July 24, 2007Real questions from real people for fake politicians
Filed Under: Communal Marketing
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Last night, the landmark and unprecedented CNN - You Tube debate aired on television (CNN). All in all, roughly 3,000 questions were submitted. Obviously only a fraction were asked.
I watched part of the debate and I, like most people, walked away with an overall favorable feeling towards this new and novel format.
There are plenty of insights, observations and discussion points worth noting. Here are a few thoughts:
- Why did CNN need You Tube? Surely CNN should have had the clout and reach to do this "solo"?
- Corollary: This was a great way to engage a younger and more proactive audience - both in terms of participation and tune-in.
- To that end, what % of viewers last night do you think were "new to CNN" and what % do you think will stick around and keep watching CNN?
- Cheers to CNN for tightly integrating this into their pre- and post- programming e.g. airing and extending this consumption experience via "video responses"
- Jeers to CNN for having to cede so much equity and visibility to You Tube (as opposed to CNN)
- For those of you wondering what happened to all the questions that *didn't* make the debate, here they are. I'm still wondering how many were censored or perhaps I should say "rejected"
Last night's debate is anywhere between a seminal moment in media and a very clear notch in the lifecycle and evolution of media where we saw YouTube (AKA Google) as an ever-emerging media powerhouse. It also undermines the declining influence and clout of the traditional/old portals: Yahoo!, MSN and AOL.
The Republican debate is on September 17th. I'll be watching.
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Comments
1. Youtube is the younger audience and cobranding was meant to drive that audience. We are distrustful of CNN, Fox, etc. Youtube is US. We are not distrustful of ourselves.
2. Focusing on percentages of who will stay is worthless now. They won't stay for the old format because they came for the new. The whole point is that a network like CNN realize the media is changing to be more user driven. They should be asking "How can we do this every day? How can we make that format viable for users and advertisers? How will they benefit?" It's obvious to me that the network to listen to a core audience of younger viewers and program accordingly will derive major audience numbers and market prominence.
3. Partnering and giving clout to Youtube is not a bad thing. This is about change and the understanding that Youtube enables the user. Instead of saying that CNN didn't optimize brand impression, you should take notice that CNN is embracing user content and encouraging the medium that allows for it.
Posted by: Robert John Ed
This just bears repeating:
>>Youtube is the younger audience and cobranding was meant to drive that audience. We are distrustful of CNN, Fox, etc. Youtube is US. We are not distrustful of ourselves.>>
DId you really not get this Joe, or were you fishing for answers?
I mean partnering with YouTube was f-ing genius for CNN. It upped their "hipness" quotient exponentially. You'd have gotten a completely different audience of questioners on cnn.com.
I thought they did a great job with the debates, particularly insofar as delivering what they'd promised which was basically "something different."
Posted by: tangerine Toad
Glad you liked it. You put the program down on the podcast we held, when I brought it up (in both segments 1 and 2 we talked it)...told you it was worth watching (Toad has also said he was far more pleased with it than he thought it would play out). The Sci-Fi blogger program--that you also poked fun at--was well received, too (I brought that one up on both segments).
Posted by: CK
Have no idea why anyone would have advised them to "go solo". Why ask users who know and like YouTube to change habits? All we need is another platform--the problem has been that they didn't share embeds for the indiv. questions (my gripe since day 1). But the value is in using a trusted platform like YouTube.
Posted by: CK
Hi Joe - Perhaps they read your book and were inspired to experiment with a cross-brand and cross-medium promotion? ;)
Even though CNN ceded attention to YouTube, CNN surely increased viewership of younger audiences (as the above comments suggest) but more importantly, this kind of user-involvement could actually increase voter turnout among younger audiences. Now wouldn´t that progress!!
Posted by: Joe Kutchera
One more thing....how was it for you to watch the debate from Mexico? That indeed is progress as well...taking advantage of the global distribution system of the Internet.
Posted by: Joe Kutchera
Another great thing about the experiment was how they had the actual person in the form of the pastor follow-up from the audience.
I think the answer to his question was still evaded when asked again, but it was nice to see a lot of the politicians last night be made by Cooper to focus on the answer.
Posted by: makethelogobigger
If anything, this entire debacle just serves to highlight the tremendous gap between traditional and new media. Traditional media authors view themselves as the drivers and their subscribers as passengers. If we (consumers) are lucky enough to gain access (paid or ad supported) to their content, then good for us.
New media users view ourselves as part of the media. The media car is driven by the community via ratings, diggs, clicks, memes and subscriber numbers.
Kudos to CNN for letting users suggest destinations for them to drive towards, but shame on CNN for failing to hand over the keys to the community for a precious few minutes of poorly rated cable television time.
It's amazing that no candidates have yet thought to bring the debate to the people by posting their own responses to questions on YouTube itself. It's no wonder nobody votes.
Posted by: Jon Burg
Sometimes the Jaffer spills a litle coffee -- it was brilliant partnering and generally good for all involved. Legitimacy depends in part upon distance. You don't do your own survey -- and you pray that the Nielsens and Buzzmetrics of the world are clean and objective -- similarly, YouTube still has the authenticity and transparency -- thus honesty - that the NYT, CBS, FOX, CNN -- etc have lost. That's why they partnered -- and gained new audience.
A glitch today is a killer and the deal with YouTUbe and style was well thought out by CNN - even in the Anderson re-do there was great care and candor and some of the contributions not shown the night before were shown to help dispel notions of arbitrary or partisan censorship. Speaking of glitches, watch the gas pains and money to be spent by Stern and the NBA rebuilding a franchise because of one (hopefully just one) guy.
I think the event was great; media mavens and production rule. From Super Bowl commercials to Idol to the Sopranos we can grab audience - that's no surprise. Now let's see if the Democratic Party can find a candidate team and market strategy that can win --
Cheers.
Posted by: neal Burns
Wonderful Jaffe Juice readers - can you not recognize a rhetorical question when you see one?
Of course I understand why CNN needed YouTube...although if truth be told, the questions didn't exactly come from pimple-faced 18 year olds now did they?
My point was more of a commentary to say...how is it that the world's leading news network *has* to turn to YouTube in order to legitimize some kind of partnership/youth oriented activity.
In other words, "my, how things have changed"
Posted by: jJ
I see someone's learned something from the politicians in the debate. Excellent backpedalling Joe ;)
Posted by: tangerine Toad
hahahaha
Surely you know I'm way too intelligent to have purposely messed up :)
Posted by: jJ
