The Persuasionists

For the last three years, my new years resolution has been to start writing a comedy based on adland. Looks like I’ve been beaten to it. Shoulda woulda coulda ‘n all that. Here is some commentary from Campaign. (Perhaps there may be room for another attempt after all?)

However, on closer inspection, they seem to have missed a trick. I’m really surprised that they didn’t extend the concept and the characters online. Think of the fake Peep Show characters on twitter from last year. Tom Davenport created eight of the characters from the show and wrote storylines allowing people to follow the characters interactions on twitter. This was an unofficial little experiment but imagine if it had been fully integrated into the content? Cumulatively the characters on twitter had amassed 25,000 followers (admittedly, a lot of those will be the same people- the world is crying out for twitter data analysts but that’s a different post!) so how could the show makers have rewarded these die hard fans- another opportunity overlooked?

Had the writers of ‘The Persuasionists’ extended their concept beyond the traditional 6 x 30min format, I think they would have done their original thought much more justice.

It would have brought so much more depth to the characters and the storylines which lend themselves so much to a parallel online narrative.  In doing this, it would have provided a real opportunity to engage a potential huge online audience into a huge online fanbase (particularly in an industry of people who probably heavily over index in online multimedia consumption!) and would have garnered more interest and goodwill before, during and after the series.

Many Alternate Reality Gaming’ ‘programmes’ or viral marketing strategies, the types we are seeing being produced by companies like 42entertainment for the launch of Batman ‘The Dark Knight’ often begin with a strategy which looks to engage an existing fanbase or affinity group (e.g. comic book geeks) and these have proven hugely successful.

The opportunity and platforms are there now for brands as well as programme makers to harness similar thinking…