"Vikki, I'm very disappointed. I thought this was between us."
You guys know Vikki has seen Katie Couric naked, right? Well, she has. But, what made us think of this was actually this article in Penthouse The New York Times about reaching an audience that doesn't sit obediently before a single screen, waiting to be spoon-fed the news, but gets a lot of different news, at different times, in front of a lot of different screens. Our favorite bit:
anchor, is an invitation to participate. So what if we changed the format of
her show? Every day she gives us a sneak preview of whom she will interview
over the next week. And you can go online and post your own questions. Maybe
two or three user questions end up on the evening news, and you’re like
a big star if she uses your question. She says your name: “This is Robert
Rasmussen’s question.” You’re totally psyched. You feel awesome."
Yep – that "invitation to participate" is pretty important stuff. Some brands offer it. Others don't. How does the difference affect you? What does it make you think about the brand that doesn't? To us, it makes the brand that wants to hear from you seem brave, experimental, willing to fail. And the non-participatory brand? Technically clueless at best, just-plain-clueless at worst.
You'll be hearing a lot about the participatory experience from us in the coming year. Naturally, we'd love to hear what you think.
