THE PITCH (VOD Hidden Gem)May 03, 2012
Media savant T Tara Turk goes deep inside cable TV to reveal Video On Demand's Hidden Gems so even the busiest of our readers can get the most out of On Demand TV. Tell Tara what VOD shows you think deserves her attention.
THE PITCH (VOD Hidden Gem)
AMC TV should be stand for Advertising Made the Channel TV. Not only is their “Mad Men” a hit (full disclosure: I only have ever watched one episode even though I die for that time period, snappy language by Matt Weiner and the fashions. More than I love that stuff, I hate a bandwagon so I’ll catch up one of these days) but they are taking the theme of advertising to a whole new level by building it as a watchable brand.
“The Pitch” is AMC TV’s new reality show that takes a brand challenge and puts in between two advertising agencies who have to compete for the best campaign. Here’s why I would naturally shy away from this:
1) It sounds boring. Advertising people have a rep for being sale-sy and slightly socially awkward on TV. Why is that interesting to me?
2) It’s not new. Donald Trump has been doing this on “The Apprentice” for quite some time now. Granted, sometimes it’s done with yesteryear celebrities and people who you have to Google to remember why they are “famous” but still they compete all the time and, well, sometimes it’s only good when there’s a fight.
Here’s why I shouldn’t shy away from this at all:
1) It’s not boring AT ALL! The creative process varies between people and arts. This show has shown me how difficult collaboration is and how different companies use different tactics to come together to come up with something they actually believe in.
2) It’s literally the most genius campaign AMC TV could come up with. Not only do they introduce the behind the scenes of a brand (like Subway), but they have made the show its own campaign while those agencies create a campaign. A campaign within a campaign!
I’m a huge fan of reality television that teaches all something (and we all know I can stoop down and be shocked by a Real Housewife or Basketball Wife that’s not a Wife a time or two). In an age where professions are generally a mystery to most people, this reveals so much about branding in just 40 minutes. AND, if that’s not enough, you actually get to know and care or pick a side in that short amount of time.
But WAIT! There’s more! In an effort to reach out to their demographic (I learned that on the show - I’m a regular ad-ie) AMC TV made the first episode available, in full, on their website. In addition, their apps for iPhone and iPads offer extras like tweets (my favorite), interviews and behind the scenes. Downside though is that the app doesn’t seem to have full episodes or have video problems. No episodes? What the?
So you can’t really watch it on your mobile devices unless you go to the site to check out trailers and the first episode but TW On Demand and Direct TV On Demand have plenty of episodes to keep you riveted and ready to go buy whatever “The Pitch” is pitching.
T. Tara Turk is a novelist/playwright/screenwriter, living in LA with her boyfriend and dog - all three successful TV addicts. You can find her at www.ttaraturk.com or follow her on Twitter @ttaraturk.
