Turncoat Politics

ARG vs RG vs R and why no “A” is better for TV

I have to start by saying that this is just my opinion.  It has nothing to do with thousands of kilos of baggage from previous projects.  It has to do with my opinion that ARGs don’t work for TV.  Why?  Because in using an “A,” you by nature create competing content for the property you are trying to promote. 

I have a pair of examples.  I should preface by saying that I think that the folks over at Campfire are absolutely the best at what they do.  They lead the charge on persistent brand narrative.  They can weave a story for your brand or property in an amazingly original way and more than anything, it is captivating and fun.  I just think that when promoting a television property, you want to drive people to it, not just general awareness.  This goes back to my opinion that TNT (the previous version) and USA are the best examples of TV branding and navigation (that’s a conversation for later, but shoot me a tweet if you want to fight about it).

When I saw the ARG Campfire did for “Frenzied Waters” it was interesting and let a consumer into a world of water, fear, anticipation, and a good ‘ol scavenger hunt.  What it didn’t do is drive tune-in for Discovery’s Shark Week (This could be an absolute lie, because I don’t have the numbers nor the correlation between “Frenzied Waters” and tune-in.  Also, I don’t know how much Discovery funneled into promoting the week).  I know that from what I saw, I didn’t leave thinking that I needed to watch Shark Week.  I just thought that there were hidden shark teeth somewhere out there.  My point is that my awareness was raised about “Frenzied Waters” more than the actual programming itself.  Unless someone tells me otherwise, I’m supposed to watch if I am a consumer with eyeballs, a TV, and a plethora of channel choices.

Shark Week Case Study from Campfire on Vimeo.

Another project that I finally saw last week was the alternative to the ARG, an RG for A&E’s “The First 48.”  The experience was gripping and I had a running clock counting down while I searched for clues and the criminal.  Overall, I was on the site for about 15 minutes, and when I didn’t solve the crime, I was told that due to my inability, odds were high that the criminal was going to continue his spree.  Hmm, downer?  Yes, but I was able to stick around on the site and figure out what the show was all about.  I knew the name of the show, the premise, and the network.  I would say that is a success.  I would also say that it is glad that I am not a detective, because I did a dreadful job.

The above is the final option, which is worse than the most terrible ARG, RG, or me as a detective is good ‘ol reality itself.  That poster never gets old….NEVER.