Bingeable Content for Sales and Marketing
‘Just one last time, I promise’ - Thought every addict, cheater, and binge watcher, ever.
As soon as we hear binging, we see bright red text screaming Netflix. Even though the thought is our own, it feels intrusive. That’s how deeply Netflix has associated themselves with the word. Binge has always been a word, but 2012 gave it new meaning when Netflix started using the word binge-watching in their marketing campaigns.
It’s not just about Netflix and Bridgerton anymore.
Over time, binging has come to mean a lot of things. It’s not just about Netflix and Bridgerton anymore. It’s also 5 hours on YouTube watching cat videos or when you find yourself too deeply invested in some celebrity’s love story (by some, we mean Justin and Selena) or knowing embarrassingly intimate details about the British Monarchy or even BTS. And you can judge yourself later, but you’ve got to admit - once you know a little, you HAVE to know the rest.
In fact, 80% of smartphone users check their device within 15 minutes of waking up every morning. This may sound like your parents asking you to cut back on screen time, but it’s not. It’s just a reality check to how invested we are in other people’s lives, sometimes even fictional people’s lives. (Harry Potter fanfiction is a thing y’all)
The book Hooked by Nir Eyal (interesting read) talks extensively of external and internal triggers. The red button that goes off and screams ‘Amazon!’ everytime you need to buy something online is a perfect example of being hooked.
And then you try to reason with yourself, hey, Amazon is a capitalistic giant that exploits labour, doesn’t pay its workers, has horrible carbon footprint, and that you can probably buy your stuff from a local store. Several internal arguments later, you have a stocked up cupboard, a few hundred dollars spent on stuff you don’t need, and a massive storage problem.
And no, it’s not just you who does this, it’s a lot of us. (By a lot, we mean all of us).
Why do people binge?
Great question.
Most people binge to get rid of distressing and unpleasant emotions - often anxiety, anger, hatred, jealousy, boredom, or self pity. (Ever heard of revenge bedtime procrastination?) Not too surprising is it then, that higher screen time is also linked to higher depression rates?
Binging is a feel-good fix.
So if it’s all that bad, it must be horrible for us, right? No, it’s not that simple.
Binging produces dopamine (the happy hormone) that stimulates your brain and makes it go jiggly. A survey by Netflix says, 73% of respondents had a good feeling about bingeing and felt that it was a reward for their hard work. Turns out, binging isn’t all that bad!
But binging isn’t just your mind trying to procrastinate working or rewarding you for working, there’s science behind it all.
The science behind binging
The human race in general does not agree upon a lot of things, be it pineapple on pizza or politics. We’re literally paying those who make these movies to tell us! There is a special place in hell reserved for those of them who don’t.
But, open endings work. So do cliffhangers. And it’s all because of the Zeigarnik effect, the psychological phenomenon that makes us remember interrupted tasks better than uninterrupted ones. Basically, anything that makes us think, “what’s next” or “what did this even mean?!” is a trick to make us remember the incident.
Zeigarnik effect
A psychological phenomenon that makes us remember interrupted tasks better than uninterrupted ones.
Anything that makes us think, “what’s next” or “what did this even mean?!” is a trick to make us remember the incident.
Ever missed one episode of Game of Thrones and had to avoid conversation in every elevator you entered, every call you made, and every single time you checked social media? You really didn’t want a spoiler about who died this time around. It is during times like this it feels like the universe is conspiring against you to make your life hell. It’s FOMO that Netflix capitalises on.
So what does it mean for you?
No one likes unsolicited advice, even if it’s well meant. And it’s almost a surprise you haven’t become a violent person around those glib, clueless individuals.
But sometimes, your business itself is unsolicited advice. The consumer doesn’t trust you, they don’t know what you do, all they know is you want them to buy something. It’s sketchy.
If your customers don’t have confidence in you, they obviously would not consider buying from you. So how do you make your consumers trust you before even trying your product?
Simple - through bingeable content.