Remembering Jericho: Back Lot Projects

Rarely have I have worked on a communication case study for the Copywrite, Ink. blog that so clearly galvanizes an audience as the CBS cancellation of Jericho. Sure, we’ve covered a few under-reported stories that have caught the attention of hundreds of readers; some who stay on long after the specific story fades into obscurity. But the CBS Jericho story does not attract hundreds. It attracts thousands. It does not seem to be fade away, but rather grows stronger every day.

As Jericho fans have taken to publicizing our case study in social media and crisis communication, we’ve covered it on more consecutive days than any other topic. Why? Analytics alone demonstrate the value of this very smart audience. They read long, deep, and come from all over the nation (and world). Some have even taken to searching past communication posts, looking for ideas.

I’m not the only place they are looking. While I have not verified these facts, Jericho-On-CBS has published some startling numbers: Jericho was the most watched show for CBS online (450,000 hits a week); Jericho delivered the highest rating in a Wednesday time slot in seven years; and Jericho frequently beat the competition in its time slot despite going up against some tough contenders. (This does not even consider how many fans watched reality shows like American Idol live and then saved Jericho on their DVRs for later.)

If all this is true, then CBS Entertainment made a mistake claiming that the show had lost steam based on ratings. It seems more likely that Jericho simply didn’t fit into CBS’s new fall line-up, purported to be hipper and edgier than past efforts. From a branding standpoint (before the backlash), it makes sense. But from a customer-centric standpoint (after the backlash), it does not.

In some ways, I appreciate where CBS might have been coming from. Some of our colleagues and online associates have cautioned me (using my own words in fact) that quantitative measures (number of visitors) should not overshadow qualitative measures (number of prospects or regular reders). In other words, they’re wondering when I might get back to a broader mix of topics. I have something else planned for tomorrow, but I just don’t know. If something breaks on Jericho, then Jericho is it. Yes, again.

You see, as I learn more about the Jericho fans, they continue to amaze me in how well they’ve come together. One said I made them sound like geniuses, recognizing that public relations professionals and political consultants might be envious of their efforts. Sure, I know in many cases these fans stumbled unto some of it, but that’s just part of the American way. We stumble upon lots of things. More to the point, however, I like to believe that imagination is more important than knowledge and this case study might prove it.

CBS is using its knowledge to justify canceling the show. The fans are using their imagination to save it. The huge volume of orders for nuts, 9,000 pounds at last count, is only a sliver of the number of nuts sent as social media has embraced this story along with a growing number of mainstream media outlets, especially dailies, entertainment weeklies, and local CBS affiliates.

Given this news, I’m putting more even faith in the fans of Jericho, even if CBS has yet to realize it might do the same. Last night, after deadlines were met, my team put together the “Remember Jericho” image as a thank you to all the fans who have popularized our case study. And, we’ve added it to a few T-shirts in our almost-ready-for-primetime online merchandise store.

As a thank you to the fans, especially Jericho Lives and Jericho Rally Point, and to ensure I remain an communication observer (my family and many team members are big fans of the show; they are the ones who encouraged me to write about it to begin with), any proceeds beyond the base price set by Cafepress.com will be donated to the NUTS campaign. If the campaign should end, then we’ll donate it to an appropriate charity. I don’t want to detract from the funding efforts of our campaign elements nor do I want to want to make money on their efforts. (If I release a book by year’s end as planned, you can always consider that instead, as the Jericho story will be included).

The link to the Jericho T-shirts is at Back Lot Projects. Just a few tidbits about the shirt: it’s an adaptation of a vintage World War II war bonds poster, which we thought was fitting with Memorial Day almost weekend upon us and the all the patriotism that seems to surround the show. The ‘Remember Jericho 07’ line plays off another historic rally cry in American history (Remember the Alamo). But besides all that, it was fun to make.

In closing, if not every future post is Jericho focused, keep in mind that we track case studies for a long time, so there will always be another post unless we close it out. We’ll also keep adding updates in the comments. In the interim, if you are a fan and like the image, feel free to use it for non-commercial purposes.

Until then, good luck! And, what else? NUTS!

