so include these in descriptions if you are able to.

Even if you don’t have a lot of numbers, you can still show proof and credibility with what you post. Show live projects on your portfolio or LinkedIn. Developers like to show the live project as well as the code behind the project. Open-source and collaborating with others help build this, too since you can begin building recognition with other developers.

4. Personal Branding = Controlling the Narrative

Netflix wanted KPOP Demon Hunters to be nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Song. These two categories were full of a lot of strong contenders. Best Song contenders had contenders like Sinners and Wicked: For Good looking for nominations while the Best Animated Feature Film always has big competition coming from Disney and Pixar. KPOP Demon Hunters was unique, and this was an asset Netflix used to create the personal branding and help it stand out.

While the Huntrix girls and the voice actors were busy promoting the movie, the team behind KPOP Demon Hunters made their rounds to help create the branding for the movie. Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans were leading the way by helping Netflix form the narrative for the movie. They did several interviews throughout the award season by sharing behind-the-scenes information of making the movie and what decisions led to certain moments the audience saw on screen.

Maggie and Chris were soon joined by the team behind “Golden”. They began talking about how they made the song. EJAE and Mark Sonnenblick talked about the process it took to create “Golden” and how everyone contributed to the version fans love and sing today.

These interviews gave Academy voters a chance to understand what made this movie unique and innovative enough to be considered for an Oscar. The branding for KPOP Demon Hunters was consistent because the creative team and the actors both repeated the personal connection the team had with the movie and what it meant for them to be a part of this movie. These stories became part of the branding and gave it a personal vibe.

The branding was making a statement that it was more than entertainment. It was a movement that deeply connected with people. Good branding is clear up front about what it is.

It defines what it is in its own words. If a developer doesn’t define their brand, others will do it for you. This is a gamble since it might not be done well.

Frame yourself clearly. Let your target audience know immediately what your brand is. This isn’t just a title on your resume or LinkedIn. Some examples are:

frontend specialist focused on performance
UX-driven full-stack developer

Branding is tough, and it might be hard knowing where to start. Thinking of your branding as telling your story. What are the key parts and what should your target audience get from your brand?

Once you know these items, you want to highlight them throughout your online presence. Don’t just list projects or talk about what it does. Instead, highlight why the work you do matters. This keeps you in control of your brand and makes sure it reflects everything that you want your target audience to see.

Conclusion

Getting KPOP Demon Hunters to the Oscars wasn’t relying on luck. Netflix created and used a system to make their Oscar plans a reality. Being a web developer in tech uses a similar system to navigate the way to the destination one wants to be at. As tech evolves, developers treat themselves like a product and can’t rely just on skills alone.

It doesn’t matter if you are a newbie getting started in tech or an experienced developer. It is important to have a good system in place that combines your skills with what you know about your target audience and a narrative that keeps the attention on what your target audience should see. Take a few minutes to see what system you are using right now in tech towards a goal you are working for. Are there ways to improve it?

If you need help creating a system to help you reach a specific goal, don't hesitate to reach out for help in the comments. I encourage all developers to share what system they set up for themselves to help inspire others on what works for you.