Can the big TV networks promote their shows through social media without faking authenticity or losing creative control? See whether "Heroes" and "Fringe" are doing enough to drive awareness and tune-in.
I remember my first social media experience with digital content for a television show. It was an early form of an application that I could download that allowed me to view, mashup and share video content. The technology was crude, and the video definition was atrocious. It took 10 minutes to stream a two-minute video clip. That was in 1999, and the show was "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." I wasn't necessarily a fan of the show, but I was a very big fan of the application.
We've come a long way.
Now, I can get that same app on my phone with 10-times the features and functionality, and with audio and visual content that is strikingly crisp and clear. Additionally, social media websites like YouTube, MySpace and Facebook allow me to not only view and share content, but to create content, and even create applications that drive interaction with that content.
As I said, we've come a long way.
Unlike traditional media, such as newspapers, radio and television social media depend on interactions between people. This interaction builds shared-meaning, using technology as the conduit. This puts the audience in control of the method, and the message.
More and more, we are the authors of the media we consume. The audience -- cum authors -- can participate in social media by adding comments or even editing the content themselves. Content in social media can take the form of text, graphics, audio or video. Several formats can be mixed.
We've seen social media marketing campaigns go awry. Big brands like Chevrolet and Wal-Mart have made critical missteps in their attempts to leverage social media. So how does a television network promote its shows harnessing the method of social media without losing control of the message or feigning authenticity?
Let's examine how two of the most anticipated fall TV show premieres -- "Fringe" on Fox and "Heroes" on NBC -- are leveraging social media, and particularly social networking websites and applications, to drive awareness and tune-in. We will focus on Facebook and MySpace as they represent the majority of the social networking and social web application audience.
"Heroes" on NBC
This show suffered the sophomore blues last season. There was a downturn in ratings and NBC is looking to this third season to re-ignite the fan base with faster-paced action, deeper character storylines and, something we all seem to be craving from our favorite suspense-tinged TV shows these days -- answers. Unlike the rest of the shows I researched for this article, "Heroes" has the largest assortment of social media and applications out there.
- The show's fans run a number of Facebook Groups. MySpace features a highly immersive branded profile page. Each of these outlets offers up dozens, if not hundreds of pieces of content, most of which are embeddable and/or viral.
- What Heroes Character are you? is a Facebook application that lets fans step into the shoes of their favorite character by answering a survey. The application assigns a character to you based on your answers. You can then display the result on your profile page as well as share the app with your friends.
- The Heroes Countdown application is available on most social networks and has a timer, ticking away the seconds, minutes, hours and days to the season premiere as well as embedded photos and other content. The countdown is displayed on your social network profile page for all to see and share.
- Heroes VS is a MySpace application served up directly from NBC/Universal and has a very rich interface, loaded with content. You can create your own Heroes VS in just a few simple steps! Choose a category and select an item from the 2 dropdown menus for each side of your VS. Then, type a question for the VS (for example, "Who is stronger?") and choose media from the library below to represent each side. Once you're satisfied, click "create" -- you'll then be able to take a side on the VS you've just made, and campaign to get your friends on your side as well!
These are some pretty solid examples of how to leverage social media to promote a TV show. I would like to have seen more customization, which I will delve into below, but all things considered, these examples represent a very sound strategy to leverage social media tactics.