How Mad Men is doing it wrong.

August 26, 2008

Imagine this for a second.

You’re producing a very successful television show. You have a loyal following. You can’t open a magazine or newspaper, or read a blog, without seeing a pile of praise heaped on your show. Popularity is rising. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon.

You’ve helped create something that’s difficult to make: a critically acclaimed television show that is receiving tons of public attention.

Everything’s looking good.

Now imagine that a group of fans hops on the Internet and starts emulating the characters in the show. They are true to the nuances of the program. They are gaining quite a following on their own, in fact, leading those who love the show to become even more involved during the six days in between new episodes. They are promoting your product in a fresh, original way.

Why would you sabotage that?

I’m not sure. Let’s ask the creators of Mad Men.

It’s no question that Mad Men, the AMC drama about advertising life at fictional 60s shop Sterling Cooper, has gained a big following. So it’s no surprise that, given this era of global online marketing, someone was bound to take the Mad Men idea and make it better. And they did – on Twitter, of all places. (What is Twitter? Watch this video.)

What this group has done is take the personalities of the main characters from Mad Men and created a series of online avatars. Acting out the parts. Furthering the behind the scenes identities of the characters. Being as completely true to the original concept as possible. Go ahead – ask them questions. They’ll answer in the way you’d expect the character to answer.

The only problem: they’re not AMC employees. Just fans. And now, AMC is forcing Twitter to suspend these accounts (via VentureBeat) due to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

I understand copyrights, and I get that AMC thinks they’re protecting their intellectual property. But this is fan fiction. This is like telling a group of Star Trek fans that they can no longer dress up as their favorite characters. Because that’s exactly what this is – it’s a group of fans dressing up, using an Internet avatar instead of a pair of pointed ears.

Even more, this is a golden opportunity; to create a cult following, to promote the television show in new ways. Don’t suspend them – heck, HIRE THEM. Give them a stipend to keep the banter up. Use them to your advantage. I’d guarantee that almost every one of them would accept some kind of payment for doing something they loved doing for free.

Because even though it isn’t an official series of accounts, the Mad Men doppelgangers are more than just fictitious slander magnets. They are an extension of the characters that many of us have grown to love. Fans of Mad Men get it. Those who aren’t fans are intrigued. Awareness is rising.

And for AMC, apparently, this is a bad thing. As if they don’t realize the public relations dream this could turn into to.

The goal in today’s marketing world is to be embraced by those who follow you. To be allowed into the precious circle of permission marketing. To gain feedback from those who know your product best. Business models are based on taking free publicity and working with it, not against it. Consumer generated content. Letting the people speak freely, feel comfortable and, in turn, become loyal.

In other words – before you rush to grab the lawyers, take a chance. See if the road bumps in your path can actually help you before tearing them down.

By Corey

Filed Under Marketing, Criticism, The Process

Comments

5 Responses to “How Mad Men is doing it wrong.”

  1. Holli on August 26th, 2008 11:53 am

    I haven’t seen the show, but I’ve definitely seen the buzz. In fact, internet buzz is the only way I’ve even heard of the show. So, Internet - 1, AMC - 0.

  2. Kaitlin on August 26th, 2008 2:10 pm

    I’m not a huge fan of the show. Just didn’t get into it. And I do understand the need to not upset the super fans. But since the show is set in the past it doesn’t fit with the show. When they first were talked about on twitter I thought it seemed like a really bad idea for the creators to do. I think the best move would have been for then to just add a tagline on the profile that said they had no affiliation with the show.

  3. Jeremy Fuksa: Creative Generalist on August 26th, 2008 2:31 pm

    I’m totally with you. AMC has really screwed up with this awful decision.

    Had they hired these Twitterers (who were doing a FANTASTIC job) to continue on behalf of the network, this could have easily ended up being one of the best commercial uses of Twitter to date.

    Instead, it shows yet again how a vast majority of corporate America just doesn’t get it.

  4. Peggy Olson on August 26th, 2008 2:58 pm

    Thanks for your kind words. At the moment, I’m just sitting in my office waiting to find out what will happen. I love my job and was grateful for it during the short time I could be a part of Sterling Cooper. If the lawyers at Sterling Cooper decide they can no longer use a go-getter on their staff, perhaps I’ll be seeking employment elsewhere. Regardless, I do plan to share the story of my experiences here. Very soon.

  5. Bad, AMC, bad. BAD! « the MARTINI SHAKER on November 19th, 2009 10:51 am

    […] *// UPDATE:* Here’s “another excellent point of view”:http://posthaste.henkinschultz.com/index.php/2008/08/26/how-mad-men-is-doing-it-wrong/ on this issue. […]

Leave a Reply