Shipping Nuts: NutsOnline For Jericho

After most New Jersey businesses had long locked their doors and headed home yesterday, NutsOnline was busy filling orders and fielding e-mail questions from social and mainstream media at midnight. Its total volume shipped was up 15 percent in three days.

Sudden surges in orders, especially around holidays, is nothing new for a third generation nut company founded by “Poppy” Sol, a hard-working 22-year-old with a can-do attitude on the brink of the Great Depression. But today, and for the past several days, nothing is business as usual for Jeffery Braverman and his family-owned business.

“On Friday we noticed a few orders coming in that looked kind of weird,” said Braverman, about the sudden run on nuts for CBS. “But then we Googled around and caught wind of some “NUTS” campaign and a few blogs had linked us as a place to buy them.”

If you are unfamiliar with the “NUTS” campaign, it is one of several grassroots efforts by the fans of the recently cancelled CBS series “Jericho.” Although Braverman was not a fan of show, he was curious about what seemed to be a growing movement across America. So he posted a small entry on his company’s blog and thousands of fans quickly demonstrated their appreciation.

“Then, the fans said they were looking for some kind of discount,” said Braverman. “So we decided to come up with a mechanism for Jericho fans to pool orders and get the most bang for their buck.”

Since responding to Jericho fans as part of the company’s long-term commitment to enthusiastic customer service (the polar opposite of how fans say they view CBS), large pooled orders being shipped to CBS have doubled and doubled again. Some customers place specific one-pound orders, but many are opting for an inventive $5 contribution.

Braverman also added a dedicated Jericho page and provides fans regular updates and a total accounting of all orders shipped to CBS.

What started as 1,000 pounds of nuts per day has steadily increased to 2,000 pounds. Today, Braverman anticipates that total might double. Given NutsOnline isn’t the only shop shipping nuts to CBS, it’s anybody’s guess how many nuts just might be stacking up in the CBS mailroom.

“We weren’t fans (of Jericho), but we are now!!!” adds Braverman enthusiastically, saying that he intends to start watching it as soon as he has a chance. “My cousin just watched a show online and he says it is great!”

Like Braverman, our team has been amazed how handfuls of fans quickly put together the largest show protest in television history. These fans are loyal, smart, self-funded, and increasingly organized. In addition to drawing from the 8 million strong Jericho fan base, they are securing fans from other shows, appealing to how those fans might feel if Heroes, Lost, or similar shows were let go like Jericho.

Within days, they’ve demonstrated better media savvy than most working public relations professionals, capturing write-ups in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, MediaWeek, and a growing number of mainstream media outlets dazzled by their commitment to save the show (not to mention the novelty of the NUTS campaign and other ideas). They’ve even raised eyebrows among some political consultants with their ability to pull together a highly motivated campaign team and employ social media better than many presidential candidates.

They’ve exhibited tremendous show loyalty, investing money that may have gone to former advertisers had the show not been cancelled. And, they are quickly learning how to organize everything from in-person protests to pricing full-page advertisements in Variety Magazine and USA Today. They’ve even encouraged some of the show’s stars to add comments on the CBS Jericho message boards — first Michael Gaston (who plays Mayor Gray) and then Brad Beyer (who plays Stanely Richmond).

In sum, there are dozens of lessons to be learned from this living case study: from the power of customer service as exhibited by NutsOnline (give customers what they want with nothing more than the hope NutsOnline will be remembered) to how social media might make an impact in an all-digital media age.

The bottom line: Jericho fans might be sending nuts to CBS, but they are hardly nuts themselves. For dozens of links to various spontaneously generated fan sites, check out our other Jericho posts here and check the tally the online petition created to save the show.

Landing Loudly: David Neeleman

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Ever since David Neeleman stepped down as CEO of JetBlue "to focus on more long-term strategic initiatives for JetBlue as Chairman of the Board," his famous blog, called a flight log, has stood silent.

The last post penned by Neeleman gives an outstanding welcome to Dave Barger as CEO, but leaves the people who enjoyed Neeleman's online presence one question unanswered: Will Neeleman's flight blog remain the last word of an airline founder who saw the value of social media or will Barger now brave the relatively untested waters of CEO blogging?

