Netflix creates binge-pausing socks that it’s not selling

First there was a button to start watching Netflix. Now there’s a pair of socks to stop it.

Straight from Netflix’s publicity lab of made-up gadgets comes socks ideal for the narcoleptic binge-watcher. “Never again will you binge-watch yourself to sleep, only to wake up two seasons later wondering what happened,” Netflix proclaims.

The socks, using an accelerometer that monitors movement, pauses the show when it detects the wearer hasn’t moved in a while and likely has fallen asleep (and hopefully not, uh, died.) Just in case, LED lights are stitched into the socks that blink to alert the person that they’re about to pause the show unless the wearer shakes their feet.

“Netflix Socks” sounds like the perfect Christmas gift, but it’s not actually selling them.

Similar to its fabled “Netflix and Chill” button, the company has released directions to knit them instead of putting them on the mass market. The project requires both knitting skills and the knowledge of actually knowing what and where to buy an accelerometer.

The reaction toward the brand has been positive, per usual, except for this comment on YouTube: “Seriously are we this lazy as a society?”

More in Marketing

Star power, AI jabs and Free Bird: Digiday’s guide to what was in and out at the Super Bowl

This year’s Big Game saw established brands lean heavily on star power, patriotic iconography and the occasional needle drop.

In Q1, marketers pivot to spending backed by AI and measurement

Q1 budget shifts reflect marketers’ growing focus on data, AI, measurement and where branding actually pays off.

GLP-1 draws pharma advertisers to double down on the Super Bowl

Could this be the last year Novo Nordisk, Boehringer Ingelheim, Hims & Hers, Novartis, Ro, and Lilly all run spots during the Big Game?