Since taking over the helm of The Tonight Show from Jay Leno
February 17, 2014, Jimmy Fallon has taken late night by
storm. By all indications he’s doing a
fantastic job entertaining his audience, securing great guests, kickin’ it with
a strong monologue and comedy bits, and most importantly for network NBC,
growing viewership. Former Saturday
Night Live cast member, Jimmy provides a fresh approach to late night TV. Turning 40 in September, the comedian pulls
in the younger audience highly prized by advertisers.
Drawing in more young viewers, in particular the coming of
age "millenials" was a key objective for refreshing the show and bringing in
classy, lighthearted entertainer Fallon. The late 20’s to early 40’s viewers are stepping into more influential
career roles and are a critically important consumer demographic as they
purchase homes, have babies and raise families, take vacations and drive
consumer demand.
What insight can we marketers glean from Jimmy’s success on
The Tonight Show?
Twitter is an Immediate Satisfaction Tool OUT = print IN
= tweets
With over 12,000 followers, Jimmy’s hashtag game tweets out
questions that become worldwide trending topics as fast as a wind-fueled
wildfire. The responses are hilarious,
and of course they choose the best responses for Jimmy to deliver on the
show. I love that he reads the name of
the tweeter and shows the response as he reads it, so it feels like you are
reading the tweet yourself. The best
part for NBC – users write their comedy for them. Proves once again that truth is stranger than
fiction – you just can’t make this stuff up. As of this writing, the tweet is:
Let's play the
hashtag game! Tweet out the weirdest or worst summer job you ever had and tag
with #WorstSummerJob. Could be on our show!
I watched the painful pause from Jay Leno as he delivered
the last comedy bit of news clippings, and the staff from behind the camera
said they wouldn’t be needing any new clippings sent in by viewers. The hashtag game reinforces the end of the
printed era. "Millenials' use technology
to find what they’re looking for, not printed anything. Social media and in
particular Twitter done right is topical, conversational, and timely.
Get Real OUT
= structure IN = flow
Jimmy’s personality resonates throughout The Tonight Show. From the moment he skips onto the stage with
a coy smile and clapping along with the audience, he’s ready to have a good
time. I smile just thinking about
it. His genuine comfort in his own skin
and amusement with the world gets his audience ready to go on a journey of
irreverence and entertainment that is most certainly harder than he makes it
look. What makes Jimmy Fallon great at
this job is what made Johnny Carson great – both are REAL. Their ease and amusement with the world comes
through, not as “hosts” per se but as guides to artfully craft an experience
with guests as if you were invited to a house party with them. You get the feeling the celebs really want to
be there and hang out – not appear as stiffly scripted guests.
Jonah Hill apologizing for rude language to paparazzi on The
Tonight Show was an amazing thing to watch: http://www.nbc.com/the-tonight-show/segments/6866. As many on social media commented after that
apology – he did it right, appeared sincere and expressed genuine emotion,
unlike others in the public light who are defensive, edgy, angry and more
concerned with getting caught. I can’t
imagine this scenario playing out a decade ago or on another show. It was above all real, or at least appeared
so, and real is something "millenials" expect from public officials, celebrities
and brands. They can smell fake a mile away and will
simply turn away from insincerity to another choice without skipping a
beat. Spin and hyperbole really doesn’t
work with this generation.
Experiences Rule OUT = formal IN = experiential
Apparently Billy
Joel hasn’t appeared on a talk show for some dozen years. But he decides to come visit with Jimmy. I see the teaser and have an expectation of
the typical approach - Billy sits in the guest chair, chats a little, heads
over to the stage to sing one of his famous songs. I like Billy Joel so I am looking forward to
this. But what happens is WELL beyond my
expectation and its genius. Jimmy pulls
out an iPad with a formerly little-known app called Loopy HD (for $7.99)
downloaded and hooked up to a couple microphones and asks Billy if he can sing
with him because – well, he wants to. They
take turns recording the doo wop background for The Lion Sings Tonight
and they launch into the most joyous 4 minutes you’ll ever witness – check out
that smile on Jimmy’s face when Billy Joel starts really getting into it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU-eAzNp5Hw&feature=kp. This
isn’t about hosting a guest, this is about creating an experience and having
fun. By the way, app developer Michael
Tyson as reported by Todd Spangler had no idea Fallon was using the app on the show, but has done well with
downloads since the show aired: http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/jimmy-fallon-billy-joel-duet-app-1201141742/
Jimmy’s buddy Justin
Timberlake comes on the show all the time and they dance and sing and goof
around. It’s raw and joyful and
fun. Jimmy is able to get guests visit
with him that shun personal appearances because his show is a kick to do. He has a standing approach to playing games
with his guests – Pictionary is a favorite – and it feels like you’re just
hanging out with friends. The guests are
relaxed, the approach is fun and inclusive to the audience and you really feel
like you get to know them as people. Sure, the guests are there to pitch their movie or album or whatever but
the experience and the inclusiveness of playing together is fantastic to watch. Marketing a movie this way is so much more
appealing than a talking head. You want
to go see the movie to see how this person handles the role, rather than even
the story itself. Including the audience
in an experience is a highly appealing way to be marketed to and meets the
implicit “deal” between the marketer and the consumer of the product – the
trade-off of an experience for their investment of time, money and focus.
We are in a fast paced time of transition in the marketing world. It’s great to watch the success of a truly new approach to an iconic show like The Tonight Show. Leveraging Twitter, Getting Real, and Creating Experiences for customers are just three of the new marketing rules to be embraced as we move into a new era.
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