Netflix Is the Breakthrough Brand of 2013

Two years ago, Netflix was all but written off for dead.

Netflix decided to split its DVD rentals and online streaming offerings in July 2011, effectively hiking the price by 60% for those accustomed to getting both. Two months later, Netflix doubled down on unpopular moves by announcing plans to split its DVD-by-mail service into a separate business that would be called Qwikster.

Customers took to social media to protest. The stock lost two-thirds of its value in a three-month period. Reed Hastings, the company's CEO, was declared the worst chief executive of the year by the New York Times and TheStreet.

See also: Netflix Knows You Better Than You Know Yourself

It was an abrupt and shocking turnaround for a company that had long been viewed as one of the savviest in the tech industry, and doubts about the company lingered long after it killed off Qwikster, apologized and started to grow its subscriber base again.