So there I was…
Looking for a good show on Netflix.
Because I work at a marketing agency and do a fair share of social media management many suggested I’d love Emily in Paris.
I am so not the demographic.
But I gave it a chance.
Having painfully watched all seasons of Emily in Paris, here is what made me incessantly dig my nails into the armchair.
#1: Growth on Social Takes More Than a Selfie and Generic Caption
How on Earth did Emily manage to get so many Instagram followers by just taking selfies and bad photos of cheese?
If only it were that easy.
Back at the beginning of Instagram, circa. 2010 (maybe until 2015) you could post a generic photo with a simple caption. But nowadays, unless you’re a major celebrity or known influencer (which Emily isn’t) you’ll need a robust growth strategy to achieve what Emily does on the show.
Her feed is full of selfies and photos of strangers followed by one-word captions. Plus, she posts at any time of the day.
Does anyone think that’s all it takes?
#2: You Need Strategy
When it comes to Emily’s strategy as Account Manager, things get very questionable.
Take the whole Chez Lavaux as an example.
Where are the posts about the restaurant and it’s food? The Chef, Gabriel or whatever, might have a particular appeal but how can the entire strategy be based around him?
Any Account Manager will side with me, you need to have content pillars before you begin storytelling consistently. Then you need to analyze how your content resonates with your audience.
Just Chef Gabriel isn’t going to cut it Emily.
#3: Hashtag Performance
Hashtags NEED to be used on Instagram. So at least she got that right.
However, they need to be relevant!
Hashtags done right will increase your reach and build a community of people who’ll engage with your content.
Let me repeat: Hashtags done right…
Emily seems to be under the impression she can use apostrophes in her hashtags! Like in the example below: #Smokin’bodies
Hashtags are a longterm game and require constant experimentation and analysis. Mixed with valuable content and a consistent posting cadence, you can reach new, highly engaged audiences on Instagram.
#4: Buzzwords
Emily loves buzzwords.
To be honest, that’s quite realistic.
In the marketing world, it’s not uncommon to assist a meeting where some punter spews the latest digital buzzword. Everyone nods along while having no clue what the guy is going on about.
Throughout the episodes Emily says stuff like “brand awareness” and “gorgeous content” to explain why a social campaign will be successful.
And while many might think Emily was delivering her marketing strategy let me reassure you, “gorgeous content” is not a strategy.
A real social media strategy might want to consider some more basic elements like SMART KPIs, planning, budgets, reports, timelines, sign off from client, managers … you’re killing me here Emily!
We don’t actually know how Emily plans to raise brand awareness aside from “going viral.”
Gorgeous content is nice, but it isn’t an actual strategy.
Virality, while great, isn’t an actual goal!
What’s the budget? The timeline? The resources needed? What were the results and key learnings from previous campaigns?
Dammit Emily, show your receipts!
#5: Unlimited Budget?
Ok, ok, ok… calm down. It’s just a fictional show.
That’s what I was saying to myself until…
Emily lands a client with limitless budget and then an internationally renowned fashion designer shares an exclusive product collaboration on his Instagram with no contract, terms, or budget?
Oh… and did you notice she never needs to get client approval to post stuff?
WTF?
Emily should be playing the lottery.
#6: A Word On Social Media
TikTok was only mentioned once in the second season as a throw away line. There’s no way she wouldn’t be at least experimenting with the app.
In the real world, Emily would be posting cute TikToks from Café de Flore quicker than you could say Menu du Jour.
And just to conclude this extended rant about a monolingual millennial crushing it on French social media…
In the show, Italian-French singer Carla Bruni texts French first lady Brigitte Macron alerting her about Emily's Vaga-Jeune meme, stating that the French word for vagina should be feminine instead of masculine.
To start with… the text message was sent in English.
Unlikely since they are/were both married to Presidents of France.
Regardless, Macron retweets Emily's Instagram post.
??? Yes, you read that right.
Even though Emily shared it on Instagram – Macron found a way to retweet it on Twitter (maybe Savoir should have hired Brigitte Macron as a Social Media Expert).
But here’s the best of it... viewers might notice that Emily posts the meme to her Instagram account @emilyinparis, which had 5,118 followers at the time.
You might think that’s a lot of followers. Carla Bruni on the other hand has around 680,000 followers and only follows 1,000 people.
Unless Bruni or someone in her circle followed the account, she wouldn't have come across the photo on her feed (and certainly not using apostrophes in her hashtags).
Having a prominent public figure take notice of a Chicagoan running around Paris makes for a fun romantic comedy plotline. In reality, the odds of the scenario unfolding as it did onscreen are less than slim.
So there you have it.
I’ve probably put myself on the Emily in Paris Fan Club persona non grata list for life now.
However, I just had to warn all those people that watched the show and are thinking of being account managers, social media experts, pro influencers or TikTokers … it’s not that glam, and you’ll probably not be able to afford any of Emily’s handbags.
Oh, and Emily is definitely buying followers ... yeah for sure.
BTW, did you notice she never takes any public transport in Paris?
Ok, I’ll stop now.
