Much was made, prior to the Oscars telecast, that THIS ONE was going to be WAY DIFFERENT! Younger hosts! Shake it up! Why, James Franco was on Twitter (as was his Mom and Grandmom)! New! Cool! Get “the kids” watching!
Franco and Hathaway are young so, of course, the young would watch. Uh. The kids were most definitely not all right. Was it a bad idea to have actors as hosts?
The duo joked that they were brought in as a lure for the younger demographic, but they must have forgotten that many in that group have the attention spans of small birds or wiry little dogs.
Even Big Bird/cranky old dog me was bored. Same industry event as always (I’m sorry, but why do they even bother to have the music category anymore? Nominate Cher, let her blow the doors off…or don’t bother.) 45 minutes of real stuff and about 3 hours of filler. The canned intro was fun, and – I admit – I enjoyed the musical bit with a shirtless Taylor Lautner (Yes, yes, I know. He’s young enough to be my son…almost my grandson…but…Whoaaa). Oops, back to the post.
The Oscars producers made the same demographics mistake that many do in “marketing to women.” Lazy assumptions and going for the superficial. Hey, slap in some young hot stars, tweet about a bit, give the girls great dresses to look at, and we’ve got it covered. (Ms. Hathaway did look spectacular, but 3.5 hours is a long, long time to gaze at gowns.)
Here’s what they should have done:
1. Shortened the whole event dramatically. Throw out all the usual stuff (including those musical numbers) and start from scratch. What do people care about? What’s fun? Why would they continue to watch? These people are supposed to be in the entertainmment biz – entertain us!
2. Develop and implement a real social media strategy that’s ongoing – not just for one event. Online, interactive, pervasive. Market to the young’s attention span (and thumbs of steel texting away) – not some old guy’s perception of youth. A Facebook page isn’t a strategy.
3. If you’re going to hire actors, give them a script! I feel for Franco and Hathaway (although Franco seems to be bearing the brunt of scorn). They worked with what they had. And, while the event was boring; they weren’t (really) awful. (Franco’s mom should have texted him to OPEN YOUR EYES.)
4. Last but certainly not least – you can’t be all things to all people. Pick the target and go for it (However, the supposed target of 18 to 49 is way too wide, folks.) I know who Kirk Douglas is…but I wonder how many viewers were thinking “Who is that creepy old man and why is he taking so long?”
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
