Why Netflix Spain Staged an Identity Crisis

A push from Netflix Spain devised by David Madrid taps into the identity crisis many of us face when the app poses its opening question: "Who's watching?"

This simple yet vexing query propels the protagonist in "Who's Watching?"—a woman named Norma—on a journey of self-exploration. She tries to decide if she is the Norma who likes to watch Hungarian cinema, or the Norma who enjoys shows about hot cheating couples.

Soon, Norma's partner doesn’t know who she is anymore, and she seeks help from a doctor, who prescribes a marathon of The Crown and a small dose of Elite before bed.

It's not enough to soothe our tortured heroine.

During a wild bus ride, Norma encounters various versions of herself offering recommendations: Money Heist, Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Alpha Males and Squid Games. Ultimately, she winds up at a group therapy session ... but can't even fill out her name-tag.

The group leader encourages Norma to embrace all of her selves, including—and here's the kicker—the one who likes Emily in Paris. (Bravo to Netflix for having a sense of humor!)

"From the beginning, we set ourselves the challenge of finding something different and memorable for the category, just as we did with Confusing Times and plant-based or with parents in our latest IKEA campaign," says Pancho Cassis, partner and global CCO at David. 

"That's why we put the most effort into finding a human truth and centering it around the product," he continues. "And that's how we end up finding Norma, a normal woman who suffers internal struggles every time she turns on Netflix and reads the famous question 'Who are you?' "

The agency hired Juan Cabral, the legendary MJZ-repped director known for Cadbury’s "Gorilla" and Sony's "Balls," for "Who’s Watching?"

"Juan Cabral is not only a great director, but he's also possibly one of the best creatives that this industry has ever had. And we knew, from previous experiences with him, that he was the right person to bring our idea to life," Cassis says. "A lot of what you see on screen is only possible because of how deep he went into the character struggles and how relatable he made everything feel."

Cabral enlisted DP Javier Juliá, whose credits include Argentina 1985 and Wild Tales, to create a cinematic spot. Elevated production values were a must.

"When you have to create a brand campaign to the world's best content platform, you cannot fall short on storytelling and craft," says Saulo Rocha, agency CCO. "That was always the goal, to come up with something that could be as stunning and captivating as what you can find in Netflix. And the story of Norma, a regular person whose contradictions are perfectly represented by Netflix's wide range of genres, was a great inspiration for us to play with photography and art direction, to have her alternating over different looks and feels: noir, VHS, anamorphic, HD, etc."

"Who’s Watching?" was shot in Buenos Aires, and twin actors portray Norma.

"They were perfect for the job because besides delivering great performance, they also allowed to rely less on post production and much more on real interactions," Rocha says. "That was part of Juan Cabral's vision, and it represented an even bigger challenge when casting for the main role."

Editor Emiliano Fardaus cut the spot, which clocks in at 1:20. "Editing was a long process because we were looking for ways to tell a story that looked like anything but traditional advertising—something that could represent Norma's state of mind, that could take us through the complex puzzle that she’s become," Rocha says. "And that’s how we got to this weirdly unique pace."

CREDITS

Agency: David Madrid
Global CCO & Partner: Pancho Cassis  
Global COO: Sylvia Panico 
Chief Creative Officer: Saulo Rocha 
Managing Director: María García Herranz 
Creative Director: Jose Sancho 
Copywriter: Mario Carrillo, Jaime Ludeña, Agustín Aiassa 
Art Director: Andrea García, Julián Tedesco 
Head of Production: Alejandro Falduti 
Production Assistant: Amor Vidiella 
Head of Account: Lucila Mengide 
Account Director: Adriana González Cid 
Account Executive: Jesús Merino 
Head of Strategy: Daniela Bombonato 
Strategy Director: Gabriella Teixeira 
Strategist: Maru Gougy 
Global PR Director: Sandra Azedo 

Client: Netflix Spain  
Susana Pastor: Manager, Marketing Series 
Alexandra Martin: Marketing Production Manager 
Ander Echezarreta: Title Marketing Director  
Manuel Román: Senior Marketing Director 

Film Production: MJZ 
Director: Juan Cabral 
Executive producer MJZ: Lindsay Turnham 
Executive producer Labhouse: Flora Fernández Marengo 
Producer: Nicolás Abelovich 
DOP: Javier Juliá 
Production Manager: Pat Rzeznik 
Art Director: Charly Carnota
Wardrobe Stylist: Sol Montalvo
Makeup & Hair: Laura Delbosco 

Post
Editor: Emiliano Fardaus 
VFX: Rojo Studio
Color Grading: Alejandra Lescano 
Music: Fede Cabral 
Sound Design: Bamba Music 
Dubbing Spanish & English: Pickle Studio 
VFX Sup: Jonathan Monroig  
VFX Coordinator: Ariadna Ortiz 
Conform & Deliveries: Isla Post House 
Post Sup: Julieta Fernández Castagnino 
Music Company and Publisher: Pickle Music
Final Mix: Pickle Music 
Sound Engineer: Agustín Sebastián, Pickle Music 
Talent Recording: Jacinto González, Pickle Music 
Producer: Ana Ortiz Wienken, Pickle Music 
Executive Producer: Olivia López, Pickle Music