Sundance Now

The best in independent film.

SUMMARY

Drove the user acquisition and marketing strategy for Sundance Now, AMC Network’s documentary streaming service. Converted tens of thousands of new subscribers through unique, outside-the-box marketing campaigns with a CPA low of $14.

THE MISSION

In 2015, AMC Networks partnered with DramaFever to launch a streaming service called SundanceNow, dedicated to the world’s best documentaries. As Channel Manager, it was my job to represent the voice of the customer and grow the subscriber base.

CUSTOMER ACQUISITION

My biggest focus was leading user acquisition and conversion strategy. While I managed traditional digital acquisition channels like Facebook ads, Google Adwords and Youtube, I also found more unique ways to reach and acquire new customers, including:

Street Teams

I built a network of over 100 brand ambassadors to sign new users up at theaters and festivals across the country, and brought on rockstar managers like Deanna Nokes and Nathan Scott Hancock to hire and train team members. In many locations, these initiatives yielded a shockingly low $14 cost per acquisition (CPA) including all-in expenses. I first piloted the program as an experiment at the IFC Center, and soon expanded the program to over a dozen cities.

Podcast Advertorial

Outside of film and TV, I pursued alternative channels where our target audience was consuming thought-provoking content. Our audience loved podcasts, especiallyThis American Life, hosted by Ira Glass. But it wasn’t enough to just buy ads on the podcast — we wanted authenticity. I worked with Ira to create a SundanceNow Ira Glass Favorites collection so he could genuinely recommend his favorite docs to his listeners. The campaign was a smashing success, driving thousands of free trials at the insanely low price of $12 CPA.

Celebrity Curation

I partnered with a number of culture icons to bring their unique voices and perspectives to SundanceNow, including Anthony Bourdain, Susan Sarandon, Dan Savage, Danny Glover, Ira Glass and Alex Gibney. Check out the hilarious segment we filmed with Sep 2015 curators Bill Hader & Fred Armisen for Buzzfeed:

Multivariant Testing & Optimization

To optimize conversion funnels, I regularly ran A/B and multivariant testing.

In one example, I’d noticed that only 20% of free trial signups from the homepage opted in for an annual plan, the option which led to less churn and more retention. I worked with our designers to craft a new positioning of the offer, suggesting we:

• make the annual plan bigger

• replace annual with an image of a gold-tinted film festival crowd to indicate a premium, upscale community

• change “subscription” to “membership” to drive home the community offering

This change alone increased user signups for annual plans from 20% to 40% in less than a month.

KUDOS

Product • Rob Kamphausen
Engineering • Ryan Cochrane • Yash Prabhu • Joshua Auriemma • Eric Sun
Marketing • Dan Acton • Lydia Ding • Deanna Nokes • Nathan Scott Hancock
Content • Jacqueline Sia
Business • Linda Pan