Grey’s Anatomy is “soapy” and “emotional”. Emily in Paris is “campy” and “quirky”. Our Planet II is “relaxing” and “captivating,” while Gravity is “suspenseful” and “visually striking.”
Words such as these — displayed near the synopsis and movie-poster-style tile for each one of the thousands of titles on Netflix — appear to be scooped out of a grab bag. In fact, they are a critical tool to induce viewers to click play, and a key to Netflix’s dominance.
Julia Alexander, the director of strategy at the research firm Parrot Analytics, said the tags probably worked on a subtle level. As potential viewers, “when we see the term ‘gritty’ or we see the term ‘cerebral,’ we understand intrinsically what that means,” she said.
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