Netflix’s ‘One Story Away’ Campaign to Benefit the World or Themselves?

A few months ago, Netflix released its first global campaign reaching 27 countries, titled ‘One Story Away’. While it doesn’t explicitly relate to the COVID-19 pandemic, its timing and message suggest otherwise. The VP wrote that the premise of the campaign is to ‘make us feel closer to each other’, which seems fitting at a time when being physically close to people outside your ‘bubble’ is more or less forbidden. Netflix strikes again in being the tool that makes us feel less alone, especially considering us nearing the anniversary of on-and-off isolation periods.

“The TV shows and films we watch bring out all sorts of different emotions, give us perspectives we’ve never seen before and even make us feel closer to each other.”

Eric Pallotta, VP, Brand and Editorial – Netflix

As someone who has endured six quarantines and has almost three lockdowns under their belt, I can definitely say that I’ve exhausted most means to feel closer to others despite our enforced distance. So, Netflix’s message instilling empathy and togetherness is well received.

The campaign includes a video and a whole new page of categories with thematic titles such as ‘One Story Away From Feeling all the Feels’, ‘One story Away From Standing Up For Something’, and ‘One Story Away From Laughing So Much It Hurts’. Each title is successful in guiding the viewer towards emotions that they’re ready to indulge in.

The video is perfectly curated, including dozens of clips from well known movies and series to incite both encouragement and empathy. It references prominent global issues such as racism, freedom of expression, and climate change. It left me feeling empowered by the effects of story-telling, ultimately resulting in the writing of this post. My initial motivations were fuelled by this sense of empowerment, but were soon transformed, knowing all too well that the purpose of the campaign was to boost the already dominating media platform. I let my pragmatism settle in rather than being carried away.

Foucault, whose repeated face features as header of my blog, was a pioneer in exploring how processes and practices governed people – a concept called ‘governmentality’. Considering this, and the power media has in governing people, you might better see both sides to Netflix’s campaign. The first being it’s already explained intended good, and the second (arguably) being the exploitation of global issues to reinstate its own capitalist driven values through culture commodification.

The power of media in governing people comes from the idea that it creates ‘mental production’ – ideas and values produced within society. Given this, ideas and values can be determined by more powerful companies or conglomerates, such as Netflix, through their ability to commission programming that legitimises capitalist interests. Media, especially, holds power in mental production through its effective medium of story-telling.

Netflix’s commercial motivations derive from their business model (how they make their money). This comes from monthly paid subscriptions and the maintenance of a low ‘churn’, combined with capitalist values which allow them to grow freely within the market. Basically, their interests are in maintaining this free market in which they can thrive, and in growing their subscribers with minimal ‘churn’.

So, in combining these ideas, how does this Netflix campaign create a mental production that favours their commercial interests? In wake of the pandemic, tv and film have been saviours to our new, quiet lives. Netflix, the biggest streaming service in the world, not only takes advantage of these circumstances to maximise its subscribers and ensure its position at the top, but also exploits prevalent global issues. The campaign does not promote the power of story-telling as a pure art, isolated from a commercial platform, but instead reminds you that above anything else, their services have been here for you throughout the pandemic – and will be there for you after.