Mackey

This week, I enjoyed exploring Robert Mackey’s blog “The Lede,” after hearing him speak in class. I find his writing style to be catchy and personable, while also being informative and professional. One of my favorite articles this week was “Netflix Fans at Media Event Were Actors.” This was a piece about Netflix hiring paid actors to act like super excited consumers during the launch of Netflix in Canada. Steve Swasey, a corporate communications executive, put out a statement that actors were not in fact asked to speak with the media, but only to act in a corporate video for Netflix. This proved to be a lie because Mackey displayed a sheet of specific instructions given to the Netflix actors telling them exactly how to act. This article caught my attention because I am a media major, and I wonder if this could impact Netflix as a company? It is not so much the fact that the actors were paid to appear as normal customers who just happened to be elated, but rather that a Netflix rep blatantly lied about the situation. Mackey’s article presented this interesting situation in a style and format that was very relatable, including an image of the actors’ directions. His piece was also not too drawn out, considering the importance of the article. This blog post proves to me that Mackey can get the point across in a poignant yet playful manner.

Until next time!

Mackey's blog post: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/netflix-fans-at-media-event-were-actors/

Netflix's apology: http://blog.netflix.com/2010/09/we-blew-it.html