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🧠 Psychology Sunday: How to Make your Brand Relentlessly Addictive

Author

Ankit Patel
June 02, 2024

Hey there, 

Welcome back to the 44th edition of Brandish, 

Your guide to crafting an iconic brand. 

This week, I’m putting a brand in the spotlight. 

But not just any brand - this one has mastered the ability to keep their customers engaged, attentive, and addicted to their product for as long as possible


And the best part? 

It’s not even a physical product. 

Any guesses?

(Queue the Dora the Explorer soundtrack)

That’s right, we’re talking about Netflix. 

So kick back, 

Grab your Brez, 

And let’s talk about how you can ‘steal’ their strategies to get your customers addicted to your brand. 

Over the top personalization 

Netflix has deployed several strategies to keep you hooked - but their ultimate weapon?

PERSONALIZATION.

Every single decision, design, and recommendation is based on millions of data inputs that are ALL aimed at maximizing engagement and making you feel like the entire experience is tailored toward your preferences.

And I’m not talking about the basic, “You watched an action movie so here’s 10 more” 

They’re collecting the times you typically watch these movies, how long you watch them for, how many you watch in a row, etc. etc.

Did a certain thumbnail catch your eye? Noted

Did you click off after only a few minutes? Also Noted. 

From the moment you log on, you’re being watched - and everything you do is tracked to better personalize your overall experience. 

Still watching?

Now, personalization is one thing. 

Getting you to stay engaged? That’s an entirely different playing field. 

But, like before


Netflix has it on lock. 

Take their “Still Watching?” feature as an example.

They didn’t just toss that in there on a whim. In order to find most optimal time delay before it moved to the next episode, they ran extensive A/B tests.

5 seconds, 10 seconds, 3 seconds, (no seconds)... you name it, they tested it. 

The same goes for their UI/UX and content library. It’s the product of extensive, long-term testing to find the most optimal combination so that they can keep you hooked for as long as they can. 

But the point I’m trying to make here isn’t about ‘what’ they’re testing, it’s how in-depth they’re testing it. 

They’re able to create this addicting experience ONLY because of their ridiculous testing cycle, 

Ensuring that nothing is implemented, changed, or tweaked in the slightest without a mountain of data to back it up. 

How can you replicate these results for your brand?

I’m going to be honest, 

Replicating these results and creating an ‘addictive experience’ for your brand is easier said than done. 

BUT - not impossible in the slightest. 

If your product is something that’s consumable AND you have the resources to go as in-depth as possible for the data you need, 

Then yes, it’s absolutely possible. 

But don’t forget the lessons that we’ve talked about in a previous newsletter for crafting an “addicting” experience: 

  • Gamify your brand

  • Leverage rewards, experiences, etc. 

  • Make your brand FUN to interact with

You can have all the data in the world to make this happen, 

But if you can’t craft a brand that’s genuinely fun to use, 

Then you’ll get nowhere. 

(P.S - Click HERE to read the past edition of Brandish on ‘Gamifying’ your brand ) 

The Netflix Roadmap

Before we wrap up, here’s the roadmap you can steal today to get yourself started. 

  1. Leverage hyper-personalization in every aspect of your branding 

  2. Create engaging campaigns through interactive marketing & targeted advertising 

  3. Continuously optimize your UX/UI and keep your offerings FRESH to ensure your customers come back to new experiences

  4. Collect as much data as you possibly can, as in-depth as you possibly can 

Will it be simple and easy? Probably not.

But will this ensure that you craft an iconic, addicting experience for your customers? Absolutely. 

Wrapping Up 

We’re keeping this one a little short and sweet today, but I wanted to make sure I still gave you some of the Brandish sauce that you come looking for week after week.

And as always -  thank you for taking the time to read along and I’ll see you next week!

Ankit