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1 CTM Sponsorship Research January 2013 By Jessica Ezeogu

Coronation Street Appeal

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Page 1: Coronation Street Appeal

1

CTM Sponsorship Research

January 2013

By Jessica Ezeogu

Page 2: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronation Street’s Appeal

Page 3: Coronation Street Appeal

Contents Page

Coronation Street’s Appeal

4 - Coronation Street’s Challenges

6 - How ITV plans to sustain its relevancy

8 - The Soap

17 -The role of Coronation Street

24 - Coronation Street archetypes

28 - Coronation Street’s off-line /digital presence

Page 4: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronation Street’s challenges

How Corrie maintains relevant

• Corrie prides itself on the importance of character over plot, . The most important character in Corrie is the ‘The Street’, and then individual characters.

• When Corrie needs to innovate or freshen up the soap. It introduces new individual characters, to help the soap reflect changes in society, for example, gay couples, transsexual civil partnerships or ethnic families

Coronation experienced a decline in viewers compared to Eastenders

• In the 1990s, critics accused the soap of being complacent, bland and out of touch with contemporary Britain

• In 2000 Coronation Street was revamped to include stronger characters, brilliant comic set pieces and better writing

• Today, Eastenders continues to receive criticism for its negative and far fetched storylines , Corrie remains no.1

Terrestrial television viewer figures will never be the same

•In 2011 ‘Coronation Street’s live’ show garnered 14m viewers in comparison to ‘Hilda Ogden's farewell to the Street ’ which draw 27m viewers in 1987.

•Time-shifted viewing, digital competition and the reluctance of younger viewers to follow a linear television schedule are challenges to Corrie, which demands regular attention with up to five episodes a week

Corrie is the most powerful brand owned by ITV Studios, with international sales to 40 countries and merchandising and sponsorship opportunities that deliver revenues direct to the broadcaster

Page 5: Coronation Street Appeal

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Watching Corrie on catch-up will NOT be enough to secure another 50 years of dominance •Web viewing has helped Corrie retain soap-viewing loyalty with the soap getting 1.6m catch up views a week on the ITV website •ITV needs to understand the importance of recommendations and sharing through FB and Twitter •They should look to providing people with different types of content e.g. in short form for their iPhone

To attract younger, digital audiences, Corrie should watch younger rivals such as teen soap Hollyoaks •The Hollyoaks audience understands how different platforms complement each other, e.g. they may use the 4OD to watch episodes again or visit the website for spoilers or music playlists featured in the show •Hollyoaks partnered with Matalan to create a new-multi platform ‘Hollyoaks Music Show’ on E4, which helped drive viewers back to the show

Coronation Street’s challenges… Continued.

Page 6: Coronation Street Appeal

How ITV plans to sustain its relevancy

Maintain dominance in the soap opera sector

•ITV’s soaps continue to dominate the genre with Coronation Street, consistently the most popular programme on UK television,  attracting an average audience of 12m viewers and a 50.9% share and Emmerdale with an audience of 9.5m viewers, regularly beating Eastenders’s 6m viewers.

Leveraging existing programming

•ITV is no longer content to simply sell advertising spots but aims to create value for advertisers through the ‘Total Value Creation initiative’, which will maximise commercial value from ITV programmes, such as Coronation Street and Dancing on Ice

Future Proof it business

•ITV’s ‘Total Value Creation’ initiative aims to focus more closely on customers, advertisers and consumers in a bid to ensure ITV evolves as a ‘global multi-platform company and continues to grow its TV sales business by building a two-way relationship with viewers online

Reinventing itself for changing audience

•Traditionally, in the early years of Corrie it was firmly targeted towards Stay-at-home moms, but with more women joining the workforce, their appeal has waned. Many women still at home are tuning into cable programs, which aren’t limited by the same time restrictions

ITV are the most powerful single advertising medium in the UK. Its competitive advantage lies in its ability to deliver linear, free to air programming, and monetizing that content

Page 7: Coronation Street Appeal

"... tell the truth and show society as it really is..."

Phil Redmond, producer of Brookside & Hollyoaks (1990) [On what he believes soap opera means]

Page 8: Coronation Street Appeal

The Soap

Page 9: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronation Street’s appeal

In the beginning

Focus was on a small, close-knit working class community where everyone knew everybody's business and people were always there to help in times of crisis

Now

Focus is ‘social realism’ characters reflect society as it is today, not all the neighbours

know each other well. As, family and personal relationships are much more

fragmented

Coronation Street features a strong sense of community, a strong emphasis on humour, and slow-developing storylines, as opposed to the rapid turnover of characters, and rapid speed of storylines, in EastEnders.

