The Mad Men Meet Twitter

by J. Butler, Applecore Content Development Specialist

Mad Men: it’s been called the reason for the recent pop culture fascination with (and glamorization of) the advertising business. For AMC’s critical darling Mad Men, success was slow-going, but once it came, it came fast. The show, based on the in and outs of an ad agency in the early 1960s, has been the centre of media mentions, high fashion photo spreads and near-compulsory appearances on year-end top ten lists. So it’s little surprise that that Mad Men, a smart, well-written character piece, also collected a number of devoted, very creative fans, who also happen to be very vocal.

A few die-hard fans began to create Twitter profiles (as well as advice columns) for characters on the show and assumed their identities, sending out “tweets” that closely followed the ongoing plot of the show proper. The trend took off quickly, until nearly every major (@dondraper, the office alpha male) and some very minor (@Xerox914, the office copy machine) characters had their own voice on Twitter. The tweets were all collected under one feed-aggregator, We Are Sterling Cooper (the name of the fictitious ad agency). All in all, a fairly tame way for fans to express their love of a show, and certainly not unusual in an online world where fans often have the final say.

But the really interesting part came when AMC (and their lawyers) intervened. AMC, in a knee-jerk copyright-minded reaction, moved to shut the Twitterings down, and within days, nearly all the fictitious Sterling Cooper accounts were disabled. The remaining few scrambled around the Twittersphere, sending out frantic tweets about their co-workers being "fired" and wondering how long they had left. 

Though later reports suggest that AMC had only wanted to discuss the accounts with Twitter for copyright reasons, not shut them down entirely, the effect was the same: AMC looked like the big, mean network trying to pull the plug on what had just been harmless fun.

To temper the outcry of angry fans, AMC moved to have the Twitter accounts reinstated and quickly issued a statement endorsing the trend, calling the tweets “…a great expression of the passionate fan base of Mad Men.” They even interviewed one of the original account holders (@BudMelman) for the show's official blog. The tweets gradually picked up their former activity, and built up a little community of insider interactions and conversations. 

What’s the lesson in all this? Well, if a fan/customer is engaging in your show/brand on their own time -- of their own free will -- then you should be counting your lucky stars, not rushing to stop the conversation. You’d put a halt to the kind of free, organic advertising that most marketers dream about. And worst of all, you’d end up looking the Big Bad Corporation who doesn’t understand social media or even the basic idea of fun. 

Social media isn’t a formula; it’s a flow. AMC had to learn that the hard way. 

Curious what all the fuss is about? Check out Applecore's Twitter feed. 

Watching The Future of TV

by J. Butler, Applecore Content Development Specialist

The days of appointment TV are looking like a thing of the past.

In recent years, viewers have found themselves with more choice than ever when it comes to television, with even basic cable clocking in at nearly 75 channels. More specialty channels crop up every year, with interests so finely tuned that you have to wonder who exactly tunes in (are there really enough viewers to justify WealthTV?). But something else has changed about TV: it's not just what we watch, it's also become a choice of how we watch it. 

The writing on the wall came when Tivo first appeared on the horizon. It eclipsed the sometimes unreliable, unwieldy technology of VCR, replacing tapes with a hard drive and human forgetfulness with automatic recording (which meant that viewers would never miss an episode of their favorite shows). A pioneer in digital video recording, Tivo allowed viewers the freedom to watch their favorite shows whenever they had the time, instead of making the time.

That, it turns out, was the first wave.

Now, the internet has taken it one step further, bypassing the need for a subscription or even a special device. With the advent of YouTube, Hulu and other online resources, the only thing many viewers need to catch up on their favorite shows is a speedy internet connection. In just one year, the percentage of Americans watching some prime time TV on their computer screens instead of their TV sets went from 6% in 2007 to over 20% in 2008.

The effects of this shift aren’t hard to see. Saturday Night Live made history this year with Tina Fey’s infamous impersonation of Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin; by the following Wednesday, NBC.com reported the skit had become their most-watched viral video ever, with 5.7 million views. 

So the times began a'changing. No longer would you need to rely on external sources—such as the daily newscast or commentary programs—to catch all the highlights of the day. Miss Obama’s inaugural speech? No problem; just catch it later on YouTube. With that, history has been broken down into democratic snippets, letting everyone catch up in their own time. With the explosion of these easily uploaded, accessible video clips, the viewer is allowed to create their own highlights. 

Other networks have figured out ways to profit from this shift. New episodes of CW favorite Gossip Girl are available for purchase on iTunes the next day for $1.99, and the show’s popularity has exploded as a result—but only online, as the broadcast version consistently under-performs. The explosive online success of Gossip Girl has been called a preview of TV 3.0, and the larger networks have gradually followed suit, as ABC made popular shows Lost and Desperate Housewives into downloads for iPods, as well as streaming select episodes for free on their website. Rival powerhouses NBC and CBS quickly did the same.

This hasn't proven a huge moneymaker yet (at least not compared to the usual revenue from advertising sponsors, TV stations and cable channels) but the networks seem determined to stay on board this potentially lucrative bandwagon. It's a wise move indeed, especially as the Information Generation (that is, those born from 1980-2000 who grew up using computers) become the overwhelming majority. This kind of instantaneous delivery system is poised to only increase. 

What might be the next step in television's horizon? Telling stories in a way that lets everyone play along. A Finnish network has developed Accidental Lovers, a new romantic drama. The twist? Its concept puts the viewer in a pivotal storytelling position, encouraging text messages to influence the outcome of the story:

On the screen, viewers will see their text messages and will hear the characters respond to their messages. A glowing heart will show whether their messages are warming or cooling the hearts of the romantic couple, and viewers will see the relationship develop according to their wishes. 

If the romance doesn't progress as viewers wish, they can try again later as four runs of the programme will be broadcast showing 12 different evolutions of the love affair. Each one will be different, with each reacting to the viewers' wishes. 

Such a concept could mean the revival of appointment television once and for all—and a whole new meaning to how we see interactive media. 

TV and Internet ads go hand-in-hand

According to the president of CBS’ research unit, the Internet enhances TV advertising. David Poltrack points out that while the Internet is an efficient medium for turning consumers into purchasers, it’s useful only if the consumers are already aware of the products. Simply put, consumers turn to the Internet to learn about products that they are already aware of.

That is where television advertising plays a key role. It is Poltrack’s opinion that, as a medium, TV is still unrivalled when it comes to developing awareness of a product, service or product feature. To leverage this connection between television-based awareness and internet-based information gathering, marketers need to coordinate the TV and Internet components of their ad campaigns.

Source: Advertising Age