Media Audience

Stranger things applies to  a number of different audiences from teenagers, sci-fi fans and adults looking for nostalgia.  

Stranger things uses nostalgia to make references to its aud9iences with blatant nodes like featuring popular foods and brands synonymous with the 80s such as Coke and Lucky charms, to intertextual references to popular 80s movies such as Alien by mirroring scenes, dialog and actions of the characters. The use of the 80s references was a way to attract fans who long for a return of their favorite films and stars, the show does this perfectly through the casting of young 80s prospects such as Winona Ryder in more mature and parental roles. Even the shows basic premise of a buddy movie mixed with a supernatural monster fighter is an idea almost nit picked from the 80s entirely. 

Young teenagers- 'they are targeted at people our age' 

'I can access them on Netflix so they are easily accessible' 

nostalgic 30+- 'The cast are really good and are well known'

'I enjoy the narrative development'

sci-fi fans-'The settings and locations are interesting and tell their own stories'

'multiple plot lines are engaging'

nostalgia marketing 

People are more willing to spend money on items that make them feel nostalgic. Stranger things is a romanticized version of the 80s as whilst their are elements of the red scare, they often focus on more of the joyful elements of the period. 

Millennial pull

The population of millennials now represent a quarter of the U.S population, this group also has an annual buying power of $200 billion, yet is considered the hardest hardest generation to market for. Whilst the series tapped the 80s nostalgia market, the fantastically fresh story telling captivated viewers and turned the series into an overnight cult classic. 

Technological developments have changed the relationships between audiences and media producers. In the past media producers created media for the audiences, now audiences have the option to create content. These 'Prosumers' have different motivations to that of the original media producers. They have created an online surplus of which audiences can gather to produce their own media.