Netflix:
From Product Strategy
to Execution
Gibson Biddle
@gibsonbiddle
Products That Count NYC
November 15, 2017
Gibson Biddle
EIR Product, Adviser, Teacher (2015)
CPO, Chegg (2010)
VP Product, Netflix (2005)
SVP, The Learning Company/Mattel (1995)
Producer, Electronic Arts (1991)
Product questions
• Do French & Americans
have similar movie tastes?
• Is demographic data
important?
• Should rows “float”?
• Should Netflix cancel
“House of Cards”?
• Should Netflix send a
reminder before your
“Free Trial” ends?
• Encourage independent decision-making by employees
• Share information openly, broadly and deliberately
• Are extraordinarily candid with each other
• Keep only our highly effective people, and
• Avoid rules
At Netflix we:
Our core philosophy is people over process.
1.Strategy models
2.Meeting setup
3.Simulation
From Strategy to Execution
1- Strategy
GLEe & DMH models
Netflix Product Strategy
Strategy
• Plan to achieve long-
term goal
• Hypotheses for how
to build customer &
shareholder value
Tactics
• Project or experiment
against a strategy
Why strategy?
• Ensure teamwork in highly
aligned, loosely coupled way
• Motivating, high-level view
• Discipline without process
• Enable prioritization &
saying “no,” a lot
Focus & phasing: GLEe
1. Get big on ______
2. Lead ________
3. Expand _________
Focus & phasing
1. Get big on DVDs
2. Lead downloading
3. Expand worldwide
Every company rides the
growth wave up, until it
crests then falls. The
secret is to continually
create the next growth
wave.”
Jeff Kagan, Industry Analyst
“
The DMH Model
• Delight customers in
• Margin-enhancing,
• Hard-to-copy ways
Netflix 1999
Netflix 2007
Netflix 2017
Delight customers
• Personalized
• Instant delivery
• Value
• Easy
• Selection
• New releases
• All devices
• More original content
• Download & playback
• Multiple streams
• 4K video and audio
• Voice ID & control
Margin-enhancing
• Price & plan tests
• Used disk sales
• Advertising
• Long-tail content
Hard-to-copy
• Brand
• Network effects
• Unique technology
• Economies of scale
• Switching costs
Examples
• “Movie enjoyment made easy”
• Device virtuous cycle
• Personalization
• Content costs
• Profiles
Hypotheses
• Personalization
• Instant
• Price & plans
• Easy
• Huge selection
• Exclusives
• Open APIs
• Movie-finding tools
• Cinematic/entertaining
• Community (“Friends”)
Results
• Personalization
• Instant
• Price & plans
• Easy
• Selection
• Exclusives >> Originals
• Open APIs >> Device ecosystem
• Movie-finding tools
• Cinematic/entertaining
• Community (“Friends”)
Product Strategy
• GLEe +
• DMH +
• Tactics & Metrics
Appendix
Netflix 2005: Product Strategy
Metric:
Optimize retention against cost
Willing to spend up to $200 per saved customer
Appendix
Focus & phasing
1. Get big on DVDs
2. Lead downloading
3. Expand worldwide
Product Strategy:
• Personalized
• Instant
• Margin-enhancing
• Easy
Tactics:
• Netflix Prize
• 100 Hubs, streaming, device ecosystem
• Price/plan tests
• Progressive disclosure
• Personalized
• Instant
• Margin-enhancing
• Easy
Metrics:
• 25% of customers > 50 ratings @6 weeks
• 95% disks < day; 10% watch > 15min/mo.
• Gross margin, LTV
• ?% cust > 3 titles in First Session Queue
Product Strategy:
Personalization
Delights customers in hard-to-copy, margin-
enhancing ways over three “chapters” of growth
The secret to Netflix
success: high-
cadence failure”
Gibson Biddle
“
2- Meeting Prep
Strategy for each
swim lane
Goals of quarterly meeting
Provide context through strategy
Share and debate:
• key results & learnings, and
• future hypotheses
Develop business maturity, and
Determine level of investment.
Netflix Swim lanes
• Personalization
• Merchandising
• Search
• DVD
• Instant
• TV
• Community
• Open APIs
• Help/account
• Non-member
For each swim lane
Key strategies
Tactics, and
Metrics
2017 Non-member metrics
Deliver 30M WW members
through increased:
• Trials/Visits (2.1%)
• Month One retention (94%)
• Lifetime value ($180), and
• Lower acquisition cost ($50)
Data estimates for illustration only.
