"Keep your friends close, but your Netflix closer."
Now, before social media, focus groups and people well-versed in psychology were the only ways anyone could figure out their audience. The dark ages of technology were crazy, people had to actually talk to people in person to know what was going on in their heads. But luckily when the social media scene came to be, companies were stoked because now you didn't even have to see to all the average peasants, just ask them a question online! But in all seriousness, not only was the internet and social media a new place to market products and services, but now companies could also communicate directly with people and figure out the perfect audience to appeal to. This fashion was more efficient, more widespread, and more effective than previous methods. As I stated before, Netflix originally was for a more mature, credit-card-owning, very adult audience. But when Netflix Instant became popular with the internet, that rapidly changed. Younger people flocked to the ease of finding tons of movies at the click of a button.
Netflix has a Twitter for the reasons of seeing what their audience wants as well as enticing them even more so to use their services and use them often. Like the new logo, the Netflix Twitter is very simple and streamlined and very modern to reflect their technological basis and easy use. Its all white with a bit of color pops in the logo and in the advertisements. But we have talked a lot about their newer-age, streamlined look so here we're going to look at more why textually and logically this Twitter makes sense for Netflix to use. Why? Because this Twitter’s diverse uses as advertiser, connector, and studier are very useful for Netflix.
Let’s tackle advertiser first. They very clearly market not only the movies/shows on their streaming but also their own original works, as evidence by their new show Narcos gracing the cover photo of their Twitter. The photo of Narcos is made to be interesting and enticing, showing two men amongst a bunch of dust or drugs, considering the title is Narcos. Regardless, though, they made the cover photo interesting yet not overdone so the visual and the placing is perfect to advertise the show. Furthermore, many of their tweets relate to their shows or movies on Netflix Instant so they make it clear advertisement for the bodies of work on their stream.
Netflix has a Twitter for the reasons of seeing what their audience wants as well as enticing them even more so to use their services and use them often. Like the new logo, the Netflix Twitter is very simple and streamlined and very modern to reflect their technological basis and easy use. Its all white with a bit of color pops in the logo and in the advertisements. But we have talked a lot about their newer-age, streamlined look so here we're going to look at more why textually and logically this Twitter makes sense for Netflix to use. Why? Because this Twitter’s diverse uses as advertiser, connector, and studier are very useful for Netflix.
Let’s tackle advertiser first. They very clearly market not only the movies/shows on their streaming but also their own original works, as evidence by their new show Narcos gracing the cover photo of their Twitter. The photo of Narcos is made to be interesting and enticing, showing two men amongst a bunch of dust or drugs, considering the title is Narcos. Regardless, though, they made the cover photo interesting yet not overdone so the visual and the placing is perfect to advertise the show. Furthermore, many of their tweets relate to their shows or movies on Netflix Instant so they make it clear advertisement for the bodies of work on their stream.
With advertising, though, they also cleverly connect to their audience. First, simply by using Twitter, one of the popular Medias for their perfect demographic of young adults and teens. More than that, though, they also use other parts of pop culture to connect. They use common culture jokes, the young adult brand of humor and struggles, etc. My particular favorite of the top of their feed is a post promoting a show or movie they just added to their stream on Netflix Instant. Its called Moonrise Kingdom and I have no clue what the movie is about, but the post does interest me because they use lyrics to the popular “Watch Me (Whip/Nae-Nae)” song.
This use of the trending song is highly effective in two ways. The song is wide-spread and a pop song that many people know and love dancing to. But the more effective use is that they use two people of some form of white descent who aren’t dancing very greatly. They may not be whipping or nae-nae-ing, but the subtle “white people can’t dance” joke still gives anyone a little giggle. It was a very clever move of persuasive pathos to connect to their audience by using their culture but not shoving it in their face as if to shout, “SEE we understand the youths. SEE?!” which is the awkward line between understanding a culture and trying to stay hip long after you lost it. Its a fine, fine line companies have to walk now, between trying too hard to be cool, being cool, and not trying hard enough. Luckily Netflix seems to be chill enough for its audience.
The most simple and subtle of the three, though, is the studying. Simply by being on Twitter and having a person check all the hashtags and tweets about and towards Netflix, the marketers and advertisers and design team have a lot of the information they need to make Netflix as effective and appealing to its most profitable demographic as possible. It lets them know all they need to know to get Netflix popular, and I think it’s fair to say they do a damn good job of it. They figured out pretty quick about bingeing, and their new, younger demographic, and how to create a successful new show off of television. That’s pretty impressive.
So just ponder all of this. Everyone thinks Netflix and other businesses make social media accounts to connect with you, but they also make them to study you. It’s like 1984 with their endless cameras into peoples’ lives, except we welcome the businesses in because it’s under the guise of connection.
If you don’t think businesses are too terrifyingly clever now, I’d suggest you revaluate your definition of scary.
This use of the trending song is highly effective in two ways. The song is wide-spread and a pop song that many people know and love dancing to. But the more effective use is that they use two people of some form of white descent who aren’t dancing very greatly. They may not be whipping or nae-nae-ing, but the subtle “white people can’t dance” joke still gives anyone a little giggle. It was a very clever move of persuasive pathos to connect to their audience by using their culture but not shoving it in their face as if to shout, “SEE we understand the youths. SEE?!” which is the awkward line between understanding a culture and trying to stay hip long after you lost it. Its a fine, fine line companies have to walk now, between trying too hard to be cool, being cool, and not trying hard enough. Luckily Netflix seems to be chill enough for its audience.
The most simple and subtle of the three, though, is the studying. Simply by being on Twitter and having a person check all the hashtags and tweets about and towards Netflix, the marketers and advertisers and design team have a lot of the information they need to make Netflix as effective and appealing to its most profitable demographic as possible. It lets them know all they need to know to get Netflix popular, and I think it’s fair to say they do a damn good job of it. They figured out pretty quick about bingeing, and their new, younger demographic, and how to create a successful new show off of television. That’s pretty impressive.
So just ponder all of this. Everyone thinks Netflix and other businesses make social media accounts to connect with you, but they also make them to study you. It’s like 1984 with their endless cameras into peoples’ lives, except we welcome the businesses in because it’s under the guise of connection.
If you don’t think businesses are too terrifyingly clever now, I’d suggest you revaluate your definition of scary.