The question isn't so much for JetBlue as it is for any corporation that has taken the plunge. As more executives take to blogging or achieve near celebrity status as very visible spokespeople for their companies, it becomes crystal clear that very few have thought about a social media contingency plan.

What happens when visible voices become embroiled in controversy or step aside as Neeleman did? One would think the Robert Scoble story would have better prepared companies for such eventualities. Microsoft fared pretty well with a transition in 2006, but it seems like not all companies will.

While ADWEEK's May 21 article doesn't provide the answers, it does recognize a change in the perception of company branding with a renewed marriage between marketing and customer service.

"Blogs, online video, e-mail and mobile phones—not to mention company and brand ratings on sites like Amazon and Yahoo—give the average consumer an immediate, interactive soapbox on which to share how Company X let them down," writes Joan Voight. "In today's consumer culture, a humorous video on YouTube featuring a cable repairman sleeping on the job gets far more attention than the well-established American Customer Satisfaction Index from the University of Michigan—an index that due to its business press-oriented nature can't compete with the Web."

The article also mentions JetBlue Valentine's Day crisis and its efforts to employ a largely unproven social media tactic as part of its crisis communication strategy. In our case study, we noted that while the effort was to be commended, JetBlue only did everything almost right. Unfortunately for Neeleman, if you subscribe to ADWEEK's assessment that it was the "episode, dissected on blogs and elsewhere, even brought down the airline's high-flying founder and CEO David Neeleman," almost was not enough to win over JetBlue stakeholders, who seemed to think the easiest way to end the over-apologizing was to shuffle their spokesman off the stage (for awhile anyway).

Left behind is a flight log (blog) that will require some pretty big shoes to fill unless Neeleman re-emerges as the very verbal and likeable founder of the airline.

Indeed. The communication game has changed and executives are taking more heat over the attention they receive as their personal brands and actions sometimes eclipse the company they work for. As a result, some now have bigger targets on their backs as sacrificial lambs when things go wrong.

Some are shuffled around or let go for a single company slip like Neeleman or Jim Samples. Others are dismissed for what the Toronto Star, a few graphs down, calls terminal uniqueness (n. Psychological condition afflicting top executives suffused with a sense of omnipotence, until their bad behavior bites them in the behind) like Chris Albrecht, Julie Roehm, and Todd Thomson.

Sure, something is being done. You cannot pick up a communication-related publication today without reading about social media. However, far too many communicators are not sure what to do with all this information because they thought the opening rounds were nothing but a fad.

Unfortunately for their employers, this means mistakes—including leaving well-read blogs quiet because no one ever short listed possible replacements (or signed several executive bloggers/spokespeople to begin with)—will continue to be made until communicators realize that the fast-paced trend to become more customer-centric instead of product-centric means more social media attention on company executives, whether you ask for it or not. (Something CBS is discovering right now.)

So, unless social media is carefully employed as part of your company's overall strategy, sooner or later, you will be left with the wrong message, or perhaps, no message at all, where customers expect to find it. Whether "it" means a flight log or something else entirely. JetBlue. Case study closed.

Saving Jericho: Seven Solutions For CBS

If Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, is wondering why providing "closure to the compelling drama that was the Jericho story" does not seem to be enough to stop the hemorrhaging caused by the loyal fans of Jericho, she need look no further than the proven practice of crisis communication. Asking the right questions will always lead to effective solutions.

First and foremost, the network has to acknowledge something went wrong. Given the relentless activity at sites like Jericho Rally Point, Jericho Lives, and Save Jericho, something obviously did go wrong.

Add to these sites the increasing number of social and mainstream media outlets taking notice: film.com, SoundtheSirens, and TV Guide forums. Or try a simple "Save Jericho" search. That's all it takes to see the gravity of the situation even without the NUTS campaign. (We hope CBS donates to food shelters).

Since there is no question that the drama attached to save Jericho efforts will continue to catch fire, making the CBS decision sound like a comedy of one error after another, it's time to ask how the broadcaster can stop a siege of loyal viewers and then transform bad public relations into network performance.

Solution One: Make A Commitment. Since "ending" the show does not seem to be enough, give it a limited run commitment with six shows squeezed somewhere into next season's line up. The announcement would provide CBS enough breathing room to get something done besides husking nuts. Considering the show left off with a major battle between New Bern and Jericho, it would be all too easy to drop any actors who don't wish to come back.

