The book Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution is a great read about how series like The Wire, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad and so many others have transformed television. The lesson for Associations and other Not-for-Profits is how richness of content deepens engagement and has economic consequences. Author Brett Martin points out that Hillstreet Blues was the first network television show (aside from daily soaps) to make reference to a storyline event that took place in a previous telecast (two weeks earlier).
By the time we get to Sopranos Season 5, passing conversational references to things that may have happened three years ago in Season 2 with no additional clues are common and devoted viewers get it. The economics behind this, Martin explains, is that purchases of DVDs and income generated from reruns had eclipsed first-run revenue. Viewers needed a reason to own DVDs and watch episodes numerous times and richness of content became the catalyst for this behavior. Also, viewers in the know felt like part of a community.
I’ve made the point several times that Associations and other Not-for-Profits are privileged to own their content. Doing whatever it takes to make that content as rich as possible is the formula for increasing engagement and creating communities. For web presence that means more visitors, more repeat visits, and longer time spent.
The latest breakthrough television series has more to teach than this. If you haven’t checked it out yet, find Mr. Robot on USA Network. Like The Walking Dead, The Americans, Mad Men and others it combines advertising income with subscription (read membership) revenue as all Associations should, but more than that, the content itself is instructive about a major concern – the Millennials. In seminars and discussion, we treat this part of our workforce and potential member community like a tribe we have come across living in the jungle, worthy of anthropological study.
Setting aside that Mr. Robot is entertainment and therefore characters and situations are extreme for dramatic reasons, it immerses you in the world of millennials. You can’t come away from it without understanding more about the worldview of this age group and what it takes for granted.
Mr. Robot and the new book When Millennials Take Over (by Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant) answer so many questions. Both are worth your time.