September 2007

Television 2.0: What You Can Learn from Network TV

Lessons from the networks' decline can be applied to your customer communications programs

By Margie Wylie

On September 23, the new television "season" launches with a bang that the major networks are hoping will be loud enough to drown out the other year-round media now competing for "their" viewers. Endless barrels of ink have been spilled examining the decline of network TV, but there is one fairly simple explanation:

Somewhere between the launch of HBO and the advent of iTunes, the big four broadcast networks lost touch with their customers and their viewership. The result? Someone else is talking to them now.

Even if it seems no other business could be further from your own, there are lessons in the networks' experience that can be applied to your customer communications programs:

1. Learn from the competition. What the networks did: Like their cable competitors, which launch new shows year round, the networks have begun quietly staggering the start of some of their series, giving viewers something to look forward to later in the season (24 premieres in January) and avoiding the endless repeats (Lost) that hurt viewer loyalty.
   
   What you can do: Keep close tabs on your competitors' Web sites. Sign up for their email newsletters, even subscribe to print publications, if you can. Sometimes the competition can be a chief source of inspiration for new ideas and innovations in customer communications. Likewise, keeping them close can help you avoid their gaffes. Competitive analyses conducted at regular intervals — not after you're getting beat up — are essential.



"Newly humbled networks are now admitting that the competition is a real threat and are working hard to please viewers."




2. Take advantage of new tools. What the networks did: As cable networks flourished and the Internet became an entertainment destination, it was still business as usual for the networks for many years. But today, the broadcast networks are finally starting to find their way around new media: streaming video, blogs, message boards, and more. For example, NBC just announced that viewers can download programs like Heroes and the Tonight Show free to personal computers and other devices. Lost has a Wiki and message boards where viewers can share theories about the island's mysteries, and Survivor posts behind-the-scenes video and interviews with cast members.
   
   What you can do: Find and fill the holes in your customer communications strategies. Are you using every appropriate tool at your disposal? Are you taking advantage of new media in a way that makes sense for your customers and for your business? Sometimes an outside eye can help you see past the "trees" of your everyday programs and shed new light on the latest tools and techniques.



3. Measure results, fine-tune offerings. What the networks did: After counting only the people who watched network programs live, the networks are pushing to learn the other channels that their product is flowing through and to what degree. Neilsen is beginning to quantify the number of viewers who watch delayed broadcast TV via digital video recorder, and the networks are looking for new ways to reach those "delayed viewers."
   
   What you can do: First, determine what success means. What does success looks like for your Web site, for example? In some businesses, like TV, volume is everything — the more eyeballs the better. But in most businesses, sheer quantity rarely translates into sales. Even so, many continue to use raw "hits" as a measure of success. Regular surveys can help link the raw website metrics to the behaviors and attitudes of customers you most want to reach. Armed with the combined knowledge of regular surveys and metrics, it's easier to change your methods and messages as needed.



4. Don't believe your own hype. What the networks did: The new fall season is energized with hyperbole meant to drive ad sales at top dollar. For too long, the networks seemed to buy into their own horn tooting, and their offerings became calcified and unappealing as a result. Newly humbled networks are now admitting that the competition is a real threat and are working hard to please viewers not only with better programming, but with a humbled, customer-service perspective (think online "extras," fewer repeats, and so on).
   
   What you can do: Keep your communications customer-centered. In every direct customer communication — whether a Web page, brochure, e-newsletter, or magazine — ask what the customer most wants and needs from you. How can you solve their problems, address their needs, and remove barriers to their considering your product or service? Don't bore them or drive them away by approaching communications from your company's point of view. Despite the downswing of network TV, viewers still equate the new fall season with excitement and fresh energy. Make sure your communications do the same for your business.

About the author:

Margie Wylie is a senior editor at Tendo. She still remembers the days when people stopped what they were doing to watch their favorite show. Email her.