X-Factor and Reality TV Shows. What can every marketer learn from the winners and losers?

Reality TV shows such as X-Factor, America Idol, Big Brother and so on are teaching us in a very vivid lesson in the difference between "winning" and "succeeding". It is all about having a sustainable offer or product that goes past just generating excitement and trial.


As you look back over the history of reality TV shows like X-Factor, you will find that that the actual “winners” of each series (and as at time of writing this there have been 7) have usually not been as successful over time as some of the other participants who ended up lower in the rankings. In the case of X-Factor, only 2 of the winners still even have recording contracts (with the most recent winner still to have their album released).


For me it highlights the importance of “repeat” purchase, and that to succeed as a brand you need to do more than just get “trial”. You need to have constant repeat to have a sustainable business.


It is actually quite easy to get and generate trial of your product or service. If you make enough noise, spend enough and create enough excitement you can get trial. This is the equivalent to winning a reality TV show where your story or momentum may rally behind you and drive you to win – not always for the right reason. In the case of X-Factor that momentum and noise usually means that winner’s single heads to number on.


But the real test is what happens and comes next. Do people buy that artist’s next offer when there is less noise, less volume of promotion?


We have seen that people who do not win often do better on this front, as they perhaps are more focused on the product they offer and creating their own differentiation and uniqueness. They rely more on their offer than the hype alone. They have to build a true loyal base of fans and supporters. This is the key to sustainability.


I think this is true for all marketers (not just those managing artists from reality TV shows!). It is easy to get trial with enough activity and creativity. But what you really need to strive for is REPEAT. This is what makes you succeed and successful. I have seen many brands through my career where a great and breakthrough TV ad, some great PR or promotion drove huge trial, but soon after they had worked through everyone that was going to try the product, the product cam grinding to a horrible halt and dies. Think of brands like Sunny Delight that got huge trial through advertising positioned it as healthly for only people to find it was not, or Persil Power that through huge launch got huge trial for people to find it ruined their clothes over time.


We all need to focus on if you have an offer that is going to get repeat purchase or usage. For without that all the time, energy and spend in creating tools and activities to get trial are just not worth bothering.


I do think marketing people do not spend enough time on repeat. The obsession with launching new things and lines helps to fuel this, as for too long people can hit their sales numbers by selling in – but it is sell out and off-take that determines success.


What do you think?



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Brand Republic Most Infuential Industry Bloggers: I am one of them #BR200

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Recognition is always nice! So, I was pleased to see that I (with this Marketing Unleashed blog) has been listed as one of "the web's 200 most influential advertising, marketing, media and PR and digital bloggers" by Brand Republic.

Admittedely at 134, but a start! Looking forward to being in the top 100 over the next few months!

This is what they say about the rankings: "Welcome to The BR 200 list of industry blogs where we've brought together the best advertising, marketing, media, PR and digital blogs from around the world, ranked in terms of traffic and social influence. The BR 200 is compiled in collaboration with Brandwatch, the social media monitoring agency, and together we'll update the list on a monthly basis to ensure it reflects the best bloggers in the industry".

They explain the methodology as follows: "Working with Brandwatch, Brand Republic ranked the blogs by influence using an algorithm that weighted factors including traffic, Mozrank (determined in part by the number of inbound links) Twitter data, and social presence on, for example, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Where there were multiple authors writing on a single blog, their individual social presence on sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn was also considered"



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A Topless Car Wash and shirtless firemen! What can marketers learn from them??

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The topless car wash ended up being shirtless firemen...

Once bitten, twice shy. That is how the saying goes. And there is a big learning and important principle for all marketing people to remember within this thought..


It suggests that you only ever get caught out once. People learn fast, and avoid getting burnt again.


It is an important rule or philosophy that marketers need to remember. One, disturbingly, seems to be forgotten in the heat of the increasingly competitive battle. We keep seeing what feels like more and more misleading and exaggerated claims being challenged and ruled against by advertising regulation authorities. The problem being, of course, that many of the most public rulings and judgments take place after the advertising and claims have run.


One suspects that some companies are happy as they have run the claim, had the sales effect and moved on to the next.


However, remember that a claim that is exaggerated or misleading may get you TRIAL but will not get you what is more important which is REPEAT PURCHASE and LOYALTY. This is what really determines success.


An amusing incident made reminded me of this. I had been reading a short article in “Britain Today” newspaper that was handed out at a hotel where I am staying on holiday. The article was headlined “Topless Shock”.


It told how sexy young women in Long Island in New York were holding up signs advertising a “topless car wash”. This attracted a lot of eager men with dirty - and possibly not so dirty cars - who quickly queued up. They found, once inside, the car wash that it was shirtless firemen hosing their cars down for them. 


The claim of “topless car wash” was right, but misleading. In this case it was a fund raiser, and so no doubt most men were rueful that they had been caught but justified it by saying it was for a good cause.


However despite it being “for a good cause”, I bet the same men would not go back. The ruse attracted TRIAL, but as was misleading and not what the target expected in the product. It will not get REPEAT PURCHASE nor LOYALTY.


There may have been some men, I guess, that may have found the sight of shirtless firemen hosing their cars down a surprisingly, unexpectedly and enjoyable experience...and so in this case you could argue that the trial would lead to some conversion and repeat! But not a good commercial case!


I think this tale, although amusing, is helpful to consider as you think about claims and their role. It is about getting TRIAL, but exaggerated and misleading claims may well create more bad feelings than good overall. 


Brand Integrity is something I comment on a lot, and this little tale is a good one to use in my view to help make judgments.


What do you think we can learn from the topless car wash tale?