Struggling Jericho:

[George L. Schmauch Jr.]

Original Article Link

Being a huge fan of Jericho, I thought I’d chime in on this.  The campaign to save the show definitely enlightened me to a lot of the issues that networks have to deal with.

Let’s get 2 things out of the way:

1.  Yes, Nielsen ratings are inaccurate and need to be drastically changed.  BUT, this is the way the advertisers gauge the worth of their dollars on a given network and show.  We don’t have any more choice than the networks do.  It won’t change overnight, so we all just need to deal with it the way it is right now.

2.  Facts are facts and if you are NOT a Nielsen family, then your viewing means ZERO, ZILCH, NADA, ZIP to the networks and the advertisers.  Case closed:  feel free to Tivo, Torrent, YouTube, or Innertube (CBS’s online viewing method) your shows any way you please.

So, how do you fix this?

3.  First and foremost, partner up with Tivo.  The “wardrobe malfunction”…  to rule them all… taught us that Tivo sees all, knows all, and tracks all.  You want REAL viewer data?  Talk to the Tivo!

4.  Product placement is where it’s at.  You can’t stop people from skipping commercials unless you can tie them to their chairs and put toothpicks under their eyelids.  As long as it’s done within the confines of the scene, nobody’s going to complain.

Honestly, I can’t believe CBS hasn’t figured this one out:  Jericho is about a town CUT OFF from the outside world, fighting for their survival.  Supplies are scarce in every respect, so it wouldn’t be the slightest bit odd to continue seeing the exact same brand over and over.  Gee…  wouldn’t you think they’d still have toilet paper (Charmin), paper towels (Bounty), soap (Ivory) and/or laundry detergent (Tide)?  People still drinking coffee (Folgers)?  They’ve got a bar, which seems to serve alcohol every so often, particularly vodka which is home-made.  Get a bottle of Grey Goose or Stoli or Smirnoff and just have the bartender keep refilling the same bottles.  Nothing’s stopping the empty taps from having Budweiser handles.  You think Smith & Wesson would mind having some of their weapons showcased?  People gather at the bar to watch TV, so why not have a Panasonic TV displayed prominently?  They still have a very functional hospital, which I’m sure has band-aids and the like.  Hawkins has his trusty, government issued laptop:  why doesn’t it boot up with a nice “Core2Duo” logo every so often?  Doesn’t Panasonic make the “Toughbook” laptop?  Brad/Stanley was wearing an Abercrombie & Fitch jacket, but you could just barely read it while it was paused.  Why?!?!  Make it more noticeable!  New Bern has a machine factory, which I’m sure has tools:  SEARS anyone?  Craftsman toolboxes scattered around?

It took me about 10 minutes to think of these.  I’m sure the writers could figure out a way to work some other brands into specific scenes quite easily.

5.  Give the viewer a reason to watch commercials.  Insert little bits of special show info during commercials, such as giving a link to a website with behind the scenes footage or bloopers.  Who doesn’t like blooper reels?  But, you have to let the audience know it’s coming, “During the break, watch for an internet site with blooper reels from tonight’s show.”  Replay it several times during the breaks, so people can write down the whole thing over multiple breaks.

6.  Have special deals for viewers of the commercials, like 5% off or something.  Make it only valid for a couple of hours or number of uses after the show finishes, like Dell’s coupons.

I swear, these networks just need new blood in their advertising department; younger people who know how internet users think and can show the old dogs how to think outside the box of what USED TO work.

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