Let the fans do the promoting. That seems to be the mindset of CBS executives when it comes to promoting Jericho.
On July 19, 2007 Nina Tassler spoke at the Television Critics Association semi-annual summer meeting. CBS executives, including Tassler, said it is up to fans to encourage word of mouth for the show. The network won't provide any specific directions or marketing materials, since that discourages word of mouth and viral marketing. ********
Is there a difference in viral marketing and word of mouth advertising? If so, what is it? ********
"Word of Mouth Marketing" includes viral, blogs, communities, etc." says Andy Sernovitz. He adds that "Word of mouth marketing is the big category. Viral marketing is one of the many techniques used to help word of mouth travel (usually by email)."
"Word of mouth is a decaying function" says Seth Godin. "A marketer does something and a consumer tells five or ten friends. And that's it. It amplifies the marketing action and then fades, usually quickly."
"Viral marketing, says Godin, "is a compounding function. A marketer does something and then a consumer tells five or ten people. Then then they tell five or ten people. And it repeats. And grows and grows. Like a virus spreading through a population. The marketer doesn't have to actually do anything else."
Jericho fans, then, have used both methods. From blogs to websites to print ads to passing out flyers, brochures, and trying to interest family and friends. They have done exactly what CBS wanted them to do.
What CBS executives and Nina Tassler didn't realize, perhaps, is that fans can get discouraged when no communication is forthcoming from the corporation. Jericho fans will never give up but CBS did offer a partnership which never materialized.
"It never ceases to amaze me that corporations are afraid to integrate communication, whether traditional, viral, or word of mouth," says Richard Becker. "Last year, NBC demonstrated how 'Save The Cheerleader, Save The Word' could be infused across all communication, paid, unpaid, viral, and word of mouth. How many more examples do people need before they understand that powerful messages make one point across all communication streams."
Rich Becker of Copywrite Ink needs no introduction to Jericho fans. He began writing about Jericho shortly after the cancellation and continues to write occasional articles even now.
I wanted to ask him some Jericho questions while we await CBS' announcement of Jericho's second season. As always, Rich impresses me. I appreciate you taking time for this interview Rich.
1. What makes Richard Becker tick?
There is nothing like an open-ended question. Nothing and everything at the same time. Ha.
I fell in love with communication a long time ago because I have a passion for learning about interesting people and new things. Advertising, public relations, journalism, and now social media continually open doors to meet people, experience new products, learn about various industries, and listen to some amazing (and a few not so amazing) ideas. Even before I committed myself to the industry, I had already dabbled as a writer, poet, artist, and even had an opportunity to design a company logo and work on a casino advertisement while still in high school.
Ironically, I almost did not go into communication. I studied psychology my first year in college and earned enough credits in that field that I could earn a second degree with about more two classes.
Other than that. My family makes me tick. We have a lot of fun.
2. If there were no Internet where you be and what would you be doing today?
The same, but with many more location limits and fewer opportunities. When I first started Copywrite, Ink. in 1991, the Internet was still in its infancy. Most material, whether for publications or advertising agencies, was delivered by hand on a 3.5-inch floppy disk, along with a hard copy just in case. Looking back, there was a significant amount of time invested in simply driving across town dropping off and pick up assignments.
What the Internet has done has expanded our capabilities to work with anyone in the world as if they were next door. And, with the advent of social media, it has provided a new communication tool for which my company is very well suited. As we develop more clientele out of this market, we’re considering additional markets as a base of operations.
3. What interests you the most about Jericho from a consumer marketing perspective?
Social media continues to provide people with an opportunity to connect and collectively promote or enact change as consumers, within companies, in communities, and all over the world. The majority of businesses tend to underestimate this, but eventually they will have to participate in social media on some level.
What fascinated me about Jericho was how quickly the fan base came together as a show cancellation protest. Within weeks, fans from all over the world were able to collectively protest the decision of a major network. Now, my interest is in seeing if this fan base can promote the show they saved by securing enough viewers to keep it alive. If Jericho fans can do that, they will have effectively created an influential model for others to follow.
4. If you wrote a pitch to ask people to watch Jericho what would it say?
Well, it wouldn’t be a pitch as much as it would be a complete rebranding of the way the show is marketed. It is not a "nuclear apocalypse drama” as much as it is a “small town survival” story in an alternate universe that tests our country.
This might change during the truncated second season, but it’s currently about how people react and cope facing disaster as individuals and as a community. The cause of the coup is pivotal to the plot, but most of the story relates to how people handle the disaster response. Anyway, when I do talk to people about the show, their eyes light up with interest after the "nuclear apocalypse drama” myth is dispelled.
5. Why do you think CBS is not actively promoting Jericho and the DVD?
Supposedly that have a print advertising campaign, but I haven’t seen it. So I can’t really speak for CBS. What I can say is that by not aggressively promoting it the message that they are sending is that they are not committed to the show.
In sum, they want to retain the option to buy, but are not ready to commit to the purchase. Unfortunately, this is undermining CBS’s credibility.
6. Do you think CBS understands consumer marketing as it relates to Jericho?
I don’t think many people understand consumer marketing. In CBS’s case, they have missed multiple opportunities to corral and help organize the fan base, basically leaving it up to the fans to figure it out. That is not how they sold their show cancellation reversal. They sold it as a partnership and then went right back to treating fans as passive viewers with exception to a few cosmetic improvements to the Web site.
It’s a shame, because inside of reinvigorating the fan base to put all that energy into positive outcomes, they allowed it to create a general feeling of mistrust. The relatively few mixed messages they have put out do nothing but to erode that level of trust.
7. How could CBS use Jericho fans' marketing efforts to their benefit?
There are so many ways they could have and not all of them are still viable. What CBS failed to recognize is managing a fan base is not unlike managing a grassroots effort. They could have engaged the fans, involving them in marketing efforts, and supplying them with the material, art, etc. that the fan base has been asking for all along and energized them to promote the show on the Internet and, even more importantly, off the Internet.
Now, especially because they missed yet another opportunity with the DVD launch, their best bet is to wait until season two is on the air. With a truncated short season however, I’m not sure how much they will do. If they want Jericho to succeed, they need to focus on a message that appeals to new viewers, not the existing fan base, and provide the material fans need to promote the show.
8. How much, if any effect, do you think Jericho bloggers have on CBS? New viewers?
I think Jericho bloggers have had more impact on other networks than CBS. Other networks, and I’ve spoken with a few, recognize that fan engagement will be key to marketing shows in the future. Bloggers are part of that.
The reason is simple enough. People who care the most about Jericho read these blogs faithfully. Many, including, Jericho Monster, are mini Jericho online publications that are largely dedicated exclusively to the show. One thing is for certain, CBS might appreciate Jericho bloggers even more if they abandon the show.
9. Do you think CBS' foray into social media will be successful?
They don’t have a choice but to be successful with television advertising budgets down, its measures questioned at every turn, and some programmers seeing webcasts outpace regular programming.
Some days I think that it might take a major network closing its doors to motivate the others toward convergence. I’m not saying that network will be CBS, but I haven’t seen a single successful model unveiled from any of them.
10. Will you come back again and do another interview about other subjects?
Anytime, Jane.
11. Any closing comments?
Sure. Right now, as it stands, the success of Jericho falls squarely on the shoulders of the fans. Their ability to get along is paramount to this success. That might not be fair or even reasonable, but that is what is.
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