Page 10: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronation Street portrays ‘social realism’

Definition: Social realism is… “The realistic depiction in art of contemporary life, as a means of social or political comment”

Corrie, maintains a mundane portrayal of the lifestyles of characters on screen to evoke a sense, that their life's are not so vastly different from our own. Corrie producers claim the soap is ultimately designed to represent the realities of working class life and confront social problems

Corrie’s viewers admit to gain pleasure from social realism, as storylines are reflective of real-life that holds few certainties for anyone

Oxford Dictionary (2013)

Page 11: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronation Street is known for its mixture of drama and comedy, usually shying away from the sensationalist and far-fetched plots like Eastenders

Dramatic storylines provide suspense and cliff-hangers

Comedic characters bring humor, entertainment and lightness to dramatic plot lines

Page 12: Coronation Street Appeal

Why Coronation Street is so popular…

• Its‘realist aesthetic’ appeals to the masses. It allows viewers to escape into a fantasy world, one easy for viewers to relate to. Because it’s very British and (down-to-earth)

• Various themes and issues are dealt with in Corrie, including: social class and mobility; gender relationships; desire and wrongdoing (what you'd like to do, what you try to get away with, and what you get punished for)

• Emphasis is placed upon the family, public situations and more often than not the community. This gives viewers a sense of belonging and provides a substitute family and social life for the lonely

• Coronation street is undemanding by nature, emphasis on domesticity, family-life and gossip

Page 13: Coronation Street Appeal

The Platt Family Tree : Inter-relationships of characters

Originally Soaps would introduce independent characters but found it difficult to (a) get viewers to emotionally connect with them and (b) integrate characters into the soaps general structure

Corrie storylines are based largely on the problems encountered within personal relationships and family life

NowSoaps tend to ensure that characters are in some way linked to other families/characters.

Independent characters, entering the soap , for example (Lloyd Maloney, best friends with Steve McDonald), will eventually be joined by their family, marry or be connected through parent-hood

Page 14: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronation Street fan profiles

Thirst for Corrie Knowledge The pleasure of seeing a ‘realistic’

portrayal of working-class life in Britain

Hannah 15 from Dorset

•Began watching the Corrie with Mum and Dad •Has been a fan for 5yrs, not missing an episode •Loves reading on/off-line and watching spoilers •Favourite characters are Carla Conner and Peter Barlow •Favourite storyline is Blanche and the AA meeting•Visits the Manchester set to autograph hunt

Elizabeth, lives in Canada originally from Manchester

•Has been watching Corrie since the first episode •Watches Corries online ‘It’s a great thrill to hear local towns, stores, football teams etc. mentioned’•Favourite characters in the beginning were Annie, Elsie and Dennis which drew her to the street, today it is Hayley and Roy Cropper•Favourite storyline “loved the Vera and Jack plot lines over the years and in particular how their passing was handled”

Page 15: Coronation Street Appeal

How women engage with Coronation Street

1. Pick favorite characters and take pleasure in knowing as much as possible about each character

2. Gain a reactive pleasure in seeing other women express their feelings and are free to gossip about the characters because they know there is no harm in doing so

3. Formal conventions of life can be viewed from a safe distance

4. They enjoy the element of suspense in Coronation Street and gain great pleasure in successfully predicting plot developments

5. They enjoy viewing the soap in an intense manner without interruption

Page 16: Coronation Street Appeal

A source of female strength

MANS WORLD SOAP LAND

Corrie value women's lives and by including paternity plots, give female characters the power to keep the name of the father of their child secret if they wish to do so. Women gain reactive pleasure from the soap opera by recognising their oppression and reacting to it

Men play sensitive roles in soaps and this provides comfort to women whose real-world roles are often publicly silenced. The pleasure for women viewers, is the ability to escape into a fantasy world where they can watch men suffer and their authority undermined

Page 17: Coronation Street Appeal

The role of Coronation Street

Page 18: Coronation Street Appeal

Belonging vs. AlienationFans of Corrie become united in the spirit of common interest/ non- Corrie fans can find watching it an extremely alienating experience

Viewers enjoy sharing the soap secrets that only few like-minded people have access to, and being in a position to pass moral judgement on the behaviour they witness

Page 19: Coronation Street Appeal

Reflects social trends and shapes culture

In todays society gossiping is regarded as active participation in the meaning-making that constitutes our very culture…

Page 20: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronation Street stars participating in popular culture

Page 21: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronation Street draws viewers into its culture – Online spin-off show

Loose Women

Lorraine

To coincide with the departure of childhood soap star Rose Webster, Corrie launched an internet special, which followed Rosie as she attempted to make it in the modelling world. The show achieved 1.6m page views and 203,351 people watched the special online episodes

"We know that Corrie fans enjoy playful digital experiences around the characters they know and love, and this adventure with Rosie Webster is a great example of innovative cross platform commissioning at ITV."

