“Clean girl is out. Mob wife is in.”
That’s according to TikToker Kayla Trivieri, who has racked up more than 200k likes on her video about the aesthetic gaining traction online and in the media.
But while some people are sharing how-tos and expressing excitement around channeling their inner Carmela Soprano with animal prints and gold jewelry, others have wondered whether HBO or its streaming service, Max, could be behind the trend, given that the the 25th anniversary of The Sopranos was on Jan. 10, 1999.
Jason Mulderig, SVP of brand marketing and direct to consumer at Warner Bros. Discovery, said the aesthetic trend is something Max has been looking at, “and we certainly appreciate it.” Despite the speculation, the streamer did not initiate the trend—but it is looking to embrace it regardless.
“As we’ve raised [The Sopranos] in the cultural conversation over the last [few] weeks, we have started to see a lot more creators create their own content,”” he said. “If you provide the right spark and the right tinder, it takes on a life of its own, and that’s really what we were trying to do.”
While they may not have started the trend, Max and HBO are leaning into the mob wife life a little bit as part of their wider promotional efforts: Last week, HBO posted on X about the “mob girlfriend” aesthetic, including a photo collage that features some of Adriana La Cerva’s most memorable looks from the iconic series.
Mulderig said Max is looking to continue participating in the mob wife trend, “even if it’s just championing what creators have already made,” as the 25th anniversary campaign continues through the end of the month.
No missed oppor-Tony-ties
So far, Max’s social strategy around the 25th anniversary, specifically on TikTok, has been focused on appealing to Gen Z viewers who were too young to watch The Sopranos when it first came out, Mulderig said. A new, official account dedicated to the show has been posting 25-second-long recaps of each episode, which he described as “mini-episodes” that serve as “a collection of the best themes [from the show].”
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“We’re always experimenting with different content formats,” Mulderig said.
To encourage series viewership, Max also put the first two episodes of The Sopranos—in full—on YouTube for free if people get curious about the snack-like clips on social media but don’t necessarily have a Max subscription. Post-anniversary, Mulderig said the plan is to continue with an “always-on” TikTok strategy that includes behind-the-scenes footage and fan content. Going forward, having a dedicated account for shows is something he said he could envision working for other HBO series, like Game of Thrones or House of the Dragon.
There were also other Sopranos activations geared toward both new and existing fans of the show. Throughout the month, Max hosted fan screenings and a “family dinner” at Da Nico Ristorante in New York with some of the cast members, which Mulderig said led to social content and chatter, as well as earned media. The streamer also released a special podcast episode with Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Robert Iler, who played Tony Soprano’s kids, and partnered with Postmates to deliver sandwiches made to look like they were from the fictional pork store on the show, Satriale’s.
As for success metrics, Mulderig said that engagement numbers for Sopranos episodes on the Max app are up, while social metrics around Sopranos content are up “tenfold.” Whether they continue to keep those numbers up with mob wife content? We’ll have to wait and see.
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