Solution Two: Fast Track DVD Season One. Everybody heard Tassler say that CBS is a business, so then maybe CBS could act like a business. Fast tracking the first season of Jericho to DVD would revive the fan base lost during the midseason break, generate cash flow, capture new fans (because some will be curious to see what they missed), and provide a better measurement than ratings alone.

Solution Three: Restore Fans Online. Dozens of fans, especially "save Jericho" leaders, were allegedly kicked from CBS forums. If there is to be any hope to restore peace, they could be reinstated on the condition they do not spam other show sites. These fans are not the enemies, but rather CBS allies who never thought the network lost its edge (because it created the show they love). They are also the ones who might not vote up ratings, but they are very willing to vote with pocketbooks.

Solution Four: Merchandising. Merchandising remains one of the biggest misses for Jericho this year. CBS could reverse any lackluster or perhaps non-existent show merchandising by involving fans in the design process (maybe a contest). Some have demonstrated a knack for producing merchandise that needs no more than a little polish.

Solution Five: Public Relations. Bringing the show back now would be a big public relations coup that will be talked about for months by entertainment news outlets because it would represent a dramatic shift in industry thinking. As I often say on this blog, we cannot choose what people say about us, but we can choose how we react to it. The appropriate reaction is not to look at fans as raving lunatics, but rather as living proof that CBS can create endearing programs.

Solution Six: Drop Subscription-Based Videos. There seems to be plenty of evidence to support the idea that a monthly subscription to multiple shows is not going to work in the age of new media. Single purchase downloads are much more effective because they allow the consumer to make the choice. The network could potentially make more money and the fans would be happier. Apple, YouTube, and Joost have already set this as the standard for on-demand digital media.

Solution Seven: Learn From Past Mistakes. CBS is not alone. Mid-season breaks almost killed several shows this year. While mid-season breaks might be palatable for shows that are largely based on a single standalone episode like House, CSI, and Two And A Half Men, they clearly don't work with serials. When fans miss a week, they are less motivated to return.

So there you have it. With seven solutions, I believe CBS could be in a prime position to turn a public relations nightmare into next season's leader, especially as more people learn what it was about Jericho that the fans found so addictive.

To me, it all seems pretty easy to figure out. Jericho was much more than a sci-fi "fallout" thriller. For many fans, from what I've read, it was a testament to being a family-oriented American: a small town consisting of top-drawer actors struggling against the odds to remain loyal to the very best qualities this country can offer. Who can blame them for liking that?

In times like these, when government sometimes seems too polarized to show forward motion and the evening news focuses too much on people who make the wrong decisions, is it any wonder why a few million people found hope in the citizens of Jericho as they made sacrifices to make the right moral decisions? At least, that's the way I see it.

Going Nuts: CBS In Crisis

If there is a tipping point between viral fun and crisis communication, CBS seems to have found it. As if a battle with The National Association of REALTORS over a CBS "60 Minutes" story isn't bad enough, the network is trying desperately to prevent an all-out war with its own customers, viewers who became enamored with the television series "Jericho."

Originally, Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment, took the hard view, telling the Vancouver Sun and other media outlets ... "that show would still be on the air if the audience was there. No programmer wants to p.i.s.s. off their audience. When that happens, it's unfortunate. Part of what we try to do is create viewer loyalty, and then build on that ... But we're running a business."

Today, on CBS Jericho message boards, her bluntness has been dulled and her talk-tough approach humbled.

"Please know that canceling a television series is a very difficult decision ... It is a show we loved too. We truly appreciate the commitment you made to the series and we are humbled by your disappointment. In the coming weeks, we hope to develop a way to provide closure to the compelling drama that was the Jericho story."

What changed? A combination of viral fan campaigns that demonstrate the relative ease of organizing an army of angry customers online. The site includes all CBS phone numbers, e-mails, and addresses; affiliate and advertiser contact information; links to an online petition growing by 10,000 viewers a day; sample letters; show ratings; and even links to other networks to encourage them to buy Jericho.

