Logistik group director James Wilkins thinks out loud
Big Brother is Watching but Are You?
It invades headlines, dominates office conversation and divides the nation but the final series of Big Brother is here whether you love it or loathe it. What began as a psychological social experiment that gripped all ages has now led to a very different kettle of fish that bores most of us to tears.
Year on year the house has become infiltrated with the fame-hungry and eccentric, deliberately chosen to drive each other crazy. Although this results in high drama, it doesn’t result in high viewing figures- last night’s show had the lowest number of people watching in the past nine years.
So where did it all go wrong? It’s not the fault of the contestants, they are who they are and they make no excuses. And the concept is still intriguing, with many avenues still left to explore. The problem is that, over the years, the show has become more predictable. All elements of spontaneity and excitement have been drastically reduced because contestants no longer represent a variety of ages, backgrounds and professions. The producers have forgotten the show’s original widespread and diverse audience.
So what can we learn from this? Well, we know that whatever a message, understanding the audience is key. Without engagement and enjoyment, there is no audience and without an audience, there is no communication. Whether your audience is 50 to 5000 delegates or the Friday night couch potatoes, you have to know how to draw them in
You need to find out what makes your audience tick and tailor your message. By finding tangible ways to connect with them and get them engaged you can demonstrate the benefits of active involvement. This will lead to deeper understanding and a sense of being both an individual and part of a collective.
Avoid being too complex. Leaving messages unexplained and using difficult terminology can create confusion, misunderstanding and ultimately apathy. Humour and imagination can help to counteract boredom and stop your audience voting with their attention span.
However, you still need a story or a message worth telling and an engaging way to unearth it. If it’s over-simplified all you create is something shallow, without substance and ultimately unsellable.
If you want to inspire an audience, you can’t push your message too hard. No one likes to be told what to do, you must find ways to pull your audience to you. Take them on a journey, tell them a story and make sure it has a beginning, a middle and an end. Otherwise, you might find that this is your last series too.
