Brandintel's lead analyst discusses the benefits of online sneak peeks and other campaign components that can promote early fan engagement.
Imagine you were given 22 different two-minute clips that featured various attractive and/or interesting people. Next, imagine you only had a couple of weeks to decide which of those people you would start an emotional relationship with (one that could potentially last as long as 10 years). While this scenario may invoke horrible visions of the latest season of "The Bachelor," it's actually a dilemma that used to greet all TV viewers each new fall season.
Until this year, each new show's unveiling at the television upfronts would generally be followed by a press release, some media articles and a shiny cast photo posted on its respective network website. This would lead to some initial chatter from many "insider" fans on general TV websites (like IMDB or TV.com), followed by a lull in discussion until the late August TV spots stimulated more casual/older viewers. The end result was many shows trying to cram through a small window of opportunity to create audience engagement; inevitably, there were many expensive casualties (remember "Push Nevada," "Dr. Vegas" or "Lyon's Den"?).
When the 2007 upfronts were quickly followed by extended previews and clips for every new show on each network's site, the next six weeks saw 10 times the audience discussion volume and 25 percent higher average show sentiment than any previous year; a light bulb had apparently switched on inside Hollywood's collective head. But why did such a simple marketing plan have such a dramatic impact on this year's crop?
The past four years of studying fall TV launches have taught us two things about the evolution of word of mouth for new shows. First, when a show takes off (either pre- or post-launch) the majority of watercooler discussion is about the characters, not the actors who play them: A recent BrandIntel study showed that "Jack Bauer" ("24") was mentioned throughout all online communities three times more than "Kiefer Sutherland" (if you need more proof, go ask any casual fan of "Heroes" the name of the actor who plays "Sylar"). Second, audiences for many shows that skew older can take months to circulate positive word of mouth: In 2006, "Shark" and "Brothers and Sisters" were the most watched new shows in terms of volume of viewers, but didn't appear in BrandIntel's top 10 rankings for audience engagement until mid-August.
Giving audiences enough time to become attached to characters allows more time for them to post YouTube links to previews on Facebook and MySpace, or to join in forum discussions and spread word of mouth. The odds are then much greater that potential viewers will become loyal viewers. Furthermore, if sentiment for the show is affected by poorly received previews, there's ample time to retool and display what people want to see.
Two current examples of the need for advanced sneak peeks are "Pushing Daisies" and "Dirty Sexy Money": the top two shows in terms of audience sentiment for the coming fall season (4.3/5 and 4.1/5, respectively). Incredibly, the very first preview for "Dirty Sexy Money" had nary a glimpse of either of its two major stars (Peter Krause and Donald Sutherland); rather it featured the other supporting characters in a boring scene at a lawyer's office, arguing about financial matters. How was this supposed to generate anticipation without allowing people to latch onto either of the primary characters who would eventually carry the show? After the complaints became noticeable in several pockets of the general TV community, a second preview appeared with both characters prominently featured -- and voila -- "Dirty Sexy Money" doubled in discussion share, and audience sentiment spiked from 3.6 to 4.1.
In terms of "Pushing Daisies," there were no well-known cast members driving potential viewers to discuss the show; instead, those who took notice of the sharp, vibrant and highly original preview began to spread positive viral discussion like wildfire, and more potential viewers throughout the general TV community began discovering the show on a daily basis. As of July 31, "Daisies" was also ranked third out of all 22 new shows for discussion share (8.8 percent), while also maintaining its top-ranked sentiment. Given that much of the intent-to-view currently stems from the "look" of the show, this is something that many fans may not have seen in past years amidst the late summer, frantic marketing rush.
While there's no way to tell at this point which shows will actually meet expectations this fall, the name of the game for now is driving intent-to-view for the premiere. In this current era of cut-throat production -- where dozens of cheap, recycled singing/reality shows are waiting in the wings -- marketing teams must work overtime to develop an early, instant spark between viewers and characters. If not, a show can expect a curt response from the general TV community stating: "Sorry, we're just not looking for anything right now."
Michael Coristine is the lead market analyst for the media division at BrandIntel, a Brandimensions Group and a provider of online marketing intelligence services. Read full bio.