The Voice is a music competition reality show where four icons in the music industry "compete to find and transform America's inspiring voices into music's next phenomenon" (nbc.com/the-voice). The biggest draw to the show is that it engages users by utilizing Social TV tactics by extending storytelling by integrating social in the programming, creating a tentpole event with the show and social activations tied directly to the live show, and allowing the audience to control the outcome of the show by voting for their favorite performer (Shorty Awards, 2022). Let's jump in to analyze how The Voice meets consumers' needs.
What was done successfully to meet the wants and needs of the target audience?
Audiences ultimately want to connect with the show they are watching and experience a journey. Competition-based reality shows have been a staple of television with consistent demand and high viewership, especially in the modern era of television due to familiarity and consistency (Parrot Analytics, 2021). The competition genre offers audience interactivity by encouraging viewers to support and vote for their favorite contestant as they become attached to the artist and have a vested interest in seeing how far they can make it or if they win (Parrot Analytics, 2021). Because audience participation directly affects the outcome of the show, it makes participating both online and watching the broadcast more engaging and rewarding for the viewer.
How was the social and consumer experience addressed? Was this done successfully?
Even though we are in the "Prestige" era of television, the most popular shows tend to be reality and competition shows as they are easy to follow, don't require the audience to think, and typically lean on establishing emotional bonds between the contestants, hosts, and audience. The Voice successfully attracts target audiences by combining the online and broadcast groups and creates a large amount of content in both environments that interact with each other (404, 2017). This allows for people to actively and passively participate in the show as most people watch competition and reality shows with their mobile devices in hand already, prompting engagement with the show's social channels and platforms rather than the attention of the viewer drifting elsewhere. Thus, the show was turned into a social experience with two equal channels, personalized for each social network (404, 2017).
By providing corners of social platforms and places around the internet with content tailored to the show, it instilled an instinctive feeling of trust in the consumer which created loyalty and long-term commitment to the show (Ryan, 2015, p 119). Millions of fans engage with content on social platforms and create meaningful connections with community members, talent activations, and high-impact social campaigns (Shorty Awards, 2022). The Voice created meaningful Social TV experiences and integrated the digital landscape more deeply than any show on television (Shorty Awards, 2022).
How were the digital media followers handled?
Followers on digital media were able to engage with the show through the major social media platforms but utilized Twitter the best to drive trending topics and fan interaction with the show, competitors, and celebrity hosts. As a result, The Voice has received record-setting numbers and metrics such as most tweeted series, most social reality series, most tweeted series minutes, top tweeted minute, and most followed TV entertainment series on cable and broadcast (Shorty Awards, 2022). Personalized content was created for fans by having users tweet with specific hashtags and voting was done through the social platforms as well which allowed for not only the show to be one of the highest trending topics but the artists and hosts as well. Fans who follow #BehindTheVoice were able to follow every step of the artists' journey with photos, videos, pre-show events, and other content that provided a robust social media experience (Shorty Awards, 2022). User-generated content that was submitted on social media was showcased during segments of The Voice, creating another competition component of the show, getting your tweet or UGC featured on the show which in turn would gain more followers for your account (Shorty Awards, 2022).
Is there something that could have been done differently to make that experience more efficient?
It is difficult to enhance the experience that The Voice created but in more recent years, NBC has had to adjust by bringing on new coaches that would target younger audiences. By utilizing the built-in fan bases of the coaches, the show can more efficiently bring in new viewers and establish new fans. American Idol was able to diversify its success by not only having a hugely popular, fan-driven show, but they cashed in on the artists themselves through their album sales and concert tours. The Voice showed monstrous success in engaging viewers with social and digital content but could have expanded even more with the competitors by providing them a platform and expanding The Voice's reach. If the show expanded more effectively to other social media platforms outside of its Twitter juggernaut status, it might have been able to create different experiences for generations instead of shaking up the core cast of coaches and celebrities.
DIGITAL INVENTORY & ETHICAL ENGAGEMENTS
Website, Social Media, and Mobile Experience
The Voice's foundation is built on its digital and social platforms. The website effectively delivers exactly what you want with not too much fluff. If you visit the show's website, you are able to watch the latest episodes, learn more about the cast and artists, and even purchase merchandise. The show's social media accounts have millions of followers and only grow as the show continues. The effectiveness of their strategies seems to have plateaued in recent years with losing market share due to the surge of similar shows as well as the shift in trends and demographics. The Voice has always put its celebrities at the forefront of the show but in recent years, more desperate moves have been made, such as bringing in Ariana Grande and establishing more gimmicks, to reach younger more desirable demographics (Cunningham, 2021).
With this shift, loyalty is lost in the core fans causing them to shift their attention elsewhere and younger generations are savvy enough to identify these types of tactics as a cash grab with no real obligation to tune into the show since the clips will appear online or in social feeds. Substantial market data about the viewers are easily obtainable from social media metrics as well as how fans and followers respond to the content and show decisions which can help the network tailor its marketing but just because the show has built-up loyalty, doesn't mean those fans will continue to tune in (Kennan, 2017). With the oversaturated reality and competition show market, it is inevitable that this show may have its best years behind it.
References:
- Shorty Awards. (2022, July 17). The Voice: Winner in INTEGRATION WITH LIVE TELEVISION, Finalist in INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, Gold Distinction in TELEVISION. https://shortyawards.com/8th/the-voice-3
- Parrot Analytics. (2021, June 1). Reality competition shows and their appeal in the United States. https://www.parrotanalytics.com/insights/reality-competition-shows-and-their-appeal-in-the-united-states/
- 404. (2017). How we gave "The Voice" its voice. https://www.404.agency/en/work/voice/
- Ryan, D. (2015, April 28). Understanding Social Media: How to Create a Plan for Your Business That Works. Kogan Page, Limited. Retrieved from ProQuest Ebook Central.
- Cunningham, K. (2021, September 21). Not Even Ariana Grande Can Save "The Voice". Daily Beast. https://www.thedailybeast.com/not-even-ariana-grande-can-save-the-voice
- Kennan, M. (2017, September, 26). Advantages & Disadvantages of Loyalty Cards. Bizfluent. https://bizfluent.com/list-6687907-advantages--amp--disadvantages-loyalty-cards.html
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