Netflix is so good, it can even make a sullen teenager smile.
The streaming content service is out with a new European ad created by Wieden + Kennedy Amsterdam. At first blush, the existential voiceover makes the commercial seem the slightest bit like DirecTV's warnings against the many dangers of having cable instead of satellite. But Netflix takes it in the opposite direction, focusing on the various ways its original shows will make your life better. Mostly, it does so by giving you something to care about, that other people might, too—i.e., creating common ground.
Arrested Development, House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black all make cameos (alas, no BoJack Horseman). Overall, it's an easy sell, given the product is entertainment—something people actually do enjoy in its own right (as opposed to, say, toothpaste). But the tagline—"Because great things start with Netflix"—is a little misleading. The only great things that start with Netflix are Netflix binges. Once you're locked in the grip of that auto-play-next-episode feature, good luck getting anything else done.
Plus, let's be real. There's no way that sullen teenager would actually laugh … at least not in front of her parents.
CREDITS
Client: Netflix
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Amsterdam
Production Co.: Biscuit Filmworks U.K.
Director: Aaron Stoller