Grey Group’s Michael Knox delivers a ‘story about storytelling or how Netflix is killing him’

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073025b.jpg By Michael Knox, chief creative officer, Grey Group Australia and managing partner, Grey Group Melbourne, exclusively for CB.

At lunch last Sunday, my wife turned to me and said, ‘I don’t know if I can stay married to a man who doesn’t watch House of Cards.’

Catch up or get out is the message. Maybe it’s just me but there doesn’t seem enough time to keep up with television.

It’s now at the point where I’ll just make up stuff to sound like I’m watching everything.

Recently I was found out. I tried arguing that Washington’s power couple the Carters were based on music’s mega duo JayBey.

Of course I had no idea what I was talking about. I’m way too busy speculating about how they’ll see off Don Draper to even understand what’s happening to the storm born mother of dragons from the great grass sea.

Yes, I tried Dare Devil too because my son told me I’d love it. That and ‘The Returned’. It was suggested I not bother with the American version and just go straight for the French. Then there’s The Walking Dead which is on a hard fought break. I’m certainly glad I did Breaking Bad while it was current because if I had to worry about catching up on that one – I’d get nothing else done. Saul and I failed to connect though. Made it to episode 4 but unlike True Detective, it just didn’t move fast enough for me. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Martin and Rust but cheered loudly when Billy Bob picked up the Globe. I hear they’ll all be back soon, well not all of them but a prequel to Fargo is in the can and eagerly trying to find a gap in the crowded programming.

Everyone loves a prequel although I do wish they’d stage a sequel to Mad Men. I want see Meredith go on to explore her interior design dreams.

What does any of this have to do with advertising?

Everything. These story lines are our newest competition.

These TV characters occupy the same place we’d like our brands and products to occupy. They’re warming the hearts, selling the dreams and have more moves than Megan Draper at an awkward surprise party. These shows have become both our motivation and our enemy and as Netflix talks about investing $10.5billion into ‘content’, I blush every time we use the same word.  They can teach us a lot about selling. 

The importance of a plot twist, the value in character consistency, being brave enough to murder your Oberyns and distribute your product efficiently and affordably onto as many screens at a reasonable price. Anyway, I’m off to Washington.