Taking a lesson from...Netflix?

In the past couple of years, the latest addiction that so many of us have faced has been our love for instant television streaming. We binge watch our favorite shows, and countdown to when new seasons are released. Whether it’s a nice break from reality, or a way to wind down at the end of the day, Netflix is there for us, always. But what if there was a way to take our love of Netflix, and turn it into something useful? A way we could learn about global issues, industry secrets and the way that our society is changing? All these topics, among many more, are shared in various documentaries on Netflix. I’ve picked a few of the most popular ones to share.

1. Fed Up: It’s no secret that obesity has been a growing issue in the United States. And as our waistlines grow, so do our desires to be healthy and skinny. In this eye-opening documentary, Katie Couric exposes many secrets within the food industry that are keeping America fat. In one shocking segment, she shares that pizza and French fries are considered vegetables in school lunches.
2. Living on One Dollar: In this documentary, four recent college graduates set out on an eight week adventure in Guatemala, where they plan to live on just one dollar a day. They experience extreme poverty and the struggles it brings. More importantly, they learn about the strong community ties that exist in these parts of the world that helped to keep them alive.
3. Blackfish: In this documentary, many of the secrets of Sea World’s past are revealed as former Sea World employees share their experiences in working with killer whales. This documentary gained the most media coverage following its premiere, and served as a catalyst towards change for animal rights.

Maybe after the next season you finish, you can scroll the documentaries section of Netflix and take a look at what it has to offer. You could find yourself learning about a scientific phenomenon, an unexplained occurrence in history, or even the secrets behind what actually feeds our country.

This guest blog post was written by PRowl staff member Christina Clemence

A Year's Review in Crisis Communications

As 2011 quickly comes to a close, I realize I have written several blog posts this year concerning Crisis PR. To wrap-up the semester, I'd like to include a short recap of some of the more popular cases that have affected how we all see crisis communications today.

• Netflix: When they split their business, there was a lack of communication to their consumers when this split also came with increased prices. They also chose to make their announcements via blog post as opposed to coming right out and saying it.
  
• Bank of America: As if people didn't have enough issues with their banks, Bank of America customers were extremely unhappy when the bank made them pay $5 to take out their own money.
  
• Penn State: While I could write a short book about everything to do with this scandal, overall Penn State did not confirm their message to the public internally, and it didn't help that when beloved Football Head Coach, Joe Paterno was fired, students on campus rioted and decided to ignore the fact that he never called the police concerning allegations against Jerry Sandusky. While THEY ARE Penn State, it will take some time for their reputation to heal.
  
• Herman Cain: With various sexual allegations, he never clearly addressed them and would tiptoe around questions concerning the issue. The truth was never told and the story never went away, much to Cain's dismay and ultimately his chance to be a Presidential candidate.
  

Which of these Crisis PR cases did you follow? What would you do differently?

To read more about the biggest Crisis PR blunders of the year, click here.

Netflix Revisited

When I first posted "Dear Netflix:" back in July, it was only the beginning of their branding and customer relations woes.

Last month, in an effort to make a clean break from their streaming service, Netflix announced that they were going to rebrand their DVD service into 'Qwikster'. Qwikster would work the same as Netflix, except with a separate bill, rating system, and movie selection. Wrong. Netflix users took to Twitter to voice their dismay:

Next time Netflix wants to make a rash, impulsive decision, maybe they should just buy a puppy or get a tattoo. #RIPQwikster

Dear Netflix, thanks for my very informing letter that I never saw coming. Qwikster a bad idea? And you're sorry!? Keep up the great work.

This is all stemming from Netflix's decision to separate their bundled DVD and streaming service in July, effectively causing a 60% price increase for customers who wanted both DVD and streaming features.

On October 11th, Netflix retracted their Qwikster plans, announcing on their blog that they would resume their DVD-by-mail service under the Netflix name. However, the damage was done, Netflix had made the mistake of overcomplicating what customer's have always loved the most with Netflix, their ease-of-use and simplicity.

Have you continued your service with Netflix? Why or why not? What do you think of the Qwikster retraction? Let us know!