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

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. Copyright © 2022 (Fernández-Gómez, Martín-Quevedo, Feijoo Fernández).