ABC converts its “Lost” viewers into “SCI-FI Nerds”

Background Information:

The case is about a popular TV series-Lost of ABC Entertainment and its very creative and aggressive Integrated marketing campaign (IMC). ABC Entertainment used a combination of traditional and modern marketing medias such as mobile marketing, web based alternative reality games, online communities, Live TV,etc. The buzz generated by the series of “Lost” created a number of online communities which in turn brought fresh viewers to “Lost”. The popularity of Lost rose to that much extent that even a book was also written on the series.

Main issues:

The case talks about how to make use of a proper combination of the different media to promote a product. Main issues were-

Online promotion

Continuous availability of product

Online viewership

Analysis:

According to me, the main reason behind the success of “Lost” was the online community. ABC Entertainment used many other media for its advertisement, but the online communities caused a lot of product awareness and product visibility.

One important factor that leads to the success of a product is its continuity. If the product is continually available, it is more in the minds of the consumers. Between the two seasons of “Lost”, ABC Entertainment made sure that they kept their loyal fan base engaged. They launch “The Lost Experience” (TLE), a web based alternative reality game. This game picked up quick popularity and filled the gap between the two seasons.

Viewers could also watch “Lost” online with fewer number of ads. Many critics argued that it would lead to decrease in the number of TV viewers. However, it did not happen. In my belief, this factor further led to its popularity.