APB PANELLISTS
6 NEWS & VIEWS
May-June 2016
The power of a picture
by nick nelson
Imagine having to tell your friend about the last movie you watched through a single drawing on the back of a playing card . If you had to encapsulate the entire movie into a few inches to convince your friend they ’ d love the movie , what would it look like ?
At Netflix , we have been working hard the past few years to create a framework that allows us to effectively intersect big data with creatives , ultimately helping members discover stories they will enjoy even faster . As a result of that work , we now have the unique ability to understand how to most effectively tell our members why a story is right for them — all through a single image .
Broadly , we know that if you don ’ t capture a member ’ s attention within 90 seconds , that member will likely lose interest and move onto another activity . Knowing we have such a short time to capture interest , images become the most efficient and compelling way to help members discover the perfect title as quickly as possible . After all , the human brain can process images in as little as 13 milliseconds .
In early 2014 , we conducted some consumer research studies that indicated artwork was not only the biggest influencer to a member ’ s decision to watch content , but it also constituted more than 82 % of their focus while browsing Netflix . We also saw that users spent an average of 1.8 seconds considering each title they were presented with while on Netflix . We were surprised by how much impact an image had on a member finding great content , and how little time we had to capture their interest .
Around the same time , we launched a charming original documentary called The Short Game , and we wanted to do everything possible to help that title find its audience . In the end , we saw one clear thing — using better images to represent content significantly increased overall streaming hours and engagement from our members .
Since then , we have built a system that tests a set of images for many titles on our service , which helps to display a
Using visible , recognisable characters ( and especially polarising ones ) results in more engagement . For Dragons : Race to the Edge , the two images of villainous characters significantly outperformed all others .
❝ While we are becoming more connected across cultures , we have seen that regional differences still exist and are important for some titles and imagery .❞
compelling image to drive engagement . In developing this system , we learnt many interesting things around imagery and what actually compels a member to watch a title . Here are some of the biggest trends :
n Emotions are an efficient way of conveying complex nuances It is well known that humans are hardwired to respond to faces , and we have seen this to be consistent across all mediums . But it is important to note that faces with complex emotions outperform stoic or benign expressions ; seeing a range of emotions actually compels people to watch a story more .
This is likely due to the fact that complex emotions convey a wealth of information to members regarding the tone or feel of the content , but it is interesting to see how much members actually respond this way in testing . An example of this is seen in the recent winning image (“ winning ” means it drove the most engagement ) for the second season of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt .
n Great stories travel , but regional nuances can be powerful While we are becoming more connected across cultures , we have seen that regional differences still exist and are important for some titles and imagery . A good example of this is Sense8 , a Netflix Original series in which eight people can telepathically experience each other ’ s lives . Sense8 has diverse appeal given its many international actors and storylines , and it is a story that resonates with many different types of people .
When it came to the artwork for this title , this diversity was reflected in the winning images and how much they varied between different countries and cultures : examining regional differences helped us see that while great stories transcend borders , it is important to understand how presenting each story in different regions impacts how quickly
An image ’ s tendency to win dramatically dropped when it contained more than three people . This directly informed our creative decisions for Orange is the New Black , as is evident when you look at the main creative for each season side by side .
members from around the world actually discover that story through artwork .
n Nice guys often finish last Throughout our research , we have seen that using visible , recognisable characters ( and especially polarising ones ) results in more engagement . Our members respond to villainous characters surprisingly well in both kids and action genres in particular . For Dragons : Race to the Edge , the two images of villainous characters significantly outperformed all others .
n Less is more when it comes to cast size One of the earliest trends we saw was an image ’ s tendency to win dramatically dropped when it contained more than three people . This directly informed our creative decisions for Orange is the New Black , as is evident when you look at the main creative for each season side by side .
Andrew Anderson
Head of Broadcast Operations Seven West Media
APB PANELLISTS
Stan Moote CTO IABM
This can feel counter-intuitive , particularly with shows that have an eclectic mix of talented lead characters . But while ensemble casts are fantastic for a huge billboard on the side of a highway , they are too complex at small sizes and ultimately , not as effective at helping our members decide if the title is right for them on smaller screens .
Imagery is a powerful thing , because it has the ability to move people in so many different ways . Over the past few years , we have worked hard to learn how a winning combination of technology and creative helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster and , ultimately , have a better Netflix experience . While the results from our research were often surprising , it is clear that an image can move people in powerful ways and done right , pictures can help people find the stories that they will love even faster .
Nick Nelson is global manager , Creative Services at Netflix .
Christopher Slaughter
CEO CASBAA