Sweeps month and season finales...you too can be like a TV network

It’s May, which has me thinking about… the “Lost” second season finale. OK, there are a lot of other things to think about too, but certainly anyone watching network television is aware of how much better TV watching is during a sweeps month. May, along with November and February, is a sweeps month, which is when networks try to bolster ratings to secure more lucrative advertising rates. So we are low on reruns and strong on cliffhangers, and “very special episodes” run rampant in the lineup. The payoff for the networks – better viewership, stronger ad rates and momentum to carry them through the summer months.

Maybe I’m trying to justify my TV habit, but I do believe that a good communications program can apply the same principles of sweeps month – create excitement, provide something fresh, build a foundation for an important upcoming season and break through the clutter to beat out the competition.

Here’s how:

• WHAT DO YOU DO THAT YOUR COMPETITORS DON’T DO
  Find something unique – really unique – to promote. Dig deep, think hard and get an objective source to review your business elements. There may be a fascinating story angle that only you can offer.
• WHAT IS THE LASTING IMPRESSION YOU MOST WANT TO MAKE
  If you’ve got a story to tell, but know there will be a gap between your next new announcements, think carefully about how you structure today’s announcement. Just as the TV cliffhangers keep us wanting more, make sure your story builds for the future as much as it delivers today.
• HOW CAN YOU GET IN FRONT OF YOUR AUDIENCE IN A WAY THAT’S DIFFERENT FROM YOUR COMPETITORS
  Look at what the networks are doing. You can download “The Office” onto your iPod and take it with you. Public television, in particular, offers a lot of its prime time programming through cable’s On Demand feature. To keep ahead of the competition, be where the other companies aren’t. Create your own events, do guerilla marketing at appropriate venues, offer podcasts that allow your customers to take you “to go.”
• IS IT PLAYING IN PEORIA
  Test your messages, do research into your audience’s perception of you. You must always take time to assess your program – don’t assume that your audience is getting the message. Audit the quality of the press coverage you’re receiving to make sure your key messages are getting out there. And consider perception studies to find out from your source whether they hear what you think you’re telling them.
• PERCEPTION IS REALITY
  Are the sweeps episodes really always better? Sometimes how you present something is as important as what you present. “Telegraphing” a sound bite, speech, announcement (e.g., letting the listener know they’re about to hear something really important) is often just as important as giving them something really important to hear.
• BRING IN A GUEST STAR
  Third-party endorsement/credibility can come from incorporating a customer, analyst, reporter into the campaign. Did you tune into “Will & Grace” when Cher was on or “The Simpsons” when Elizabeth Taylor had a cameo? Consider what a “celebrity” can do to pique your audience’s interest.
• TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE MOMENT
  The local news broadcasts look for more sensational and “sexy” content to fill out their “soft news” segments during sweeps months. Think about what you have that might fit the bill and you could place some soft news in a desirable time slot. Or – keeping in the spirit of the moment – even tie your news angle to a television finale to garner mainstream coverage for your product or service.
• SUPERSIZE IT
  The networks use the sweeps to make a splash for their programs and stars. Do the same – consider a major event strategy that will help you own the content, get directly in front of your audiences and wow them with your messages.
• PROMOTE IT. THEN PROMOTE IT SOME MORE.
  During sweeps, the networks go all out to let viewers know what they’ll miss if they don’t tune into (or Tivo or download) their hottest shows. Let your audiences know what’s coming, and find numerous avenues to do so – your website, newsletter, blog, direct mail, advertising and traditional media are all ways to keep telling them what’s important.
• CABLE LETS YOU GET AWAY WITH MORE
  Just as “The Sopranos” can get away with more than the “Desperate Housewives,” alternative media outlets may afford more opportunities to massage your story. Bloggers, for example, can be more opinionated than traditional reporters, and can be helpful in promoting your story, if targeted appropriately.
• “AMERICAN IDOL” WOULD NEVER PLAY ON PBS
  Know your audience, and stick to your strategy. Target the right media with the right messages and you will reach your audience.
• LOOK AT THE ENTIRE CALENDAR
  “Off season” opportunities are just as important as sweeps months. Many successes are tested during the summer – ever hear of a little show called “Seinfeld?” – before making it into the permanent lineup. Keep an eye out for opportunities to shine when your competitors may be quieter and you’ll be ahead of the game when they gear back up.

Now you know that I watch entirely too much television. But if I’ve done my job, as a good PR person, I’ve spun that into a positive, and left you with information that you can use. Good luck, and no flipping!

Sandy Lish
Principal/Co-Founder, The Castle Group