I've already written a review of Next Internet Millionaire, Joel Comm's online version Donald Trump's Apprentice show. Had pretty much written if off, but keep seeing folks talking about it on message boards, so I just checked out the fourth episode, thinking that maybe I was wrong.
I wasn't.
The episode starts out with Joel asking the contestants to answer some support email. They have 10 emails to respond to in 15 minutes.
This was crazy to me, as EVERYBODY in this business, especially "Internet Millionaires", outsources this task. But it got even more crazy when contestants had the option to answer only one email if they'd eat two live worms.
WHAT?!
Yet another task that has nothing to do with online marketing...unless maybe you're in the worm business. And none of these guys has anything do with worms.
But here's where it gets really disgusting...
Nobody refused or even questioned this task. Is there anything people won't do for money...or 15 minutes of online fame?
I work in the music business. I know folks who do needle drugs, hire hookers, and do any number of crazy (and stupid) things, but I don't know any who would do this.
Have some dignity, folks. This stuff is all over the Internet. Regardless of who wins or loses, there is always going to be video of you letting Joel have fun at your expense, eating live worms, so you can get out of answering a few emails. If you were really looking to stand out, which is the point of the show, you could have had a lot more respect by simply refusing.
And yes, I know it's just a game, but the image doesn't really work for most of the contestants. Can you imagine Joel doing something like this?
And for the producers of the show... Wasn't knowing your audience one of the lessons you guys have talked about?
Again, I'm in the music business. And I'm involved with both radio and television because of it. I know all about entertainment and what it takes to get people to watch, listen, and buy. And I can tell you with complete certainty that folks who like Fear Factor aren't watching Next Internet Millionaire, because it's a marketing show, and people who are watching it for the marketing don't care about the worms.
The support email exercise could have been such a valuable part of the show. And if the contestants' responses sucked, a critique would be been both a valuable lesson and entertaining.
When you're on television, you're got to do things for ratings. Broadcast television goes to EVERYBODY in the country, so they're trying to get as many people from that pie as possible.
But this is a NICHE show being promoted to a list of targeted people. You don't have to dumb things down to a "Jerry Springer" level and rely on tired reality television gimmicks. The online marketing crowd is smarter than that.
