Fandom Over Funnels: Marian Lee of Netflix on Culture-Led Brand Growth

Episode notes

This week on Adspeak by ADWEEK , host Rebecca Stewart speaks with Netflix CMO Marian Lee about building culture-first marketing that fuels fandom and organic conversation. From flexible campaign planning to live events and immersive brand experiences, Lee shares how Netflix balances authentic partnerships, IP protection, and ad-supported growth, positioning the brand as a cultural force, not just a streaming platform. What You'll Learn: How to build a marketing strategy around culture, not campaigns The "Flexibility-First" marketing framework Why authentic brand partnerships require custodianship of storytelling How to translate digital fandom into measurable real-world experiences The dual-role advantage: buying media as a marketer teaches you how to sell it How to develop appointment viewing behavior for streaming platforms About the Guest: Marian Lee is Chief Marketing Officer at Netflix, appointed in 2022 after serving as VP of UCAN Marketing. She leads a global team driving culture-shaping campaigns that connect audiences worldwide. Previously, she was VP & Co-Head of Music at Spotify, spearheading artist marketing and partnerships.