Strategies
• Brand & positioning
• Price/plan/free trial
• Personalization
• Multi-platform
• Open APIs
• Social
Tactics
• Original content
• 4K plan testing
• Featured titles
• Alexa launch
• Universal search
• Recommend to a friend
Meeting prep
Publish via Google slides
Articulate overall strategy + pod strategy/tactics/metrics
Describe results, learning & future hypotheses
Data & design rich
3- Simulation
Non-member
Rules of engagement
Ask Q’s, form opinion, debate
NOT a decision-making meeting
CEO-level communication
Who’s in the meeting?
End of free trial reminder
Hypothesis
“Your free trial is almost
over” reminder will:
- Decrease Month 1 retention,
- Decrease LTV,
BUT also:
+ Improve CS call rate, and
+ In LT, Increase T/V & “starts”
Results
• M1 Retention drops from
94% to 89%
• M2 Retention > Control
• LTV drops: $181 to $177
• Estimated annual loss: $40M
• CS savings: $5M
• Brand & long-term effects?
Data estimates for illustrative only
Discussion & debate
• Launch, or not?
Result
• Launched to all
• Positive WOM and brand effect
• Customer more likely to restart
• Revenue shift not loss?
• Possible long-term gain?
Good meeting like a movie
Well-defined script
Strong prep & engagement
Drama:
• Success, failure & diving catches
• Debate, decide, & do
Denouement: Beer & NPS survey
The meeting = culture mechanism
Highly aligned, loosely coupled
Candor
Customer, business & data-focused
Fast-paced learning to develop business maturity
1.Define the overall product strat, metrics & tactics
2.Repeat for all of your swim lanes, then
3.Execute your first quarterly prod start meeting
4.Keep getting better
Next Steps for You
If you want to build a ship, don’t drum
up the people to gather wood, divide
the work, and give orders. Instead
teach them to yearn for the vast and
endless sea.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
The Little Prince
“
Questions?
Resources
www.gibsonbiddle.com for videos
"How to Run a Product Strat Meeting"
Follow me on LinkedIn
Follow @gibsonbiddle on Twitter
gbiddle616@gmail.com
Feedback
“Feedback is the
breakfast of champions.”
Ken Blanchard
Jan. 18 NYC “Product Leader Summit”
Apply at: www.productleadersummit.com
80-100 CEOs, CPO’s, VP, and Director-level product leaders
Netflix: From Product Strategy  to Execution

Netflix: From Product Strategy to Execution

  • 2.
    Netflix: From Product Strategy toExecution Gibson Biddle @gibsonbiddle Products That Count NYC November 15, 2017
  • 3.
    Gibson Biddle EIR Product,Adviser, Teacher (2015) CPO, Chegg (2010) VP Product, Netflix (2005) SVP, The Learning Company/Mattel (1995) Producer, Electronic Arts (1991)
  • 4.
    Product questions • DoFrench & Americans have similar movie tastes? • Is demographic data important? • Should rows “float”? • Should Netflix cancel “House of Cards”? • Should Netflix send a reminder before your “Free Trial” ends?
  • 5.
    • Encourage independentdecision-making by employees • Share information openly, broadly and deliberately • Are extraordinarily candid with each other • Keep only our highly effective people, and • Avoid rules At Netflix we: Our core philosophy is people over process.
  • 6.
  • 7.
    1- Strategy GLEe &DMH models Netflix Product Strategy
  • 8.
    Strategy • Plan toachieve long- term goal • Hypotheses for how to build customer & shareholder value Tactics • Project or experiment against a strategy
  • 9.
    Why strategy? • Ensureteamwork in highly aligned, loosely coupled way • Motivating, high-level view • Discipline without process • Enable prioritization & saying “no,” a lot
  • 10.
    Focus & phasing:GLEe 1. Get big on ______ 2. Lead ________ 3. Expand _________
  • 11.
    Focus & phasing 1.Get big on DVDs 2. Lead downloading 3. Expand worldwide
  • 12.
    Every company ridesthe growth wave up, until it crests then falls. The secret is to continually create the next growth wave.” Jeff Kagan, Industry Analyst “
  • 13.
    The DMH Model •Delight customers in • Margin-enhancing, • Hard-to-copy ways
  • 14.
  • 15.
  • 16.
  • 17.
    Delight customers • Personalized •Instant delivery • Value • Easy • Selection • New releases • All devices • More original content • Download & playback • Multiple streams • 4K video and audio • Voice ID & control
  • 18.
    Margin-enhancing • Price &plan tests • Used disk sales • Advertising • Long-tail content
  • 19.
    Hard-to-copy • Brand • Networkeffects • Unique technology • Economies of scale • Switching costs Examples • “Movie enjoyment made easy” • Device virtuous cycle • Personalization • Content costs • Profiles
  • 20.
