Introduction
Netflix created the online streaming industry before anyone else. The company known for mailing millions of red envelopes to customers around the US was a first mover to online streaming. They saw the future before other media companies knew what streaming was.
We want to take a deep dive into the evolution of Netflix’s email strategy by connecting the dots with information we found through research. We also used their email campaigns over the years to support the different A/B tests the company (might) have been running for their customer base. With hundreds of millions of members, the company could run many tests simultaneously to optimize their emails.
250+ million different versions of Netflix
Netflix’s culture is rooted in constant learning and cultivates itself into running many experiments and tests. These experiments are running all the time, every time you open the Netflix app.
In this 2013 New York Times article, Joris Evers, the Director of Global Corporate Communications, said that there were over 33 million different versions of Netflix. Since Netflix had 33 million global users at the time, that meant each version of Netflix was unique to each viewer. With over 250 million users in early 2024, Netflix is capable of creating 250 million versions of Netflix at any time.
Netflix is grounded and driven by data that helps teams quickly make informed decisions. The Data and Insights team at Netflix partners with teams throughout the company to deliver the best experience to its members, from the content team to a smooth interaction with customer support. Since the company owns its data pipelines, it can learn quickly by running A/B tests across its streaming platform.
Source: Netflix Technology Blog
Elizabeth Stone, Netflix’s current CTO and former VP of Data and Insights, said “We enable data-rich foundations for strategy and decision of all shapes and sizes across a huge variety of business areas and at all levels of the company.” This data-driven culture bleeds into all aspects of their product experiences and is highly likely also a tool they use to personalize email campaigns for each viewer.
To illustrate how Netflix utilizes all of this data and personalizes the experience for each viewer, we’ll use their popular show Stranger Things as an example.
Through a vast content library of artwork, Netflix’s recommendation engine can process a viewer’s likelihood to watch Stranger Things and then choose the right thumbnail image to display at any time. The viewer could see an image of the boys in Ghostbuster costumes or the boys on their bikes on a desolate road in Hawkins staring up at an ominous red cloud or any of the other images from their library. With this expansive testing across the platform, the goal is that Netflix will increase the chances that a viewer clicks on one of the thumbnails it shows.
Evolution of Netflix Email Campaigns
We went back into our archive of Netflix emails, and based on the evidence you can infer that Netflix was running A/B tests within their email campaigns for users as well. The same underlying technology that was driving user engagement on the streaming platform was also driving engagement as part of the Netflix email strategy.
Different thumbnails for the same shows
Here are some examples of the different email campaigns we’ve received with Stranger Things as a recommendation.
We got the two emails below promoting Stranger Things; on the left on 6/14/2022 with one video thumbnail and on 8/11/2022 we received another email promoting the movie with a different video thumbnail.
Progress bars of shows streamed
Netflix started testing a progress viewing bar in their emails in February 2020, to illustrate how far a user has gotten in a show.
Play buttons over thumbnails and Remind Me buttons
In the email creative below, Netflix tested a "Play" button graphic over Stranger Things while leaving it off of the We Are Marshall movie. They also had a "Remind Me" button which allowed viewers to be reminded of the show within their account.
Final Thoughts on Netflix’s Email Strategy
We hope this illustrates the power of what data can do for your marketing campaigns. While not every company has the resources of Netflix, we know that data is at the core of your marketing efforts. Netflix evolved its email campaigns over time, testing different video thumbnails, progress bars and play buttons over thumbnails amongst other tests not visible to viewers.
With basic customer data like email address, name, and website events, like visits and click data, your team can activate this immediately and start driving customer engagement and retention.