Follow the Reality TV road...

I have to admit, one of my favourite guilty pleasures of the moment is the fabulously camp BBC Over The Rainbow. Yes, I am a self confessed ‘friend of Dorothy’...as in I follow the show on Twitter, not the other thing.

The BBC’s latest search to find the West End’s next protégé seems to have reignited an old debate, that turning the musical theatre audition process into a reality TV show is depriving the professional trained performers out there of the lead roles they covet. Is it really fair that some people go through years of training, singing in the chorus and grafting to work their way up to lead roles, when seemingly an amateur off the street, who, like Connie Fisher, has been working in a call centre, can bag a leading role of a lifetime by appearing on a reality TV show ?

My very favourite West End Star, Kerry Ellis, who has just been tasked with filling the shoes of I’d Do Anything winner Jodie Prenger as Nancy in Oliver!, seems to think that Reality TV can only have a positive effect on the industry. After all, it is “bringing musical theatre to the masses” she said diplomatically on BBC Breakfast the other day. However, she also made sure to point out on more than one occasion that, she has gone about her career the “traditional way” and proved that it can work. But is Kerry just one of a lucky (but extremely talented) few?

Kerry also hopefully chimes “there’s so much work for everyone out there”. But this is in stark contrast to Sheila Hancock, who warned Over the Rainbow contestants that only 20% of people in the industry have work at any one time.

We should remember though, that as much as the media loves a good rags to riches story a la Connie Fisher, in reality, the majority of contestants on these programmes, have the training behind them before the audition (including Connie). Lee Mead had even appeared in the touring production of Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat before bagging the role of Joseph on Any Dream Will Do. The star has gone on to admit that the only way he felt he would achieve the success he was after was to go down the TV route. So perhaps the professionals should just treat reality TV auditions as any other audition, as it seems this is the direction the industry in going in.

If you fancy watching Kerry’s full interview see the vid below, if not, I urge to watch from 0:23 to see why Kerry has been so successful in this world!! I will be seeing her in action in Oliver very soon myself, I can’t wait!!

It's a...Dissertation!!

My friend’s status on Facebook recently was “Dissertations ruin lives”. I’m not sure about ruining lives, but they certainly ruin blogs...

So after my brief blogging hiatus, I’m back to tell you what actually came out of 7 months of dissertation slog.

The PR industry seems to love love love social media at the moment (as do I), and with my passion to enter the industry, the topic of social media and PR seemed like a natural progression. What I wanted to know, is whether all the buzz and hype is justified, and whether social media is as powerful as so many seem to think it is. Some areas I focused on in particular were the impact of the increasingly influential and empowered consumer, and the implications of this for crisis management.

I conducted an online survey (and a big thank you if you participated!!) which measured peoples engagement with a number of social media outlets as well as information such as where they leave feedback about products and services, and their first port of call for news. I also focused in particular on the recent Paperchase crisis as a case study and used an online survey and content analysis of blogs to monitor reactions.

In (very brief) summary, not surprisingly 99% of (about 200)respondents are on Facebook, nearly all accessing the site at least once a day. Just under 50% also have accounts on Twitter, Youtube and Myspace. I thought it was also significant to look at blogs due to claims that “bloggers are gaining recognition as industry authorities, earning the same (and sometimes more) respect and reach that traditional media...”(Solis & Breakenridge, 2009, p.2). 73.6% of respondents had accessed a blog at some point, but interestingly only 29% read blogs at least once per week, with many answering less than once per month. I still don’t think this detracts from their importance in PR strategy however.

When it comes to leaving feedback or complaining about a product or service 56% head to company’s actual website, and 40% head to Facebook. Also, 40% disagreed that they would trust a company spokesperson/website over fellow customers.

When it comes to the Paperchase plagiarism scandal, whilst not many had heard about the incident (so perhaps Paperchase haven’t felt the effects too much?) after being shown a Twitter feed and blog post from around the time, respondents developed a much more negative view of the brand. The most popular descriptors including words such as ‘devious’, ‘exploitative’ and ‘greedy’, once again highlighting the dangers of ignoring social media altogether.

Clearly, it is a challenge to squeeze a 10,000 word research study into a blog post, but hopefully you get the picture! Whilst lots of the buzz around social media may be a tad O.T.T, now is the time to start utilising social media in strategic campaigns that, if done correctly, will generate results. Some might say we are in the midst of a technological revolution...exciting times!

(I hope to upload the dissertation onto Scribd soon if you fancy reading the whole thing!)

“It’s a bit like going to a night club or a bar that’s empty...you just don’t want to be there.” Dan Wagner

Today’s news that AOL is being forced to sell or shut down social networking site Bebo just goes to show how fickle us digital natives are. Sounding very familiar to last year’s revelation that ITV was selling Friends Reunited for a mere £25million after paying £175million for it less than 4 years previously, it seems that there is only room for one major online community; Facebook.

We can attempt predict the future of the online social media landscape until we are blue in the face, but the truth is, it’s an unpredictable phenomenon which seems to change faster than we can say ‘petition to get the old Facebook back’. I mean, look at the once beloved Myspace. At the risk of sounding older than my 20 years... when I was at school everyone had Myspace, but then came Facebook. Now, the meticulously maintained profiles of my former classmates lie dormant somewhere in cyberspace (along with their Bebo pages).

It seems that there is an almost inevitable pattern emerging when it comes to big companies buying out digital start-ups. This is the opinion of a ‘source close to Bebo’ quoted in today’s Guardian. "You set out with a certain strategy and aim for a certain user experience, and they change it," the source said. "They get rid of staff and cut costs, and it still doesn't work...”

Who knows if Facebook will be replaced by another international online sensation two years down the line, but I think it’s high time we stop placing so much emphasis on the future and focus on the here and now. Now is the time (particularly for PR folks) to harness the sheer power of Facebook in the right ways and also to concentrate on the smaller, niche online communities forming on networks such as LinkedIn and Ning.

What are your thoughts?