Viva’s Blog: Why the Oscars blew it

Last night’s Oscars were such a bore. The “Academy” blew it. They neglected to deliver what their customers wanted.

If only they had conducted consumer research.

“Critics pan 83rd Academy Awards hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco as the most boring ever” was one of numerous headlines blasting the event.

The Academy thought their audience wanted young and beautiful, so they delivered young and beautiful a la Franco and Hathaway. And, that’s all they delivered. Sure, they looked nice, but that’s not enough for today’s sophisticated media audience. We want to be entertained, engaged, and asked for our input. Our attention span is south of 10 seconds. We want to feel good and hear lines worth repeating in the office, on Facebook and on Twitter.

If only they had conducted consumer research.

Where was the Academy during the Super Bowl? Did they see the amazing entertainment on and off the field throughout the entire show? Did they read any Tweets that demonstrated how engaged the 100+ million viewers were during the international telecast? The Grammy’s were another winner. They decreased the awards and bumped up the entertainment, which resulted in a great show and happy customers.

If only they had conducted consumer research.

Start by asking people who watched the 82nd Academy Awards what they’d want from the 83rd show. My guess, from the outpouring of negative response heard in the last 12 hours, is that viewers want a shorter more entertaining show. Crank up the entertainment. Dial down the number of awards. Viewers want to have fun. They want to laugh. How do I know? I listened. I read what the Academy’s customers (YOU) talked about online.

Don’t make the same mistake. Conduct consumer research. Listen and then use what you learn to craft your messaging. It works.