TV is the New Pathway to Prosperity – What Does that Mean for Public Relations Campaigns?

Exhibit "A" Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi

It used to be said that innovation is the mother of invention. I will now venture to say that television is the mother of brand awareness. All of the reality television personalities that the public either finds amusing, loves to hate or mocks, are all cashing in to the tune of six and seven figure multi-tiered incomes that most Americans can only dream of.

Before you decide to remain on your high horse, consider the fact that these days, corporate interests from Hollywood to Madison Avenue are skittish at best about investing their time and financial resources in an unproven or unknown “brand,” and their new go-to gambles are all television personalities.  Just take into account all of the latest celebrity memoirs to hit your local bookshelves (or tablets), and a large majority have familiar television faces on the front cover. Why? Because book publishers look for something called a “built-in platform.” Put in plain English = they want turn-key authors whom they know can move six or seven-figure units of books. No one in this 21st century economy is willing to take a gamble on talent, alone. But they will gamble on notoriety, no matter the source of that notoriety. If you have a built-in fan base, you are a publisher’s dream. Same goes for cosmetic endorsements, nightclub and restaurant promotions, and just about any other corporate interest. Business owners care about the bottom line, and television makes people familiar to the public; that elusive combination of familiarity and pseudo-celebrity is very alluring to the public, and potentially very lucrative to corporate brands who use these TV celebs to promote and sell their wares.

What does this mean for me as a publicist and for anyone who embarks on a public relations campaign to get themselves, their product, or their service noticed in the media? It means that television and all of its fame-producing splendor is indeed the brass ring for many of my clients and for their public relations campaigns.

My company, Allison Dawn PR, is currently pursuing multiple television opportunities with various television production companies for PR clients, as that magic tube (or flatscreen) holds such power to introduce someone to the public and powerfully position their brand to a wide demographic of consumers. The one thing I do try to do, however, is to provide quality, meaningful television content, which means taking on quality, meaningful public relations clientele.

But the bottom line, before you go hating on the Kardashians, the Jersey Shore gang, the Teen Mom cast, or any other people who hit it big through reality-based television programming, take into consideration the ambition, innovation and long term goals set forth by people who you might have been quick to dismiss as dimwits. Think again!