MUBI: Research and Idea generation

When speaking about this project to other people it was noticeable that they didn't know about MUBI or they knew it was something similar to Netflix. Personally, I haven't seen much information about this platform around. I only knew about it because PS3 OS downloaded it automatically. An advertising campaign is necessary to let audiences know about what MUBI has to offer in comparison to other streaming platforms.

There are several key points that need to be considered when designing this.

The brief makes very clear that finding a movie one actually want to watch can take time, and algorithms used in other platforms are not the solution. Having access to a great amount of content is great and all, but there's a downside that is normally over viewed or obviated, which is the time we actually spend looking for new content. In the end, it's not about having loads of movies to watch, it's about having those recommended by people who have watched many of them. It's not new that a person watches something from a recommendation of someone else, and the content in MUBI is specifically made out of recommendations, chosen by curators, people with opinions. Algorithms don't have opinions.

The content is for people with general and cultural ambitions, not for those looking to watch something like a zombie.

There are always 30 films. Everyday one replaces the oldest, so each month all the films are new. They don't want users to waste time looking for new content. They don't offer infinite hours of entertainment, that's not practical since time is limited. This also allows surprises to happen, where new discoveries are allowed to emerge onto the surface, like a breeze of fresh air.

Ideas for the concept:

De auteur style: Irregular shapes with personality, vibrant typeface, human approach

Gamechanging style: It's-over-we-are-here attitude, epic/humorous tone of voice, less is more (scrolling is time consuming), minimalist, efficient

Artistic: High quality independent films, artistic motivations, audience focused on fresh art and non-mainstream content

30/30 ephemerality: Text becoming smoke. A you-have-to-be-there-not-to-miss-it feeling. "I could tell you about it, but it's not the same", you missed it!

Needle in a haystack: Focuses on how negative scrolling is.

Algorithm - Just because you picked hay, algorithms give you more of it. Giving you more hay is kind of rude in your task of finding the needle. A person understands this, and wouldn't do this to you. An expert in needles would give you the best needles to choose from.  30 needles without hay. Spend your time watching films, not browsing them. "What's the point in giving you more hay when you want the needle".

No more looking into the haystack. If you enjoy finding needles in haystacks, stop reading. "Switch and watch". Let the best professionals suggest you movies to watch. A user profile lost in an algorithm, sentenced to suffer shallow suggestions.

Visual examples of similar advertising campaigns: