Netflix’ success is as much about gut instinct as it is data, according to Tim Donza, the streaming platform’s head of customer insights, despite it being heralded as one of the forerunners in data-based programming.
Its first original content hit series House of Cards was commissioned on the basis of data analysis identifying the appetite for the remake, which stars Kevin Spacey, but data alone isn’t enough.
Donza, said Netflix views itself as being at the intersection of entertainment and technology, blending the instinct that drives Hollywood success with tech and analysis of customer data.
“Data is a tool to inform your gut," Donza said.
"The golden gut is hard to replicate – you either have it or you don’t … Golden data is what you think it should be because you’ve taken the time to let big data inform your gut.”
“The tech world has opened up so many opportunities for what marketing could be in the future, the ability to target with more precision, to customise those messages, and the tantalising possibility of predictive modelling. But in the pursuit for that perfect model, sometimes we lose sight of the need to have a human connection with that brand.
"We hope to know what people want before they want it… but in reality sometimes that makes people feel a little creeped out. Like the pair of shoes you search for that follows you round the internet in every banner ad.
“How long before that predictive modelling becomes more in line with the empathetic marketing of Hollywood storytelling?"
Netflix’s arrival in Australia is expected before the end of the year, but the Australian Financial Review reported in June that the launch had been delayed in favour of chasing European launch. Donza was unable to give AdNews any further information, only offering “no comment” on any Australian plans.
Tim Donza, the head of customer insight at Netflix, was speaking at ADMA Forum in Sydney.
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