    Hypotheses • Personalization • Instant •Price & plans • Easy • Huge selection • Exclusives • Open APIs • Movie-finding tools • Cinematic/entertaining • Community (“Friends”)
  • 21.
    Results • Personalization • Instant •Price & plans • Easy • Selection • Exclusives >> Originals • Open APIs >> Device ecosystem • Movie-finding tools • Cinematic/entertaining • Community (“Friends”)
  • 22.
    Product Strategy • GLEe+ • DMH + • Tactics & Metrics
  • 23.
  • 24.
    Metric: Optimize retention againstcost Willing to spend up to $200 per saved customer
  • 25.
    Appendix Focus & phasing 1.Get big on DVDs 2. Lead downloading 3. Expand worldwide
  • 26.
    Product Strategy: • Personalized •Instant • Margin-enhancing • Easy Tactics: • Netflix Prize • 100 Hubs, streaming, device ecosystem • Price/plan tests • Progressive disclosure
  • 27.
    • Personalized • Instant •Margin-enhancing • Easy Metrics: • 25% of customers > 50 ratings @6 weeks • 95% disks < day; 10% watch > 15min/mo. • Gross margin, LTV • ?% cust > 3 titles in First Session Queue Product Strategy:
  • 28.
    Personalization Delights customers inhard-to-copy, margin- enhancing ways over three “chapters” of growth
  • 29.
    The secret toNetflix success: high- cadence failure” Gibson Biddle “
  • 30.
    2- Meeting Prep Strategyfor each swim lane
  • 31.
    Goals of quarterlymeeting Provide context through strategy Share and debate: • key results & learnings, and • future hypotheses Develop business maturity, and Determine level of investment.
  • 32.
    Netflix Swim lanes •Personalization • Merchandising • Search • DVD • Instant • TV • Community • Open APIs • Help/account • Non-member
  • 33.
    For each swimlane Key strategies Tactics, and Metrics
  • 35.
    2017 Non-member metrics Deliver30M WW members through increased: • Trials/Visits (2.1%) • Month One retention (94%) • Lifetime value ($180), and • Lower acquisition cost ($50) Data estimates for illustration only.
  • 36.
    Strategies • Brand &positioning • Price/plan/free trial • Personalization • Multi-platform • Open APIs • Social Tactics • Original content • 4K plan testing • Featured titles • Alexa launch • Universal search • Recommend to a friend
  • 37.
    Meeting prep Publish viaGoogle slides Articulate overall strategy + pod strategy/tactics/metrics Describe results, learning & future hypotheses Data & design rich
  • 38.
  • 39.
    Rules of engagement AskQ’s, form opinion, debate NOT a decision-making meeting CEO-level communication
  • 40.
  • 41.
    End of freetrial reminder
  • 43.
    Hypothesis “Your free trialis almost over” reminder will: - Decrease Month 1 retention, - Decrease LTV, BUT also: + Improve CS call rate, and + In LT, Increase T/V & “starts”
  • 44.
    Results • M1 Retentiondrops from 94% to 89% • M2 Retention > Control • LTV drops: $181 to $177 • Estimated annual loss: $40M • CS savings: $5M • Brand & long-term effects?
  • 45.
    Data estimates forillustrative only
  • 46.
    Discussion & debate •Launch, or not? Result • Launched to all • Positive WOM and brand effect • Customer more likely to restart • Revenue shift not loss? • Possible long-term gain?
  • 47.
    Good meeting likea movie Well-defined script Strong prep & engagement Drama: • Success, failure & diving catches • Debate, decide, & do Denouement: Beer & NPS survey
  • 48.
    The meeting =culture mechanism Highly aligned, loosely coupled Candor Customer, business & data-focused Fast-paced learning to develop business maturity
  • 49.
    1.Define the overallproduct strat, metrics & tactics 2.Repeat for all of your swim lanes, then 3.Execute your first quarterly prod start meeting 4.Keep getting better Next Steps for You
  • 50.
    If you wantto build a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery The Little Prince “
  • 51.
  • 52.
    Resources www.gibsonbiddle.com for videos "Howto Run a Product Strat Meeting" Follow me on LinkedIn Follow @gibsonbiddle on Twitter gbiddle616@gmail.com
  • 53.
    Feedback “Feedback is the breakfastof champions.” Ken Blanchard
  • 54.
    Jan. 18 NYC“Product Leader Summit” Apply at: www.productleadersummit.com 80-100 CEOs, CPO’s, VP, and Director-level product leaders