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Insight | 12.07.20

10 Bingeable Shows + Films Every Marketer Should Watch on Netflix

The holidays are finally upon us and with that comes some much needed downtime and relaxation. While there is value in unwinding from work, catching up on sleep, and watching mindlessly cheesy Christmas movies (Yes, I’m looking at you Hallmark), your next Netflix binge session could actually be educating you on the latest and greatest skills.

There are a number of entertaining shows and movies on Netflix that are packed with marketing insights. So, while you have the downtime over the next few days turn on the fireplace, grab a blanket and some hot chocolate, and settle in for a compelling and binge worthy experience.

Documentary Series

The Mind: Explained

Explore the inner workings of your brain in this docuseries narrated by Emma Stone. From dreaming to anxiety, this docuseries broadens your sense of neuromarketing – the blending of marketing and psychology together to better understand consumers – so you can step inside the minds of your core audience members. 

Broken

This Netflix marketing documentary will not only make you a smarter consumer, but also a smarter business owner. The lesson is clear—deceptive marketing and business practices never win in the long run. It’s all about maintaining high-quality products or services from the get-go. 

This Netflix documentary empowers you to understand the forces of globalism, branding, mass production, and marketing. All elements that impact any business, big or small.

Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates

Get inside the mind of a genius in this docuseries about Bill Gates as he opens up about his childhood, education, growing Microsoft, his family life, and his charitable foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Gates is passionate, intelligent, and savvy—all essential qualities of any small business marketer or owner. After viewing the series, you’ll feel clearer and more motivated to tackle your business’ growth in 2021.

TV Shows

Black Mirror

This immersive series demonstrates the myriad ways technology alters our behavior. An idea that is absolutely central to content marketing. Each story focuses on a different element of emerging technology, envisioning ominous (and ominously plausible) places where they could take our society.

Its scenarios are often dystopic and utterly twisted. But the portrayals of the future in Black Mirror are also creative, clever, and thought-provoking. They challenge us as viewers to reflect on our own technological fixations and ponder how our behaviors are (perhaps subconsciously) affected.

It also asks the key question – How far is too far? At what point does integrating comms into the consumer’s life stop being frictionless and helpful and start being annoying, overpowering, or even frightening? When does technology become intrusive?

The Queen’s Gambit

Discover the beauty and strategy of chess with this phenomenal show set in the 1950s and ’60s about chess prodigy Beth Harmon. While not an obvious marketing show pick, Beth inspires us to improvise, trust our instincts, and take new approaches. As marketers it’s always good to have a formalized plan and a list of goals to achieve but at the same time, it’s essential to know when to improvise. Our insights and experience can provide us an inside track that no one else has, which can make all the difference when it comes to marketing a product, service or experience.

The show also beautifully demonstrates that success isn’t final and failure isn’t fatal. We should learn from our failures, but continue to believe in ourselves, and we might just make believers of our doubters when the dust has settled.

Documentaries

The Social Dilemma

Examines the various ways that social media impacts and manipulates our human psychology in this documentary-drama. Learn how algorithms are attempting to control our minute-by-minute attention — all in order to serve advertisers looking to attract eyeballs — with dangerous consequences.

Touching on how impactful and detrimental it can be in propagating hate speech, electoral meddling, or the spread of fake news, this eye-opening documentary requires marketers to consider the ethical implications of using these platforms to reach out to customers and potential clients.

FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

A cautionary tale to professionals across the board, this documentary follows a cocky and reckless entrepreneur who marketed the Fyre Festival as a luxury music festival hosted on a private island. In reality they were massively unprepared to deliver on the promises they made.

While the protagonist’s actions are a classic case of ‘what not to do,’ there are elements of marketing genius in their use of influencer marketing. While outrageously expensive and ultimately unsuccessful, the campaign’s unique tactic to blanket social networks, spark curiosity, and inspire FOMO is certainly praise-worthy.

Movies

The Social Network

Get an inside look at what inspired the creation of Facebook, the founders’ thought processes when they built it, the steps they took to develop it, and all the ups and downs Facebook experienced as it evolved into the social media giant it is today. From its humble yet promising beginnings to its rapid growth, this movie shows you that Facebook’s rise to tech stardom wasn’t void of any obstacles.

Moneyball

Follow this true story about how a baseball team without much money uses math and data, to change their strategy on buying players. Similar to inbound marketing, it is the analysis and data-driven action that eventually brings them success.

The movie is a great example of how your marketing can bring a significant return on your investment, even if you don’t have the biggest budget. Analyze the key data and you can beat the competition.

The Founder

Watch and learn how Ray Kroc, a struggling salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California and went on to establish a multi-billion-dollar empire and one of the most popular fast-food restaurants in the world.

While Kroc is certainly an antihero, marketers can take away the fact that with a consistent and prolific brand, exponential growth is possible. The key is maintaining a consistent look and feel and delivering the same expected customer experience each time.

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