On any given show cancellation, maybe a single viral idea might stick. Not so with Jericho. In addition to the NUTS campaign we reported on yesterday, fans have been busy.

They have made fax sheets, T-shirts, and posters featuring CBS "nuking" the show; added links to where you can order "nuts" online; solicited celebrities; threatened CBS boycotts; spammed other show message boards (resulting in scores of CBS fans being removed from the CBS Jericho site); and dozens of other ideas, many of which are being promoted on the CBS Jericho message boards and hundreds of blogs.

The fallout being caused by hundreds of thousands of viewers (a fraction of millions who watched it) and CBS is one that all major networks can take note of: show promotion and social media represent a double-edged sword. It may increase viewership and buy-in but it also evolves viewers into customers.

Ratings conducted by Nielsen are no longer the only measure of a fan base. Consumers are recording their favorite shows in record numbers; watching full episodes with an online platform that, ironically, CBS provided; or waiting to catch up when an entire season is released on DVD. Personally, I'm surprised Tassler and her staff didn't factor this, along with the fanaticism of fans they did create, into the equation. First run ratings are seemingly becoming one of the least effective measures for successful programming.

The mistake, what some are calling the worst cancellation error in television history, is taking a major toll on CBS. Enough so that the latest rumor is that if CBS doesn't release the show to another network, it may produce a 2-hour series finale to tie up loose ends.

I'm no longer convinced it will work. The finale idea might have been successful a few days ago, but now organized fans seems less willing to settle after being ignored then talked-tough too then booted from CBS message boards and now seemingly placated by the executives. Tensions are so high that even CBS affiliate Eyewitness News 12 in Kansas has defected to the customer camp.

In sum, this entire event is demonstrating that passive viewers have evolved into active customers. As such, networks might think twice about going to war against them. Such wars only make advertisers and shareholders extremely anxious, nervous, and less than impressed.

Getting Nuts: CBS Over Jericho

What would you do with 22,000 pounds of nuts? That's what CBS executives might have to ask themselves if even half of the Jericho fans who have already signed an online petition make good on a grassroots effort that calls for viewers to send in “nuts.”

According to some fans, sending nuts is the best response to the show’s cancellation because it originates with character Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich) borrowing the historic phrase in response to a final offer of surrender from a hostile neighboring town. Of course, the response, “nuts,” is tied to General Anthony C. McAuliffe’s answer to a German demand for surrender in World War II.

According to various accounts, when McAuliffe was told of the German demand for surrender he said "Aw, nuts". At a loss for an official reply, Lt. Col. Kinnard suggested that his first remark summed the situation up well, which was agreed to by the others. The official reply: "To the German Commander, NUTS!, The American Commander" was typed and delivered by Colonel Harper to the German delegation. Harper had to explain the meaning of the word to the Germans.

Some fans say they feel the same way, cut off by CBS because they blame the company’s executives for the show’s lackluster ratings. As pointed out by Showbuzz , many viewers abandoned the show only after it went on a long midseason hiatus, much like "Lost" on ABC and "Heroes" on NBC.

This is not the first time CBS has garnered negative reactions related to the show. Fans were upset when CBS did not deliver on its promise to fully produce side stories online and when it removed a fan-generated Wikipedia entry to retain control over what details they wanted fans to remember. Now, some fans have accused CBS of deleting posts in the CBS-hosted Jericho forum.

Since, discussions of the show’s cancellation have spilled onto the main CBS discussion area, which is dominated by fan complaints and pleas at various times. Not to be outdone, fans of other shows on CBS, which were also cancelled, are following suit, creating an interesting statement about social media.

With growing fervor, networks are hearing louder and louder protests over show cancellations that would have barely received mention 20 years ago. Now, due to increased consumer buy-in with rich online content, forums, and deleted scenes, broadcasters might find it more difficult to make decisions without consumer consent. In sum, fans become more vested than ever.

Public outcry is also linked to the knowledge that some shows can be saved. One of the most famous cases was Seth MacFarlane’s Family Guy. FOX reversed its cancellation after Cartoon Network reruns revived interest and consumers bought 2.2 million DVDs. Of course, it’s always easier to revive a show with animated characters than a large ensemble cast like Jericho. Nuts.