The lesson for marketers is play it safe and you will be forgotten.
By Amber Hudson and Luke Sklar
Our Monday morning company meeting usually starts off with rowdy chatter on the latest goings on. So it was very telling that no one talked about Sunday night’s Oscars. Sure, there were nice song performances and Neil Patrick (a.k.a. FLATrick) Harris elicited a chuckle or two. But yet again, the Oscars were a snoozer, devoid of fodder for the water cooler other than how boring it was. By comparison, we are still talking about the Super Bowl. From the game to the Half Time show it was America at its brashest, with enough suspense, surprises and sharks to appeal to everyone.
Hollywood, time to wake up from your navel-gazing stupor. Between the Super Bowl and the Oscars, this is all that live TV has left. So quit playing it safe. Sunday’s show was the lowest rated since 2009, with viewership down nearly 15%. We love Neil Patrick Harris as a host, but…well just have a look at his opening number for the Tony’s. Now THAT’S how you do it!
The New York Times post this quote “It’s sad, but most people have to finally accept that the Oscars have become, well, elitist and not in step with anything that is actually popular”. Well said.
The lessons for marketers is very clear: play it safe and you WILL be forgotten.