Netflix Is Finally Trying to Fix Its Lopsided Promotional Strategies by Asking Users for Suggestions

I tend to believe that a show becomes popular through word of mouth these days. Not that it’s a bad thing, but very few of us watch commercials anymore, getting our information mostly from social media instead. The problem with Netflix is that the shows they promote the most tend to be shows that, arguably, don’t need promoting. Trust me when I say that if you put out one poster for Stranger Things, we’re all going to know when the show is premiering.

At the same time, shows like Tuca & Bertie are canceled because there is virtually no record that the show exists online, other than fans who already watching the show praising it. Netflix, in all its glory, should be the one out there giving us trailers and jokes and letting us see the beauty that is One Day at a Time instead of promoting the shows that are more white and heterosexual. Look at a show like Sense8—diverse, beautiful, and canceled because Netflix didn’t promote it in the same way they do shows like Stranger Things.

That’s where the problem lies, and in asking Twitter what to do, it’s both letting the people know that at least they’re trying to be better, but also that Netflix doesn’t see the problem with how they are currently promoting their shows. So, when Netflix’s social media manager, Jarett Wieselman, took to Twitter to ask what Netflix could to better to promote their shows, the answers weren’t that surprising.

Wieselman went on to talk about how there are no wrong answers, and that, as someone who works for social media at Netflix, he was genuinely curious. To which I say good, but also, it seems like a very obvious thing to me? With the way social media influences the entertainment world, isn’t the simplest response to just have Twitter accounts engaging with people?

Look, for instance, at the Spider-Man: Far From Home Twitter account. They spend their days trolling fans (in a fun way) and getting interest in the movie up. Netflix using that same tactic would be the smartest approach. Other Netflix users had great ideas too.

Whether or not Netflix will actually use any of these tactics is an entirely different issue. It’s a website designed to keep us entertained but in the dark about viewership figures and what is happening on their platform, so who knows what will happen in the future. Hopefully, it will be better promotional tactics, though.

(image: Netflix)

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Rachel Leishman

Assistant Editor

Rachel Leishman (She/Her) is an Assistant Editor at the Mary Sue. She's been a writer professionally since 2016 but was always obsessed with movies and television and writing about them growing up. A lover of Spider-Man and Wanda Maximoff's biggest defender, she has interests in all things nerdy and a cat named Benjamin Wyatt the cat. If you want to talk classic rock music or all things Harrison Ford, she's your girl but her interests span far and wide. Yes, she knows she looks like Florence Pugh. She has multiple podcasts, normally has opinions on any bit of pop culture, and can tell you can actors entire filmography off the top of her head. Her current obsession is Glen Powell's dog, Brisket. Her work at the Mary Sue often includes Star Wars, Marvel, DC, movie reviews, and interviews.

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