Netflix Case Study: Strategic Management, Organizational Change, & More

What is your favorite Netflix show?
Netflix, Inc. is the most popular streaming service in the world. Even if you are not a huge fan, you have definitely seen at least one movie or series made by Netflix.
Read this article to find a perfect topic for your Netflix case study and learn how to write it using our samples. Let’s start!

🐣 5 Netflix Facts Most People Don’t Know

Here is some surprising but must-know information about Netflix:

• Netflix was founded in 1997. At the time, the company offered a subscription for renting DVDs. The clients made online orders for movies and received them via mail with prepaid return envelopes.
• House of Cards was the first Netflix original series. The content was produced exclusively for Netflix. Later, original pieces became the main focus of Netflix’s production.
• The service has 222 million subscribers. 66% of them are located outside the United States and Canada. It makes Netflix the world leader in the streaming industry.
• Netflix spent 18 billion dollars on content in 2021. The budget for movies and series already seems enormous. But Netflix aims to double or triple it in the long term.
• There are employers whose job is to watch content. Taggers watch from three to eight movies or series a week. Their task is to improve Netflix’s recommendation system using tags.

👍 Best Netflix Case Study Topics

Wondering where to start? We have prepared a list of case study topics for you to start researching!

• Netflix business model.
• Netflix stock price decrease in 2022.
• Netflix SWOT analysis.
• Financial analysis 2020/2021/2022.
• Competitive environment.
• Strategic analysis.
• PR strategies.
• Merchandising.
• The corporate culture of Netflix.
• Sustainability strategies.
• Netflix’s production analysis.
• Netflix & big data.
• Growth and development strategies.
• Squid Game success analysis.
• Netflix cybersecurity and users’ privacy.
• Recruitment strategies.
• Netflix’s environmental impact.
• Netflix Vs. Disney+ comparative analysis.

👓 Netflix Case Study Strategic Management – Idea #1

Strategic management is a set of measures implemented to achieve a company’s goals and maintain stakeholders’ interests. Here are some topic ideas for your research paper:

1. Netflix’s business strategies at the early stages
   The company started selling subscriptions to DVDs and delivering them to the customers. Discuss the strategies Netflix used to be competitive and successful.
2. Netflix’s business model
   Discuss how the company manages to combine existing movies and series with original content. You can also write about the investments made in recent years and their results.
3. Netflix’s brand management
   Describe how the company presents itself to the customers, in the corporate world, and for the prospective employees.
4. Netflix and market competition
   Netflix’s main competitors are Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Disney, and cable TV providers. Define the strategies Netflix uses and the challenges it faces.
5. Netflix’s internal and external environment
   Discuss the factors that influence the company and the role they play. Explain how Netflix reacts or changes its environment and what instruments it uses.

🏬 Netflix Organizational Change – a Case Study #2

As technologies have evolved, Netflix needed to implement changes to transform the company to an online format and stay on the market. Take a look at some case study ideas:

1. Netflix’s switch to DVD rental
   The company used to sell and rent out DVDs. When such giant corporations as Walmart and Best Buy became Netflix’s competitors, Netflix decided to work only as a rental.
2. Netflix’s switch to a subscription service
   Netflix made its first transformation when it started charging a monthly subscription for DVDs. The company’s clients used to pay for each DVD separately before.
3. Netflix entering the streaming era
   Being a successful rental company, Netflix decided to start streaming the content it offered. They began to stream a selection of movies on PCs and then expanded their library and device options.
4. Netflix’s original content production
   In 2013, Netflix released House of Cards, its first original series. Since then, the company has continued to invest in production and distribution simultaneously.
5. Netflix’s internal organizational transformation
   As Netflix changed the way it operates so many times and expanded, it needed additional human resources and restructuring. Study how Netflix developed its IT sector, international offices, and organizational structure.

🍰 Netflix Marketing Case Study – Idea #3

In 2021, Netflix spent 2.55 billion dollars on marketing. As the company pays so much attention to marketing, it’s definitely a promising field for research:

1. Netflix’s marketing strategies
   Netflix uses a lot of humor and communication with customers. Discuss the social media, advertising, email marketing, and other instruments the company works with.
2. Netflix’s marketing mix
   Describe Netflix’s price, place, product, and promotion. You can highlight its strong and weak sides or compare it with other streaming services.
3. Netflix’s market segmentation
   Research the audience Netflix targets to maximize the revenue. Discuss how the steaming service adapts its content and communication strategies to the market segments.
4. Netflix PR campaigns
   Discuss Netflix’s PR campaigns, their goals, budgets, and results. For example, how the spoiler posters and billboards encouraged its customers to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
5. Netflix’s remarketing strategies
   Write about Netflix’s approaches to communication with its audience. It can include implementing YouTube features, push notifications and emails, and a suggestion system.

💻 Netflix Vs. Amazon Prime Case Study – Idea #4

Netflix and Amazon Prime are the most popular streaming services in the United States. Let’s take a look at the ways to compare them:

1. Pricing strategies comparison
   You can discuss each company’s subscription plans and the value each of them has. Also, you can write about discounts, promotions, or corporate usage of the services.
2. Original content comparison
   Analyze the investments, the quantity and quality of the content, and the number of people involved in production. Compare the success of the content: views, nominations, awards, Metacritic or IMDB scores, etc.
3. User experience comparison
   Describe how comfortable the services are and the types of content they provide. Analyze why customers prefer using these streaming services.
4. Technological features comparison
   Define the differences between the functions of Netflix and Amazon Prime. You can compare video and audio quality, additional services, and recommendations.
5. Amazon Prime’s advantages and disadvantages
   Evaluate the streaming service using SWOT, the 5 Forces, PESTLE, critical success factor analysis, or scenario planning. Make conclusions about Amazon Prime’s competitiveness in the market.

