Top 3 Reasons Why American Idol is Still Popular
Personally, I don’t care for American Idol, but it’s hard to ignore. There are TV commercials, radio ads, and even the local news dedicates whole segments of the program to discuss their predictions and the outcomes. Every time it’s brought up I roll my eyes and wonder what’s so special about it. Half the people on the show aren’t even that talented. Obviously Idol must be doing something right. These are the top 3 reasons why I think it continues to be so popular. These are also basic concepts for a successful marketing campaign.
1. Branding. The logo, the theme song, even the 3 judges are instantly recognizable. They are all simple, iconic, and represent what the show is about - yes, the judges, too. They have predictable personalities that add to the consistency of the show. That’s what good branding is about. People will associate your brand with the consistent quality of your product, business, or TV show in this case.
2. Easy to relate to. Idol contestants are real people just like the viewers of the show. People can easily put themselves in the shoes of the contestants and believe that it could be them on stage. People like to see people. Humanizing your marketing efforts can go a long way towards comforting potential customers and making yourself approachable.
3. Power to the people. I recently wrote an article on why you should add interaction to your Web site. After thinking about, it’s more than just interaction that’s important - it’s power. It seems this is the most important aspect of Idol’s success. The viewers have the power to control the fate of the contestants. What human doesn’t like voicing their opinion? Giving a person a way to have control over a situation or state their views is a strong technique.
