Problem
Subscription-based video on demand service HBO Max wanted a scalable, marketer-friendly customer engagement platform that could help them personalize messages to each user in Latin America.
CASE STUDY
HBO Max Creates Personalized Campaigns for Super Fans in Latin America with In-App Message Surveys from Braze
15%
Increase in engagement and churn reduction
Strategy
Leveraging in-app message (IAM) surveys and follow-up messaging from Braze, HBO Max targeted highly passionate fan bases in three of their content offerings to collect zero-party data and better tailor experiences for their users.
Results
By using Braze IAMs to support their data-driven growth strategy in Latin America, HBO Max saw 35% to 50% survey participation across Harry Potter, Champions League, and DC Comics fans with a 40% lift in CRM comms performance, and a 15% overall lift in engagement and churn prevention.
Launched in Latin America in June 2021, Warner Bros. Discovery’s subscription-based video on demand service HBO Max offers a variety of top-quality content for all audiences across several genres and formats, delivering the greatest array of series, movies, and specials for audiences from the iconic brands of HBO, Warner Bros. and DC, as well as Max Originals, blockbuster films, and kids and family content. Showcasing both international and local creators, the platform provides customers with a diverse catalog of scripted films/series and unscripted documentaries and reality shows, including music specials, as well as live events, such as sporting events, in key markets.
With an ambitious roadmap and plans to produce 100 local originals in Latin America by 2023, HBO Max needed a local customer engagement strategy that could scale with its growth as well as tap into the data being collected from its subscribers to better serve them with a personalized user experience.
Leveraging User Data to Create Tailored Experiences
Prior to Braze, HBO Max set out to find a customer engagement solution that would help them achieve their engagement and retention goals while properly managing the relationship with their customer throughout their lifecycle. They also needed a robust solution to create the automated user journeys that have been a key factor as they’ve scaled their CRM programs.
They also had a few key goals:
Consolidate user journeys to better acquire, retain, and monetize subscribers.
Drive value to users in order to increase engagement and reduce churn.
Create brilliant experiences for users to make sure users embrace their fandom and become advocates for the brand.
Integrate solutions that allow for scalable, automated, and intelligent tactics.
Expand their data collection strategy to combine first-party data with zero-party data by implementing surveys to help users self-identify according to their interests.
Tailoring Experiences for Fans to Drive Higher Engagement
HBO Max set out to create custom segments based on users’ survey responses in the region, with the hypothesis that collecting and taking action on this zero-party data would drive customer satisfaction and increase engagement. In Braze, HBO Max created Simple Survey in-app messages (IAM) targeted at three highly passionate fan bases in Latin America: DC Comics, Harry Potter, and Champions League Soccer.
To increase interest and drive engagement for the streaming premieres of The Batman and Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, the HBO Max team in Latin America warmed up the fan bases from these two worlds, DC Comics and the Wizarding World, respectively, with Simple Survey IAMs asking users questions such as who was their favorite DC superhero, or which house in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was their favorite. Users who responded received a push notification from Braze recommending specific titles tailored to their responses, and were sent dedicated messaging and recommendations based on their past and predicted behaviors thereafter.
Finally, for Champions League soccer, viewers were sent a Simple Survey IAM asking who their favorite players and teams were. The data gathered from these strategies allowed HBO Max to fine-tune the content and frequency of their communications based upon the players and teams that viewers selected. Users in Latin America could expect personalized messaging about their favorite players and teams depending upon when they were playing.
“Having Braze as a partner has been instrumental for the success of our retention efforts. Operating on a reliable customer engagement tool has allowed us to focus on bringing the best content to our customers as well as being able to recommend users content based on their past and future predicted behaviors. We’re now better positioned to scale personalized experiences since adopting the platform.”
Leonardo Bittan
VP of Lifecycle Management and Customer Experience at HBO Max, Latin America
HBO Max Results: Higher Engagement and Lower Churn
By better segmenting their messaging, HBO Max saw participation rates of 35% to 50% in Latin America with their Simple Survey IAM powered by Braze. These initiatives helped drive 40% lift in CRM comms performance, a 15% lift in engagement, as well as a 15% decrease in user churn.
Best of all, they’ve empowered their marketers to create data-driven experiences for their subscribers that feel personalized, which improves their user experience and drives higher retention.
35-50%
Survey participation
40%
Increase in CRM comms performance
15%
Increase in engagement and churn prevention
Key Takeaways
Collecting zero-party data from passionate consumers is easy with Simple Survey in-app messages from Braze.
Harnessing and understanding user data can help brands create automated, personalized experiences at scale.
Creating user journeys around personalization and better audience segmentation increases brand loyalty and helps retain subscribers long-term.