• by Mike Bloxham , Op-Ed Contributor, July 12, 2018

Every year, YouGov ranks a brand’s health according to moms. In 2018, Netflix leads the pack, ranking above Band-Aid, Amazon and Dawn, among other popular brands.

The “health” score is an average of metrics, such as impression, value and quality.

It's notable that Amazon ranked third in the survey, indicating that the factors that put Netflix at the top are not exclusive to that brand. Instead, they are broadly applicable to others in the same space. (In Amazon’s case, the brand equity is informed by more than the streaming video side of the business.)

So why are moms  — defined in general terms —  loving Netflix — and Amazon — so much? 

The triple whammy of utility, value for money and the emotional payoff of content that resonates with viewers has a big impact. Any brand that offers a sense of control, is friction-less and pays off emotionally will carry them into the stratosphere of "most-loved" brands. 

It's a status may aspire but few will ever achieve. Netflix is perceived to deliver all of these in over-drive.

Subscribers see Netflix delivering strongly on both utility and a sense of control in that it enables people to choose which shows to watch and when. After all, time-starved moms are necessarily all about convenience.

For example, ample research has shown for years that time-shifted prime time shows are creating major competition for day-time viewers. Women, in particular, take advantage of whatever "me-time" they can carve out of the day to binge watch their favorite shows.

Taking advantage of this from a viewing perspective is seen as being easy and basically friction-free — it becomes habitual and highly valued.

On the whole, Netflix — along with the other streaming services — is also perceived to be good value for money, especially against the backdrop of the cost of cable. Even better, there are different price tiers consumers can select, making it easier to equate perceptions of value with affordability, which is another very real dimension of personalization. 

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the emotional pay-off of hunkering down and indulging in a few episodes of favorite shows at a time of one's choosing cannot be underestimated.

Especially for moms who don’t get much free time, the satisfaction of having the uninterrupted time to themselves is unparalleled. The freedom from a prescribed viewing schedule, multiplied by the emotional power of programming that moves us to watch season after season, cannot be underestimated.

So it's no surprise that moms are ranking Netflix so highly.

Think about it. What CPG brand wouldn't kill to have the same emotional affinity with its customers as a hit TV show does with its fans?