"For in the end, [Huxley] was trying to tell us what afflicted the people in Brave New World was not that they were laughing instead of thinking, but that they did not know what they were laughing about and why they had stopped thinking." --Neil Postman

Sunday, August 5, 2018

Giving Movies A Second Chance

I’m not sure if anyone notices, but Netflix is a great example of a network that uses imagery based advertisement to drive their business. If you haven’t noticed, then there’s an example of how often networks use technology to manipulate your choices without you even being aware of it.

When you are browsing movies and television shows, a thumbnail with eye catching colors and visuals displays the title. You continue scrolling and scrolling through the options of movies, even though there’s only a limited selection—Hulu would never. After browsing through the same ‘ol content, the app takes notice that nothing has been catching your eye and you haven’t chosen anything to watch. Netflix then replaces the thumbnail pictures with new ones, baiting you with a new visual that advertises the same show you’ve scrolled over 20 times. This way a movie that didn’t catch your eye before now has this alluring image on the cover to intrigue you and urge you to watch.

Do you think this a clever business tactic? Is it something that’s gone unnoticed to you? What other networks or businesses advertise using images appealing to the consumer?
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1 comment:

  1. Samantha BoydAugust 6, 2018 at 5:11 PM

    Thank you for pointing this out because I have never realized how they change the pictures. Then again, this is definitely a very smart advertising strategy, as replacing the picture allows them more chances to draw you in and peak your interest.

    Even though it is a very smart business model, it is by no means original. As Tim Wu pointed out in his book, The Attention Merchants, advertisers in Paris in the 1920’s used bright, risqué depictions of women to lure customers into buying their product. Businesses, since the beginning of the the advertising industry, have used the tactics of bright pictures. It is even a method used by websites in their production of click bait, which aims to make people view their articles. Netflix may be altering this age old advertising tactic to fit into their technological mold of their streaming business, but they are not the first, and they will not be the last.

    - Samantha Boyd

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