“Sweet Tooth” an adaptation of the Vertigo series from writer/artist Jeff Lemire, debuted on Netflix earlier this month and has been accumulating positive reviews and word of mouth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zG9RuJb3QU The series’ debut caused me to realize it was almost exactly a year ago I first encountered the comics it’s based on. In summer 2011, Voce … Continue reading on sweet tooth
Everybody’s Bundling
First it was Spotify Premium and Hulu being available for a combined $12.99 a month. Then it was MoviePass and iHeartRadio offering a three-month combined package for $29.99. Most recently it’s Comcast announcing Netflix will be part of a subscription package, though that’s technically just an expansion of an existing deal. If I didn’t know … Continue reading Everybody’s Bundling
Quick Takes – Content Marketing and Media News for 1/23/18
Media Amazon Studios seems to be in the midst of a bit of upheaval in terms of direction, canceling a number of beloved shows (many of them by female creators, which is coming off as a bit tone deaf) and with reports it’s shifting its film acquisitions away from indie fare to bigger blockbusters. That’s … Continue reading Quick Takes – Content Marketing and Media News for 1/23/18
Netflix’s After Show Creates Stickiness
I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical when I read the news Netflix was getting in on the after-show trend and launching a new show discussing its breakout success “Stranger Things.” Netflix - and streaming in general - is so focused on binge-watching that I wondered how this sort of “timely” material might work, particularly … Continue reading Netflix’s After Show Creates Stickiness
Netflix Refines Its Conversion Funnel
A lot of people have been linking to this Wired story about “The Defenders” and how Netflix is using it as a way to gauge the effectiveness of various recommendation paths to the show. You know, those thumbnails at the bottom of your screen or other prompts that offer suggestions on what you might enjoy … Continue reading Netflix Refines Its Conversion Funnel
Video is Everywhere, But Time and Money are Finite
Last week the news outlet Mic became the latest player to join the trend of laying off staff as part of a (clears throat) pivot to video. [genuflects] As Peter Kafka notes at Recode, there are a few common factors publishers cite when doing so, the biggest being the desire to tap into the pool … Continue reading Video is Everywhere, But Time and Money are Finite
Comparing Netflix’s and Amazon’s Movie Marketing Goals
My latest post on The Drum uses two recent releases to compare and contrast the approaches Amazon Studios and Netflix take in marketing their original movies: Amazon put out The Big Sick, a slightly-fictionalized version of the real story of how Kumail Nanjiani (who plays himself) and Emily V. Gordon (played by Zoe Kazan) met … Continue reading Comparing Netflix’s and Amazon’s Movie Marketing Goals
Movie Marketing Madness: Okja
Set in South Korea, the latest Netflix original film Okja is also the latest movie from director Bong Joon Ho, he of Snowpiercer, The Host and more. Okja is the name given to a massive mysterious beast that looks like an elephant crossed with a manatee and a pig who is the closest companion to … Continue reading Movie Marketing Madness: Okja
Movie Marketing Madness: War Machine
Political satire comes to Netflix with this week’s new release War Machine. Brad Pitt stars as Gen. Glen McMahon, a thinly-veiled version of the real-life Gen. Stanley McChrystal. McMahon is the latest in a series of generals tasked with managing the seemingly never-ending war in Afghanistan, sent there to win the conflict and protect those … Continue reading Movie Marketing Madness: War Machine
Movie Marketing Madness: Sand Castle
Nicholas Hoult stars in the new Netflix-original movie Sand Castle as Matt Ocre, a young and largely reluctant soldier in Iraq in 2003. Ocre is a machine-gunner in a squad that’s tasked with repairing a broken water system in a small village that’s located in a very dangerous part of the country. He doesn’t want … Continue reading Movie Marketing Madness: Sand Castle