Bozacolypse Now!
Netflix and its splashy CMO crash to earth
By Richard Rushfield
To start with an aside. People ask some days about the name of The Ankler, since the term has fallen into disuse.
Here's the official definition from the glossary of Variety ye olde trade speak:
ankle — A classic (and enduring) Variety term meaning to quit or be dismissed from a job, without necessarily specifying which; instead, it suggests walking; “Alan Smithee has ankled his post as production prexy at U.”
Which is to say, the term you use when its not clear if they were fired or they quit.
Here's a real life way to imply “ankle” in a sentence:
“I’ve loved working with Boz and have been inspired by her creativity and energy,” Sarandos (allegedly) wrote in an email to staff. “She has attracted world class marketers to the company and encouraged them to be innovative leaders. We are grateful for her contributions and we wish her the best.”
On the occasion of the departure of Netflix's signature $4 million a year CMO, Bozoma Saint John, much of the town has been asking — how did she even keep the job so long? What took them so long?
But really the question should be — why her? Boz's Badass content of all-self-promotion, all-the-time attitude was the perfect personification of The Service's ethos. So if they have suddenly figured that isn't working out, why should Boz be the one to pay the price?
But to step back, the self-promotion was amaaaaazing.