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Netflix is opening a theme park, and I think it's genius. It's Trojan Horse Brand Building 101. A quick TLDR for people who haven't seen the news. Netflix is opening Netflix Houses in Dallas and Pennsylvania. The locations in renovated malls will be experiential centres. This is exactly like AirBnb's Icons product. A genuine revenue-driving part of the business that builds brand fame. Trojan Horse Brand Building. But more than that, this is Netflix's attempt to become Disney before Disney becomes them. Disney's theme parks are the crown jewel of their business. Despite poor recent company performance, the parks remain a boon. Last year, they generated $32.5 Billion. That's 69.6% of their $12.9 billion profit on just 36.6% of the revenue. Netflix doesn't yet have anywhere near as strong of a base of IP to compete right now, but the houses are an experiment and a bet on the future. They're also Disney parks, but different: ✅ Urban locations that require less travel ✅ More adult experiences (as well as catering for kids) ✅ 40% of the price of Disney with 80% of the fun Ultimately, it's yet another example of a brand that brings creativity closer to the C-Suite to drive brand innovation. What do people think about Netflix Houses? Smart brand move? Soon to be failed brand experiment? #Netflix #Disney #BrandInnovation
They could absolutely nail the non-kid demographic that flocks to Universal's Halloween Horror Nights. Considering Halloween in the US now runs from August to November, there's a lot more money still on the table for year-round immersive experiences.
👁️ Joel Stein
5mo
The name kinda sucks IMO. But the concept / strategy makes sense.
Emma Sexton
5mo
Oh this is so smart and makes total sense - thanks for sharing
Brand Strategist
5moThe Walt Disney Company has it's castles and theme parks have their tall rides and distant screams. To pull this off, architecturally Netflix house it's going to have to be some spectacular dystopian marvel. Perhaps they should sound their opening "du dumm" outside the building, like a heartbeat. It needs to be more than this image above shows, because remove the dramatic rendering and lighting, and you just have a well refurbished shopping mall cum cinema.