Right now, the D23 Expo is taking place California and it’s a fan event that’s designed to showcase all things Disney. The event focuses all eyes on Disney and creates a massive buzz. We believe Netflix should follow Disney’s lead by either doing an event that allows Netflix to showcase its new titles and get fans involved.
In case you aren’t aware, the D23 Expo is a bi-annual event where fans from around the world get to attend an expo that exhibits and showcases the latest with Disney. It’s a massive event that’s got a particular microscope on it this year with the impending release of Disney+ this fall.
New shows get announced, details on video games and changes to the variety of Disney parks get announced and there’s ample panels, merch and more to explore for visitors.
We think Netflix should follow and there are a few really simple reasons.
Reason 1) Gives a giant megaphone for promoting new shows & movies
First up, Netflix is often criticized for not promoting their shows. Doing an event like this would give the streamer the change to really allow people to connect with Netflix and its brands. It’d give Netflix a giant megaphone with all eyes from the media and fans focused on a single event.
D23 uses several live streams to promote the various panes
Netflix had a social event called “Netflix News Week” in the middle of December 2018, it basically announced a bunch of titles just before the marketing team broke up for Christmas. Sadly, it wasn’t any different to most weeks where Netflix breaks news about their shows.
Reason 2) Gets people invested in Netflix
Most importantly, with the streaming wars coming up, it’s more important than ever to make your business name your brand. Netflix has had a rocky year with its reputation whether that’s due to losing big named titles, canceling fan-favorite shows or generally getting looked down upon with the streaming wars heating up.
It’d provide a connection to fans that allows Netflix to showcase what they’re about. Allow fans to meet with their favorite stars and get people invested in the streaming service and its lineup of shows which is going to be important in the years to come.
Reason 3) Money
Finally, it’s a revenue driver.
D23 attracts a wide range of sponsors, ticket sales and merchandise sales. Add to that it has a gold membership club which provides perks and benefits.
Again, all of this allows subscribers and fans to get more connected with the brand. Something Disney is really good at.
We should note that Netflix isn’t shy about attending events. While it did shy away from the TCA’s it has had appearances recently at E3 where it recently showcased a couple of games the service is working on and also does a series of panels and announcements at Comic-Cons.
The last time we saw Reed Hastings took to the stage at an event was back in 2016 at CES which now feels like a lifetime ago.
The service also has done some smaller events such as the For Your Consideration exhibit in Los Angeles last year which opened to the public and exhibits for shows such as the one for The Dark Crystal taking place in London at the end of the month.
A few fan events do take place for some Netflix shows, however which we’d like to draw your attention to. Sense8 Con takes place every year with the 2020 event taking place in Paris. There was an Orange is the New Black convention back in 2015. There’s also a Stranger Con taking place in October this year.
Would you attend an expo/convention if Netflix was to make one? Let us know in the comments.
