Surely you’ve heard about this big company called Netflix. A subscription-based streaming service that garnered over 130 million subscriptions. Not only that, shit got really serious when they declared they will spend $8 billion (not a typo – yes, billion) on producing original content — after spending $5B in 2016 and $6B in 2017.
In other words, they said fu Hollywood, we’re making it ourselves. And themselves they did it. This month marks their first interactive film. Sounds a lot like an experience? It surely truly is.
To briefly explain for a tech CEO what that means (scroll below if you don’t need explanations): the film goes on but every now and then, the viewer must use their remote in order to make choices.
These choices shape the evolution of the plot, to the point where there are numerous different endings (based on what you chose). Just like a game, you could have a “game over” experience pretty fast but still go back in time a bit so you can see what a different path means. They did spend some time on it, here’s the whole map of possible paths:
Needlessly to mention, it became an internet meme, a Twitter trending hashtag, a common theme on Instagram feeds and the central point of discussions (on Reddit, Facebook groups etc) for the main audience of Netflix.
Crazy, right? Not really – get used to it, as it will be happening more and more. Let’s plug the definition of an experience over here.
Experience
/ɪkˈspɪərɪəns,ɛkˈspɪərɪəns/
the reverse-engineering of the totality of features, content and stimuli that a user submerges itself into, which results in:
- them manifesting a variety of feelings towards the company/product
- adding to the process of brand equity building
- keeping users engaged into the created realm.
Keep users engaged? You bet. Features, content and stimuli? All of the above. A variety of feelings? Checked as well. Brand equity? Netflix just got users tighter to themselves now.
(Read from here onwards if you don’t need any explanation about what Bandersnatch is)
Why this is very important
First of all, let’s look at the present moment. Netflix needs to be aware of their competition like Amazon Prime Video, HBO Go/Now, Disney’s future streaming platform and others. They have their market share but just like any other business, if there is competition, eventually they need to differentiate (just like Spotify and their situation with Apple Music).
This move shows exactly the direction they’re headed for. Not only that but also what kind of company they want to be seen as.
If you’d tell me Blockbuster/Amazon would come out tomorrow with a video game that would sound weird. If Netflix launches a video game, I’d say “damn right”.
This, my friends, is the brand equity building that I’m talking about. It’s what will set them apart from Disney or Amazon and what will make them special. The other two have more means to find that and it seems like Netflix had to carve its way faster (and so they did).
It’s pretty obvious that there will be more and more interactive films coming out — moreso after the very positive feedback. A consequence, though, is the following.
Video Games and Movies will merge
An idea I’ve had for a long time which will surely happen when VR becomes mainstream. Just by looking on Reddit, you can see people talking about their “gameplay”, their “playthrough” or “my character” — sounds exactly like a video game. But it was still a movie. Though when a user’s consciousness is into play, they associate the characters with themselves. What does that mean? A deeper, stronger experience and a tighter relationship between the product and the person.
Surely it won’t be long until games will participate for Oscars.
People become obsessed with characters to the point where they start
My prediction is that without a doubt they will merge. Yes, there will be game-movies and movie-games, depending on which one is dominant but there will be enough place for both. Why? Because they immerse you, get your attention and make you feel a lot.
More Mobile
A very very important consequence is that indeed mobile gets more depth now. Movie connoisseurs would balk at the idea of watching a video piece of content like a movie on a mobile screen. They would utter cries like
“A body of work that took so much time and effort can not be consumed on a tiny mobile device.”
“One can’t get the full experience on a limited screen”
“Why pervert your eyes when not even a big TV can sometimes render the beauty of a cinema session”
But hey, when it’s got buttons to click in order to have a tailored experience? What can the cinema do now?
Some even bolder predictions
I’m going full nerd right now for New Year’s. Netflix might harness the power of weaving hardware and software. They can become powerful enough to come out with a piece of hardware that will give them even more land to set experiences for people. Maybe a TV-like device, maybe a console — that I can’t know.
But I know for sure there is opportunity for them to come out with a piece of hardware. Because in case it isn’t empirically evident, hardware and software hand-in-hand go a long way: chances are you’re reading this using an Apple device.
Disney’s no stranger to delivering value to people or creating experiences – arguably Disney World is one of the most impressive experience powerhouse. Inducing interaction into their baby Marvel? A long shot — I can see them testing it out though on some other assets they’ve got. Mark this.
And Amazon? Remember the all-around service that Netflix looked like until they went rogue? Amazon’s got many other cards in their hands to be able to facilitate that. Hard to say whether they will actually go on that way but they surely can strike deals in order to be a most-inclusive (given that the other giants make their own exclusive content) platform.
Thanks Daniel… but you know… Why would I care?
Because it shows us once again that where attention goes, power comes as well (and market capitalization and a lot of other things).
Because it’s a step forward to creating even more inclusive experiences, one you should be thinking about if you plan to win.
Because if from now on you don’t think about how to include a more catchy package in what you’re offering, you won’t need to worry about user churn as there will be a bigger problem you will be facing.
Once again original content is king.
And most importantly, this article’s conclusion in one sentence: experiences are the reason why the relationship between the company and the user gets tightened and why word of mouth is, consequently, generated.
About Ch Daniel
I run chagency, an experiences design agency that specialises on helping tech CEOs reduce user churn. We believe experiences are not only the reason why users choose not to leave but also what generates word of mouth. We’re building a credo around this belief.
I’ve also created an infinitely-valuable app for sneaker/fashion enthusiasts called Legit Check that impacted hundreds of thousands over millions of times – check it out at chdaniel.com/app
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Illustrations credits: Dustin Dahlman, Michelle Liu
