https://gibsonbiddle.medium.com/branding-for-builders-19e103ef3f1d

How Netflix defined a brand that helped it to build a great product, and vice-versa. (I was VP Product from 2005–2010.)

Today, Netflix is recognized by the simple letter “N.”

Twenty years ago, no one recognized the Netflix logo. But today, with more than 100 million members, customers instantly identify the logo and trust Netflix in a way that counts — with their credit cards. But it wasn’t always that way. Remember when Netflix announced its plan to split its streaming and DVD service with the launch of “Qwikster” in 2011? 800,000 customers canceled Netflix that quarter.

I grew up in marketing, switched over to product, and became interested in branding after success building Sesame Street, Schoolhouse Rock, and Madeline software. I signed well-established brands to long-term relationships, then brought the brands to life within children’s educational software.

When I joined Netflix as VP of Product in 2005, I wanted to do more. My goal was to help a young company establish a world-class product and brand. As a product leader, my job was to delight customers in hard-to-copy, margin-enhancing ways. Based on experience, I viewed building a brand as one of the most important of these “hard-to-copy” tactics.

By the time I joined Netflix, I had a somewhat nuanced view of how marketing and product work together: marketing defines the brand, and product brings the brand to life by building a great product. Together, the two teams hope to create a world-class brand and product.

Here’s my definition of a brand:

Below, I outline two models to apply to your product or company, then show how these models provided direction for the Netflix marketing and product teams as the brand and product evolved:

1.) The positioning model describes the first three components of the brand definition: positioning, customer benefit, and personality.

2.) The brand pyramid adds the two remaining elements: aspiration and emotion.

3.) The evolution of Netflix shows how the non-member homepage — the “store window” of the site— evolved in tandem with the brand over twenty years.

You’re already an expert in positioning and don’t know it yet. Want proof? What’s the first word that pops into your head when I mention the car brand, “Volvo?” For most, the response is “safety.” This example demonstrates Volvo’s ability to place an idea in your head, relative to competitors, and that’s the definition of positioning.

To apply the first model, ask yourself three questions: