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| If only...(thanks Google Images!) |
I like "American Idol". To be more accurate, I like the auditions portion of the show. Every freak in the country comes out to screech and howl and it's nice to know that while my singing voice is what Simon would refer to as "ghastly", it's not the worst one out there. Not by far. When the auditions are over, I get bored quickly. If I wanted to listen to bad karaoke, I would go out to a bar and have a few drinks first. I've never understood how the show has so many viewers and how so many of the winners and runners-up have gone on to successful careers -- at least until lately.
The show is less of a search for a superstar as it is a market research campaign. The concept of market research is this: companies don't want to waste money if they don't have to. Before manufacturing and distributing a new product, potential consumers are invited to test, sample or view it ahead of time, and to give opinions or suggestions for improvement. Sometimes, the product is ready to be released; other times, it's sent back for modifications or back to the drawing board entirely. When I worked in the industry, I saw a number of products or television shows that were changed according to the feedback of focus group participant; some were scrapped altogether.
One would think that after so many seasons, "American Idol" would have the perfect formula for a singing superstar. Yet the last two seasons have failed to produce a successful product.
In total, only between 5 - 7 items in the AI catalog have had a successful sales record, and none are what I would consider quality material. I'm sure you think otherwise -- you probably think that Carrie Underwood is the answer to all things musical. I don't. I think she's a product manufactured and marketed by the "American Idol" superstar factory.
I grew up in the age of bands. The first band I admired was KISS. Yes, they wore makeup for a time, but doesn't every group have a
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| Classic KISS |
Their first big success was the album "Destroyer", and that was due to a B-side (when we had records, the '45's had singles on them -- "Beth" was on the other side of "Detroit Rock City") called "Beth". Yep, it's always the ballads. In any case, the album went platinum and KISS was a serious contender in the music world. KISS may have had a gimmick, but they weren't and aren't anyone's product.
The Product Life Cycle And "American Idol"
The first step of the product life cycle is the introduction stage. This is where the product is introduced to the public and demand has to be created in order for it to continue. Success isn't expected at this stage, it's enough just to be able to tread water.
But back to the train wreck that is "American Idol". The first product they released was Kelly Clarkson. She has been extremely successful, selling over 20 million units (we're just going to call them units from now on). Until her most recent release, she wasn't involved much in writing her own songs. Her name, in the beginning, only appeared alongside more established artists for writing credit.
We move on to the growth stage, where the product begins to sell and gain popularity. During this time, AI's season finale went from #25 in 2002 to #3 in 2003. Serious growth, little actual success.
The next winner was Ruben Studdard. He released one platinum album, losing sales with each until the most recent peaked at less than 50,000 units. His competitor, Clay Aiken, followed the same sales pattern, as did the Season 3 winner, Fantasia Barrino. A competitor who was eliminated sooner, Jennifer Hudson, has been far more successful and versatile as a singer and actress. Season 4 gave the world the only true superstar, Carrie Underwood. Out of the 39 songs she has released on three albums, she's only had a hand in writing ten of them. That's almost 1/4 of her entire catalog, and not one song was written solely by Underwood. Once again, she's not an artist, she's a product, the most successful product AI has marketed so far. Subsequent seasons introduced new products that were only moderate successes.
Once a product has been on the market for a while, it hits the maturity stage. Sales volume increases and new competitors enter the market. Many shows modeled themselves after AI, including "So You Think You Can Dance", "America's Got Talent" and "Shark Tank". AI stayed high in the ratings, but their products were no longer in demand.
Thus, "American Idol" has finally reached the saturation and decline stage. The ratings are still high; actual popularity of winners and sales are disappointingly low. We all know that when regular cast members, in this case the judges, start leaving and are replaced, the show is on its way out. The same is true of AI.
If I were to critique AI's market research strategy, I would have to start with the screening process. That used to be me -- surveying potential focus group members in order to weed out those who wouldn't be able to offer valuable input. On the show, the judges are the screeners and they often screen out the wrong singers based on appearance (Simon hates big girls). The next stage is to hand it over to the voting public. That's how Jennifer Hudson was eliminated. Instead of voting on the singers the public likes the best, it's a contest to see who can get through the phone lines first and whose voting campaign will be the most successful (sound familiar?).
There's nothing about "American Idol" that's based on talent, potential, or artistry. It's all about finding new products and marketing them to the public. Just so you know, people who attend focus groups get paid. You're offering your input for free. In essence, "American Idol" is ripping off millions of viewers every season. Or are you ripping them off? After all, you're voting for singers whose work you're not buying.
Happy to lose my mind in "Detroit Rock City",
D
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