Sunday, February 10, 2008

MTV and The Hills

A lot of shows on MTV and other networks use interactive online tools as part of a way to engage their guests. I thought this was a great PR tool, because the publics can interact directly with a show they like to watch. Also, on some of these websites are merchandise for the customer to buy.

A great example of this PR practice is with the show, The Hills. On the website, you can create a virtual character that is friends with the girls from The Hills, it can live "The Hills" life, and go to clubs and events. Also on the website are profiles of the girls, and places to leave comments and have live chats.

2 comments:

Mikela said...

As I mentioned in class, networks are having a hard time connecting their shows to an online component to engage viewers after the show has aired. This is a really good example of where it is going, or where they hope to take their content. While I discredit The Hills for producing fake content when it claims to be real, I think that creating an online community around a television show is a very important step in the evolution of television, especially if it hopes to not be overshadowed by the web 2.0 and DVR revolution that eliminates commercials and obliterates many opportunities to market.

Ian Morales said...

Mikela hit it dead on with the fake content, I agree with both of you that creating their own little "Second Life" was a small step in the right direction. I would have just made up a Hills Second Life virtual world. Does LC or Heidi have facebook groups or myspace groups to see whose on their team?