The ninth season of American Idol came to an end last week and Lee DeWyze a 24 year old from Mt. Prospect was crowned as the winner in a competition that began with more than 100,000 hopefuls. Unlike in two similar programs concluded recently in Sri Lanka the female singer who competed with Lee couldn't beat him in the highest rated interactive TV show in America. The second hour of the show was watched by 24.2 million viewers which is more than the total population of Sri Lanka.
The success of American Idol and secret of having it for the 9th year while keeping its rating high lies in the application of right marketing strategies. Some of these strategies were successfully implemented in Sirasa Super Star and Derana Dream Star as well.
I wish to highlight one important success factor of American Idol which revolutionized the format of TV programs and the same theory is important for the success of any brand as well.
The secret is involvement, engagement and participation of audience with the show.
Despite criticism of using SMS to decide who wins finally this method has increased the participation of audience to a great extent. In the era of web 2.0 which gives a value for user generated content, texting increases participation and engagement as viewers ultimately have a role to play in the show. If judges are going to make all the decisions the audience will become a passive viewer which has no value in today's context.
The audience who were just watching TV while thinking what will happen next suddenly got the power to decide. The winning or losing of a contestant is your win or lose as you have the authority to contribute for the final result with the phone in your hand. Specially the young generation who always like to be an active partner in a relationship find it very attractive to them. The format became an instant success and it attracted imitators throughout the world.
A valid question to ask is how can you get your customers more and more involved with your product or service.? It is important for you to allow your customers to share their feelings, give comments, feedback and connect more with your brand. It is evident that less entry barriers and rapid growth in sources for information lead customers to switch brands fast and the majority are not loyal to one brand forever. Increasing engagement will enhance brand loyalty.
Engagement itself will not assure you constant success. It is vital for you to have a product which is continuously improving and satisfying better than your competitors. Customer Engagement will facilitate to bind such products to customers and resist them from switching the brand.