Netflix’s latest brand campaign stars an axolotl, a vampire, and an astronaut who cannot stop watching their favorite shows.
Netflix has launched "Find the Thing You Never Knew You Needed," a campaign from its in-house Brand Creative Studio and Mother, directed by Iconoclast’s Vania & Muggia.
Debuting in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, and Spain, it celebrates the unexpected shows that become a viewer’s next obsession.
Netflix’s studio owns the brand stories the campaign tells, while Mother is credited for creative and strategy on what is its first brand work for the streamer.
"A brand platform for Netflix had to represent the quality and craft that goes into every piece of entertainment featured on the service," said Nick Hallbery, Mother ECD.
Aarti Thiagarajan, senior director of Brand Creative Studio at Netflix, said the idea began with real fan habits.
To him, people coming to Netflix trust they'll discover something new to love.
And oftentimes, it's something they don't see coming.
Each Film Gets Its Own Frame
Each of the three films puts a different character in the grip of a different show.
In "Axolotl," a group of aquarium fish settles in for a "Bridgerton" marathon until their owners interrupt it, and the amphibian of the title steps in to save the viewing session.
In "Hypersleep," a lonely astronaut wakes his crewmate with no emergency at all, only a need to talk about "K-pop Demon Hunters."
In the last spot titled "Dawn," a vampire’s TV breaks, so he risks a sunrise dash across town to catch the end of "Love Is Blind."
All three were shot on 35mm, with a different aspect ratio for each world: widescreen for "Axolotl," anamorphic for "Hypersleep," and 4:3 for "Dawn."
All of which borrow from classic horror films.
Notably, each set was also built from scratch over several weeks.
A four-part social series called "Typecast" adds a second layer.
Directed by Rodney Lucas and shot on 16mm, it runs until Nov. 13 on Netflix’s U.S. social channels and Tudum.
82% of Marketers Now Have an In-House Agency
In-house creative teams joining forces with external agencies is something we've been seeing more frequently.
Canva followed a similar model this month for its "What Will You Canva Today?" platform.
Silverstein & Partners created the TV spots and led social and out-of-home work alongside Canva’s in-house team.
A pattern over the years backs this up.
The Association of National Advertisers found that 82% of its members had an in-house agency in 2023, up from 78% in 2018.
The same study found that 92% of respondents also work with an external agency, and those companies do an average of 61% of their work in-house.
These figures point to three considerations for brands dividing creative work between internal teams and outside partners.
Keep the Platform Idea In-House
Brands should hold on to the long-running idea that defines how customers see them.
Netflix’s Brand Creative Studio co-created "Find the Thing You Never Knew You Needed," so the platform stays under its control.
Test a New Agency on One Assignment
Brands should give a first-time agency a defined job before widening the relationship.
In Mother's case, its first Netflix brand work covers a three-film platform.
Hire Directors Who Fit the Brief
Brands should bring in specialist filmmakers when each piece needs its own look.
Vania & Muggia directed three films in three aspect ratios, with Electric Theatre Collective handling post-production.
Overall, Netflix keeps the platform, brings in Mother for creative and strategy, and specialist filmmakers finish the work.
Our Take: What Does an In-House Studio Still Need From an Agency?
A studio inside Netflix knows every title in the catalog.
An outside agency knows how a stranger reacts to a vampire sprinting across town for a dating show finale.
We think this distance is what Netflix gets from Mother, and it is worth more than the production polish.
The three films name familiar hits, so the "Typecast" guests carry more of the discovery job with their less obvious picks.
We would like to see Mother land a second assignment that pushes deeper into the library's unfamiliar corners.
Looking for a partner that can sharpen your brand platform, keep a campaign consistent across channels, or manage creative for a complex product?
Explore these top brand positioning agencies on DesignRush.
