By Tom Kirkham
While many industry speculators continue to obsess over the impact of recession on the tech sector, I’m currently more preoccupied by the fact that there are 144 episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, including a musical episode. At the risk of angering Buffy fans worldwide, I’d argue that the ‘Once More, with Feeling’ musical diversion is sufficient proof that the series outstayed its welcome by one episode at the very least. And at the most? I’d sooner not say.
The truth is the vast majority of television programmes – however fabulous – jump the shark sooner or later, shedding their audience figures and ending up on the scrapheap. Sadly, a great many PR accounts befall the same fate.
A lot of PR business is won on the back of a ‘big idea’ that exceeds the prospective client’s expectations and blows away the competition. The best campaigns are often driven by an initial spark or concept – a launch, event or announcement that is capitalised upon and exploited to its full potential. Similarly, some of the most popular TV programmes have worked in this way… “Who killed Laura Palmer?”, “Who is going to kill David Palmer?”, “Why did Mary Alice Young kill herself?” and various other hit shows involving characters that may or may not have died.
Depending upon the strength of the ‘big idea’, impetus can be sustained for quite some time without diversifying or changing course. Indeed, if the idea is particularly fabulous, you can really milk it! But at some stage the spark will fade, and the onus is then on the PR agency or scriptwriters to come up with something new before they lose momentum. Some succeed; a great many fail. Buffy’s ratings dropped continually from year three onwards, while Twin Peaks didn’t even make it beyond a second season; in contrast, 24 and Desperate Housewives have proven far more robust and been able to sustain their viewing figures over several years.
In PR, the industry average client retention rate of approximately 18 months says it all – too many campaigns fail to deliver on their initial promise or never get off the ground in the first place. Obviously it would give the industry a better reputation if there were more successful long-term client/agency relationships, but frankly, if agencies can’t deliver beyond their initial pitch, then it’s absolutely right for clients to consider wielding the axe.
PRs can’t rest on their laurels and rely on good-will from journalists the way that TV shows can sometimes rely on a faithful viewing public, who’ll continue to tune in irrespective of how poor a programme is becoming. Once a company is dismissed as a has-been, a dinosaur, or just very very boring, it can be a real challenge to win the media over again, demonstrating the importance of continued campaign regeneration and the ability to keep things fresh. In essence, we PRs must avoid the path of the musical episode, and strive instead to become Desperate Housewives.
N.B. In case you’re wondering, I’ve used US rather than British television examples due to the differing season lengths. US shows can run for as long as 22 episodes at a time, so almost half a year, providing a more direct comparison with a typical PR campaign. I also wanted an excuse to criticise the musical episode of Buffy, which is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen.
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