🤔 Netflix Strategy in 2018 Case Study – Idea #5

What is so special about 2018 for Netflix? Here are the key changes and research areas for you:

1. Show cancellation policies
   Marvel shows moved from Netflix to the new Disney’s own streaming service. Netflix original shows, including Seven Seconds, The Good Cop, and Everything Sucks, were canceled after one season.
2. Reality and talk shows
   In 2018, Netflix invested in numerous culinary shows, soap operas, and nature, hunting, fishing, and racing programs. However, the talk show efforts were not so successful.
3. International shows
   Foreign shows like Narcos and Elite became as popular in the US as American content in 2018. At the same time, Netflix’s American shows gained an audience in Europe and Asia.
4. Feature film production
   Netflix released Roma in 2018. The movie received 10 Oskar nominations and won 3 of them. Such movies as Bird Box, The Other Side of the Wind, and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs also received positive reviews.
5. Netflix’s 2018 financial statement analysis
   Download and examine Netflix’s 2018 annual report. Using the metrics presented in the report, analyze how successful the financial year was. You can compare the information with the previous years or other companies to see the whole picture.

🌐 Netflix International Expansion Case Study – Idea #6

Netflix made a huge leap evolving from a DVD rental to a leading streaming platform. Its international expansion plays a significant role in the company’s prosperity.

1. 2010 expansion to Canada
   It was Netflix’s first market outside the United States. In 4 years, a third of the Canadian English-speaking population became Netflix users.
2. Expansion to Latin and Central America in 2011
   Discuss the financial results of the expansion and the difficulties Netflix encountered in some countries. Define the mistakes and the right decisions.
3. Netflix’s expansion to the European market
   You can divide this process into three stages according to timing. Another option is to describe how Netflix provided streaming services and started producing original content in Europe.
4. Netflix expansion to India and China
   Explain how Netflix conquered the Asian market, its main achievements, and the difficulties it encountered. Discuss the details of the deal with China and the market’s peculiarities.
5. Netflix expansion: the main challenges worldwide
   You can discuss the company’s division in 2011, which decreased its stock price. There are also several political controversies the company has faced.

🤝 Netflix Crisis Management – Case Study idea #7

As a famous company, Netflix has to deal with many difficulties and threats. Crisis management helps to solve problems and minimize harm.

1. Netflix crisis management tools
   Describe how Dispatch works, the crisis management network used in Netflix. Write about the tools Dispatch incorporates, their functions, and their efficiency.
2. Netflix’s reaction to scandals
   The company has caused many controversies and discussions in society. One of them is the boycott of the “13 Reasons Why” show or the Kevin Spacey scandal.
3. Netflix’s reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic
   Discuss how Netflix reacted to the global pandemic. Define the strategies the company used to attract new subscribers.
4. Negative reaction to a subscription price increase
   Netflix raised its prices several times simultaneously by cutting the number of titles or replacing them with original content. Making the service more expensive and less diverse led to millions of lost subscribers.
5. Netflix during the 2008 crisis
   Explain the influence of the global financial crisis on the company and the industry. Write about the decisions Netflix implemented to survive during the recession.

🌟 More Amazing Netflix Case Study Ideas

1. Artificial intelligence in Netflix’s recommendation systems.
2. Netflix, Inc.: the most successful shows.
3. Netflix vs. Blockbuster: competitive advantages.
4. Netflix marketing mix in the US and Europe comparison.
5. Netflix expansion prospects in developing countries.
6. Consumer journey map of Netflix users.
7. Netflix’s market share in the film production industry.
8. Netflix’s video streaming service market: competition analysis.
9. Netflix’s investments in original programming development.
10. The impact of Netflix on modern pop culture.
11. Business model comparison: Netflix and cable TV providers.
12. How Netflix content promotes inclusivity and equality?
13. Netflix’s legal agreements with content providers.
14. Netflix, Inc.: an overview of the variety of content in different countries.
15. Netflix participation in charity initiatives and funds.
16. Innovations made by Netflix in the film entertainment industry.
17. Netflix’s video game development: progress analysis.
18. Accessibility of Netflix’s content: website and applications.
19. Netflix’s answers to criticism on social media.
20. Netflix’s branding strategy evolution and rebranding.
21. Cultural diversity in the United States: Netflix perspective.
22. Netflix’s most successful original feature films.
23. The role of Netflix in the world entertainment industry.
24. Netflix Inc. in France: solution to the cultural conflict.
25. Analysis of Netflix’s strategic decisions in 2021.
26. Analysis of Netflix’s social media marketing techniques.
27. Netflix’s price per share fluctuation analysis.
28. Netflix’s advertising strategies in Arab countries.
29. Organization of human resource management in Netflix.
30. Comparative Analysis: Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, and Hulu.

🔗 References

1. Netflix: Founders, History, Shows, & Facts – Britannica
2. Streaming’s Dirty Secret
3. Netflix Made 9 Big Changes, and Most Subscribers Now Have No Idea | Inc.com
4. The Complete Guide to Netflix’s Marketing Strategies | Better Marketing
5. Netflix vs. Amazon Prime Video | Digital Trends