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American Idol Consolidates Social Media Accounts of Top 24 ContestantsThe popular reality TV series American Idol made history this year by allowing the show's top 24 finalists to maintain individual Facebook and Twitter accounts... and then promptly took them away. According to MTV.com, "For years, the show has put a virtual headlock on all non-"Idol"-sanctioned social media, declaring a blackout on any information or correspondence from contestants during their championship run on the show." However, this change was short-lived. After blogs and websites started declaring who was the most popular contestant, i.e. who was most likely to win based on Facebook or Twitter fan/follower counts, American Idol quickly squashed this initiative. Last night, Twitter followers of each of the top 24 AI contestants were served this message: “Thanks so much for following me! All my updates from now on will be on our Official Ai9 Twitter Page, please follow me there @AI9Contestants.” Similar messages were posted to Facebook and MySpace as well, according to Mashable.  While American Idol is justified in its concern that social media could sway the results of a show whose results are entirely based on the public's votes, ultimately this move seems wrong. AI made a statement by allowing the top 24 contestants to create these individual social identities for the first time in history, and then immediately taking them away for fear of skewed results. While American Idol is not fully taking away the individual identities of its contestants, whose tweets and Facebook/MySpace updates are still labeled by name on the new consolidated AI9 pages, the show is still robbing them of the ability to generate and grow fans through social media. The more a contestant puts into their pages, the better results they will show for it. The more engaging questions they ask fans, such as what song they should sing next week, helpful feedback/criticism, etc. the better results they should have to show for it. If AI had a problem with contestants gaining fans and helpful information from their fans using social media, why did they create the identities in the first place? And it's naive to assume that the show had no idea the media would jump on the opportunity to determine the projected winner based on fans and followers of each contestant before they even began the season. If the contestants' activity on their individual social media platforms influences the show's results, this would only prove that social media marketing is a great tool for American Idol to use to reach its target audience and promote the show itself. But now the show's social media platform is tainted with this news, and its results will be shaky at best. Just like every other mindless reality TV show, AI season 9 is now left with one page on each of the social networks, where all fans can congregate and discuss the season (which has proven to be a disappointment thus far to most former American Idol enthusiasts). It almost seems that AI is opposing viewers establishing loyalty to any one contestant... just in case it actually means something in the end. Isn't this show supposed to be about what the audience thinks? Think again. Labels: American Idol, Social Media, TV When TV and the Internet ConvergeOK, so 2009 was the year of social media and there's no reason to suspect that interest in social networks will slow down anytime soon. But what will be the next big thing that changes the way we, as consumers, consume media and how will marketers leverage that consumption? My prediction: the convergence of Web-based content, targeting, and functionality with cable television. Call it enhanced TV or interactive TV. Either way, cable, satellite, and fiber-based broadband penetration combined with targeting, interactivity, DVRs, and the cable company's and TiVo's knowledge of our e-mail addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, and even our credit card numbers will launch a new era in advertising and marketing. Old-school video creative, television networks, DRTV, and new-economy interactivity will come together. While this has been talked about for a long time -- kind of like the days when we would hear about the "information highway" -- the promise of this technology is now here. Comcast's planned acquisition of NBC Universal validates the value and potential of interactive television. The folks driving that deal understand where interactive television is headed and I'm sure they have an arsenal of advertising goodies that will rival, and even surpass, the targeting, interactivity, and tracking of anything the Web can deliver. Interactive television will save the medium we know as television and replenish budgets that pay for the star power, creativity, and shows we've all grown to love and expect from the networks. I'm looking forward to seeing some amazing things. If you're not 100 percent up on this stuff, let's first look at some of the interactive functionality offered by video, TiVo, satellite TV, and cable boxes. These features just scratch the surface of where things will go. In my next column, I'll look at real-life examples of interactive television ads and offer some predictions on where interactive television advertising is headed. Step 1: Understand the Term "Addressability" Wikipedia defines it as: "Addressability is the ability of a digital device to individually respond to a message sent to many similar devices. Examples include pagers, mobile phones, and set-top boxes for pay TV." So, how does addressability affect interactive TV? We can take the targeting and tracking we do online (the thing that marketers love) and combine it with a cable company's customer records and data about customer's viewing habits. Television ads will be able to be targeted and tracked with unrivaled accuracy. Here's the reality: cookies can be erased but a consumer's ID can't be erased from a set-top box. As Variety points out, some advertising executives consider addressable TV marketing a "holy grail." Step 2: Understand the Remote In the column, "Remote Control as Mouse: TV and Web Integration," I discussed how today's TV remote is becoming the mouse of the future. You can move a curser up and down and side to side, click "ok" or "select," access menus, guides, widgets, and enter numbers and/or characters like a cell phone keypad. Just look at the image of the Comcast remote below.  Kind of like a game mouse, joystick, and game controller all in one, right? Imagine the day when you are watching an Applebee's commercial and it will say, "To get an e-mail Buy-One-Meal-Get-One-Free coupon for your next visit to Applebee's, just hit OK now on your remote." Then, armed with your e-mail address, Comcast or Verizon will fulfill your request instantaneously. Or, to take it a step further, how about, "Order your Snuggie now by hitting OK on your remote and entering your PIN number." The cable company would then transmit your order to the vendor, process your payment, and even take a cut. Now one more thing, imagine crossing the remote with a Nintendo Wii joystick. Step 3: Understand the Guide When it comes to TV/Internet integration, the feature we use the most is the "guide." (See the red "guide" button on the left-hand side of the remote in the photo, above, and the screen capture of the FiOS guide, below.) The guide content, typically delivered via the Internet, is essentially a Web site accessed through a TiVo or cable box combined with functionality that enables a consumer to jump to channels, set shows to be recorded, and order on-demand content that may end up on the cable bill. Now, while millions of people use this functionality everyday, most people don't really understand the power of all these technologies combined at their fingertips. This guide is the Google of your televised world! How many hits a day does your guide get?  The guide can essentially be a portal into a whole universe of Web-based content, applications, and commerce. If you can do it online, you can do it via the guide. Now that we have the PC screen and the mobile screen, get ready to create Web pages and interfaces for the living room screen. Note: while there are no ads in the guide now, I have a feeling that will soon change. Step 4: Understand TV Widgets These are applications that draw content and functionality from the Internet right into your television, where consumers can access via a remote control mouse. A consumer can get the weather, sports scores, and even Facebook and Twitter. (See a screen capture of the Verizon FiOS Widget Bazaar and a video tour, below.) Just think of it as iPhone apps for your TV. Now, imagine brands advertising their widgets on television and letting people acquire them by hitting "select" on their remote control. Something like, "To get Domino's Pizza widget now, hit OK on your remote."  See a Verizon Widget Video Tour here on YouTube by one of Verizon's product managers. In my next column, we'll look at real-life examples of interactive television ads and I'll offer predictions on where things will go. Labels: Advertising, Application Development, ClickZ, Industry, Integration, TV |
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