A hunger for in-person experiences post-Covid is driving ticket sales, said Lee, along with a “rabid fandom” that’s begging to be brought out of the living room.
“We’re really thinking about how to translate the fandom online and on-screen into real life,” she added.
Measuring cultural clout
Netflix keeping its finger on the culture’s beating pulse is not just about driving subscriptions or engaging its existing audience; it’s also a tool in the platform’s pitch to advertisers amid an economic backdrop where Lee acknowledges CMO budgets are “pinched.”
As an advertiser herself, Lee said she feels a “deep connection” with the brands Netflix is onboarding: “I want genuine and authentic connection [with my own customers], I don’t want to just put an ad out in the world and hope someone sees it. I want it to feel very real. … I want it to feel like I’m taking some kind of cultural insight that’s happening in the world, and [tuning that into] something and putting it out there.”
She continued: “So when I speak to brands about coming on to Netflix, I’m really saying, ‘You can be part of this conversation and put yourself close to where culture is happening.’”
Lee admitted that cultural clout is tricky to measure, but there’s data to suggest showing up in or around shows like One Day or Wednesday has potential to influence consumer intent.
Tourism to Edinburgh, Scotland—where One Day is set—was given a boost after the show aired. Netflix’s own data shows subscribers are 2.4 times more likely to cite the locale of a series or film they’ve seen as their top travel destination.
There are also some more straightforward examples of Netflix’s influence on culture translating into sales. When The Queen’s Gambit debuted in 2021, orders for chess sets spiked 87%, while sales of chess books went up 603%, according to data from NPD Group. Elsewhere, purchases of video game The Witcher 3 shot up 554% between 2018 and 2019 following the success of its eponymous series.
Since launching its ad-supported tier in November 2022, the platform has hit 23 million monthly active users and launched various ad formats. Buyers previously told ADWEEK that scale is the biggest issue with Netflix’s ad tier, but this recently announced growth is a step in the right direction.
