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Pledge Culture: Rituals and Truths

Pledge Culture: Rituals and Truths. Or Why the Regular Schedule Programs Don’t Pledge Very Well. Pledge is. Not like being a doctor –formal school Pledge is an apprenticeship On the job training Learn the rituals and mores from a master/mistress

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Pledge Culture: Rituals and Truths

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  1. Pledge Culture: Rituals and Truths Or Why the Regular Schedule Programs Don’t Pledge Very Well Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  2. Pledge is • Not like being a doctor –formal school • Pledge is an apprenticeship • On the job training • Learn the rituals and mores from a master/mistress • All of that training and practice constitutes the pledge culture Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  3. Pledge Culture Rituals • Many are true… scientifically • The practices are garnered from years of use… and change gradually • Example: from taped breaks, to air checks to virtuals • So why is it so hard to pledge regular schedule? Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  4. Rituals are Habits • Look at how we learn to ride a bike • Or more complicated to drive your car • After lots and lots of practice you finally get it • And it goes on “automatic” • Old habits hardly ever die… after decades you get on a bike and after a bit be back in form Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  5. Effort Expended Learning Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  6. Biology of Habits • After you learn a habit or understand a ritual your brain slips into automatic • You no longer “pay attention” • That’s what happens when you watch a TV program or a pledge break… • Automaticity dampens attention • Neuroscientist have more dire label Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  7. Habituation • A habit or ritual is different • Habituation is the result of lengthy practice or repeated exposure • Good side: Automaticity. I can drive to work without sweating bullets. • Bad side: if you are an addict, your dose has to increase to get buzzed Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  8. Habituation:Continued • A television program suffers from habituation where people’s attention wanes from repeated exposure • And the same for a pledge break or a pledge drive • So one – not all – reason the regular schedule does not pledge is habituation Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  9. Learning from Antiques Roadshow • A television format is another form of ritual/habit • We have spent years learning the mores and have conditioned expectations about what is proper and expected… Judy Woodruff does not kiss and make out Ray Suarez on the NewsHour set Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  10. Antiques Roadshow Appraisal • Introduce object with some mystery • Bullet points on distinctive features • Provide historical context • Epiphanies of lives and antique • What’s it worth • Close the loop between owner, object and apprasier Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  11. Why ARS is a Hit • There is a variety • Objects • Casting owners and apprasiers • Length • Pacing is quick – short two minute segments • Cutting is quick and pink Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  12. Show Colleene Fesko segment Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  13. Segments Are Habits • Antiques Roadshow has a basic format that it spins off variation • The viewer has conditioned expectations and pays attention to that varies from expections • Pledge Breaks are expectations that rely on traditional TV practices Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  14. Ritual Pledge Break Elements • Type of break • Live or virtual? • Challenge break? • Sustainer • Casting pledge talent • Pacing and variety in the break mostly occurs through editing Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  15. Building Blocks of Break Program (reference to it) Incentives (Premium, member card etc.) Mission of station Case statement (Basic needs statement) Member benefits Vote (your pledge is a) How to pledge Call to action Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  16. Message Points PercentagesEight Station Averages – Two Selected Stations Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  17. Pledging Antiques Roadshow • AETN pledged a special edition and it was #9 in total dollars for the drive • They used local talent, the usual premiums, and two breaks… • It uses a three talent rotation of 60-90 seconds per talent with each working up the premium ladder. Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  18. Show AETN segment Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  19. AETN’s Approach • The viewers hear their own voices and see their friends and neighbors • The tone is civil – southern civil • The set is warm and red • The appeals were mostly social contract – the loaf of bread… • Local is local Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  20. Using Tools of the Trade • Kansas City successfully pledged Finding Your Roots • Created a clever set of premiums that tapped into reservoirs of success elements: viewer desires/craving and the magic of TV • The program delivered a primed audience interested in genealogy Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  21. Creating a Premium Craving • Kansas City has one of the top 10 genealogy research libraries in the US • The “city” has a robust library culture and the librarians are raised in the civic culture to create public value • The premium was a $120 one day training session at the library (box lunch included) Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  22. Premiums Exist in Context • Premium price ladders focus attention on the mid range choices. In KCPT they had $3,200 premium, $ 120 and basic membership…The $3,200 premium makes $120 look like a bargain. • The breaks were mostly traditional with two major “new” elements… all the librarians on the set explaining things and a video visit to the library to see the “tools” and how to use them Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  23. Progressive Discourse • AETN Blencko • excerpt Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  24. Creating Tension • KCPT employed a version of progressive disclosure – that is they did television and captured the viewers attention… • By mid-break viewers want to see that library and what you are going to do that day… and finally you do see… (play excerpt) Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  25. Show KCPT segment Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  26. Key Take Aways • Habitation normally dooms efforts to pledge the regular schedule, since both the breaks and the program are on automatic pilot • The station has to strive to localize their appeals (hear your voice) and appeal to local guilt mores to succeed • And/or create compelling local pledge premiums. Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  27. Pledging Local Acquisitions • These series tend to be music, Britcoms, travel, docs and drama • These programs attract genre specific audiences and have more varied appeals in terms of emotion and social relationship (drama) • Why we pledge is based on emotion not reason and contemplation Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  28. Most of Your Life is Unconscious • Emotions are feelings and not words… • Music is emotional • A Picture is worth a thousand words • Speaking and thinking in words is slow, cumbersome and mostly boring Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  29. Why Spock Would Never Pledge • Generally you decide first, often impulsively • Once you decide to pledge your mind goes looking for alibis • The premium is a part of the problem, not the alibi • Ergo our mission and case statements Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  30. Pledging Drama is Easy? • It is a local decision, and that has deep social roots… • The pledgers are local viewers hooked on the drama’s relational emotional hooks • Pledging is voting • The embers of arousal need only be fanned Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  31. Erupter Breaks Could Float the Titanic • Even the most taciturn breaks can not stop the phones • Even the lack of premiums, logical ladders of offers can quell phones • Erupter breaks spoil pledge producers Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  32. Maine excerpt Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  33. Pledging Foyle in Seattle • Again local talent, local references, “your choice to view and pledge” • Bell shaped curve of pledge tallies • Here there is wit and wisdom • The middle level disappears Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  34. Does it Make You Warm/Mellow? • There should be some type of emotional “connection meter” • If drama connects with viewers then it should pledge if the series has density and production values • Same with music and some local docs • Nostalgia is a personal but it is a powerful emotional buzz… Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  35. Creating Local Pledge Documentaries • Designed to evoke nostalgia for times or people gone by • They validate people’s lives • Create a link between the station and its viewer community • They have some unique properties to succeed Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

  36. Take Aways Pledge Culture and Biology of Pledge

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