Netflix makes bingeing even easier
Netflix has introduced a list of instructions for users that want to make the Netflix process even more convenient than it already is. By following the steps listed on Netflix’s website, users can create a switch to simultaneously turn on the TV, start Netflix, dim the lights, order food, and silence phones, just by clicking one button.
Anyone settling in for a long marathon of TV shows need not be interrupted for food or cell phone calls.
Great marketing is more than just smart advertising
It requires consistent branding, understanding consumer behavior, and thinking outside the box. Not only is the Netflix Switch is original, it is a great reminder that brands don’t always need to spend money to get people excited about their product. Rather than producing switches to sell to users, Netflix decided to post instructions for people to create their own switch.
Sure, making the switch requires knowledge of programming and electronics as well as a basic comfort level with a soldering iron. But determined Netflix users will find a way! Most likely, they will work through the process with a group of friends and seek out others with the skills necessary to get the job done. With little to no cost to Netflix, they will have just generated excitement for their product within a whole group of people.
Appealing to the super geeks
Working through the steps to actually create this switch won’t appeal to everyone—in fact, it probably won’t appeal to most Netflix users because it requires time, knowledge, and the right supplies. Regardless, the very concept of the switch is just plain cool. And this ‘cool factor’ is enough to generate enthusiasm for the brand, get people talking, and spread the word that Netflix is doing some pretty awesome, innovative things.
The select people with enough time, knowledge, and motivation to actually create the switch, will be invaluable marketing tools to Netflix. Not only are they likely to involve others in the process of constructing the switch, they will surely host Netflix parties to utilize their switch with others! Each guest will return home to friends and family, exclaiming about how they ordered pizza and dimmed the lights, all with just the click of a button!
#NetflixChill
Hannah is currently a writer and student in Colorado Springs, pursuing her master's degree in Creative Writing at the University of Denver. Before becoming a Staff Writer for the American Genius, Hannah wrote website content and grant applications for a law office in central Minnesota.
