Netflix's communication strategy on Twitter and Instagram during the unlock in Spain: humour, proximity and information

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS16320222054

Keywords:

Netflix Spain, COVID-19, communication strategy, Twitter, Instagram, lockdown exit

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic and the arrival of Disney + marked the second quarter of 2020 in the Spanish audiovisual market. Thus, the period of home confinement among the Spanish population coincided with the irruption of the new streaming service of one of the best-known and most loved brands worldwide. However, Netflix was the most consumed SVoD during this period. The objective of this research is to find out what the Californian company has done in communicative terms as a market leader and in the face of the need to adapt to the new circumstances of its audiences. The results show how Netflix Spain has integrated COVID-19 in its social media strategy in the pass between the lockdown and maximum consumption to a progressive lessening of social restrictions. The content analysis of Twitter and Instagram found 121 messages regarding pandemic (from a total of 1380). Netflix employed Twitter to connect with its audiences with humor, proximity and information, using taboos in the hardest moments, and an increased frequency of publications as the health situation improved. On the contrary, on Instagram there was no specific strategy, but imitation of the practices on Twitter and scarce references to COVID. Besides, there has been an evolution of the messages more or less parallel to the public health changes, choosing a strategy of proximity with the users, and with a communication closer to an influencer rather than a company.

Author Biographies

Erika Fernández Gómez, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (UNIR)

Academic Coordinator of the Degree in Advertising of the Faculty of Business and Communication of UNIR. PhD in Communication from the University of Vigo. Accredited as a Senior Lecturer by ANECA. She has been recognized for a six-year term by the CNEAI. She is a member of the UNIR research group in Communication and Digital Society (COYSODI). She coordinates de research project Ad Kids Mobile financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Research. She is part of the NewsSharing project, funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. She has published different articles in academic journals in the field of communication indexed in reference databases. Research lines: television, advertising, social networks, health communication and child and youth audience

Juan Martin-Quevedo, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.

Adjutant professor at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. Previously in Universidad Internacional de la Rioja (2011-2020). PHD on Media History. Currently interested on Television, Social Media, Media History and Science & Scholarly Communication.

Beatriz Feijoo Fernández, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja

Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Communication of UNIR. PhD in Communication from the University of Vigo. She has been recognized for a six-year term by the CNEAI. She coordinates de research project Ad Kids Mobile financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Research.

Downloads

Published

2022-09-30

How to Cite

Gómez, E. F., Martin-Quevedo, J., & Feijoo Fernández, B. (2022). Netflix’s communication strategy on Twitter and Instagram during the unlock in Spain: humour, proximity and information. Observatorio (OBS*), 16(3). https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS16320222054

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 3 (2022)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2022 Erika Fernández Gómez, Juan Martin-Quevedo, Beatriz Feijoo Fernández Observatorio (OBS*) has an academic journal profile. As such, it is dedicated to the open exchange of its contents, and freely available to individuals and institutions without charge or formal permission. Copies of this journal or articles in this journal may be distributed for research or educational purposes free of charge and without permission. Authors will not be charged for publication or submission to this journal. Authors who publish in Observatorio (OBS*) will release their contributions under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-2.0 generic. This licence allows anyone to copy and distribute the article for non-commercial purposes provided that appropriate attribution is given - being the author the copyright holder. This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration. The publisher perpetually authorizes participants in the LOCKSS system to archive and restore our publication through the LOCKSS System for the benefit of all LOCKSS System participants. Specifically participating libraries may: • Collect and preserve currently accessible materials; • Use material consistent with original license terms; • Provide copies to other LOCKSS appliances for purposes of audit and repair. Fair use of a copyrighted work, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include: 1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes; 2. the nature of the copyrighted work; 3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; & 4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work. The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors. In accord with these provisions, the OBS journal believes in the vigorous assertion and defense of Fair Use by scholars engaged in academic research, teaching and non-commercial publishing. Thus, we view the inclusion of “quotations” from existing print, visual, audio and audio-visual texts to be appropriate examples of Fair Use, as are reproductions of visual images for the purpose of scholarly analysis. We encourage authors to obtain appropriate permissions to use materials originally produced by others, but do not require such permissions as long as the usage of such materials falls within the boundaries of Fair Use.