Ben Freeman, ITV's head of soap and drama (2011)

Page 22: Coronation Street Appeal

Generating ‘Watercooler’ moments

Female viewers claim talking about Corrie is as pleasurable as actually watching it, debates include:-

- Future anticipation - The significance of certain events- Analysis of character behaviour and motives - Relation of the fictional Corrie world to real-life

There is a correlation between viewing soaps and gossiping. Females actively participate in soaps by talking about what they watched the previous evening

Page 23: Coronation Street Appeal

Viewing Corronation Street has social rewards Viewing Corrie becomes increasingly more meaningful, with pleasure being derived from a certain degree of mastery/ expertise in the subject

Viewers feel positively empowered when pitted against someone less knowledgeable than themselves

Page 24: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronation Street archetypes

Page 25: Coronation Street Appeal

Grandmother (female archetype 1)

The Mother The Spinster The Battle-axe

Gail McIntyre is represented as the 'all powerful'; the family

source of strength. She provides the emotional and financial support needed to

keep her family 'afloat’

Emily Bishop is represented as a highly moral woman (saintly), whose a good

neighbor, regularly taking in a number of lodgers

Blanche Hunt is represented as a battle-axe, regularly tormenting her son in law (Ken Barlow). Outspoken

- often delivering brutally honest put-downs, with great comic timing at will . Main hobby - attending the

court hearings and funerals of strangers

A wise old person, usually female. This character helps others with their problems with advice and support. He/she has lots of contact with many of the other characters. Sometimes the character will not be related to any others, but will still serve this function

Page 26: Coronation Street Appeal

The Married Women (female archetype 2)

Mature/Sexy Villain Bitch, with a heart

Stella Price is referred to as being a mature and sexy

marriageable woman, who is sharp and cynical but romantic

at heart

Kirsty Soames is referred to as being manipulative and

controlling

Kylie Platt is referred to as a feisty young female, who loves

her family. Being devious is her full time job

An independent, powerful, aggressive woman. She can usually be found at the center of conflicts. Often, this hard, aggressive woman will be revealed to have a soft side that she keeps hidden

Page 27: Coronation Street Appeal

The Single Women (female archetype 3)

Spinsterly Mother Princess

Fiz Brown, is represented as being a good hearted young woman who has made many puzzling decisions and is

often unlucky in love

Mary Taylor is represented as an eccentric spinster and

competition addict

Eva Price is represented as a feisty princess. She's been

spoiled rotten, so she's high maintenance and a bit of a

drama queen

Page 28: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronation Street’s off-line /digital presence

Page 29: Coronation Street Appeal

Demographics Reg Coronation St viewers

CTM users (who buy a product)

Reg Coronation St viewers who reg. use comparison websites

Reg Coronation Street viewers who buy prods from CTM

Sex Women 136/70% Slight skew to men 108/53%

Women 129/66% Women 122/63%

Age groups 45+ but with a skew to 65+ 121/25%

25-44 age group which is just over half of CTM customers

45-64 age group which is 42% of this group

Mix of ages a third are between 25-34 189/31% and 45-54 23.6%/140

Marital status Separated/divorced/widowed

124/75%are married or living as married

114/69% are married or living as married

130/79% are married or living as married

Social grade C2DE 123/57% ABC1 116/61% Equal mix of ABC1 and C2DE

Equal mix of ABC1 and C2DE

Working status

Retired 122/30% but many are also working part-time

Mostly full-time 152/56% but also 16% are working part-time

Mostly full-time 108/40% but also 17% are working part-time

Half work full-time 139/51% or part-time 166/22%

Family salary Low family income up to £17k

Healthy family income from £23k+, index highly in the £40k an £50k+ brackets

Healthy family income from £23k - £50K

Mix of family incomes most fall into £23k-£30K and £50k+ bracket

Income mgmt 22% are finding it difficult on present income

22% are finding it difficult on present income

24% are finding it difficult on present income

A third are finding it difficult on present income

Home ownership

134/20% rent from the Council and a third own their house outright

152/51% buying their home

130/43% buying their home

146/49% buying their home

Coronation Street’s off-line demographic profile

Page 30: Coronation Street Appeal

Demographics Reg Coronation St viewers

CTM users (who buy a product)

Reg Coronation St viewers who reg. use comparison websites

Reg Coronation Street viewers who buy prods from CTM

Children in H/H

70% have no children in the H/H

124/36% have children in the H/H

117/35% have children in the H/H

137/40% have children in the H/H

BARB region Border, North East North West and Wales

A mix of regions A mix of coverage but North East and Wales do index higher

North East, North West, Yorkshire and Wales

Lifestage Senior Sole Decision Makers and Hotel Parents

Nest Builders, Unconstrained Couples, Playschool Parents and Secondary School Parents

Unconstrained Couples, Primary School Parents, Secondary School Parents and Hotel Parents

Nest Builders, Playschool Parents, Secondary School Parents and Hotel Parents

Page 31: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronation Street’s online demographic profile

Top Countries

Sentiment Gender

Page 32: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronation Street’s digital hub - A ‘Content Honeytrap’

Forum stimulating gossip

Immediacy and updates

Digital Hub

Page 33: Coronation Street Appeal

Twitter – Immediacy and updates Followers: 201,742 Twitter content•Spoilers – Exclusive video previews, picture galleries and interviews with characters•Storyline updates•Tweets directly from cast•Retweets from Corrie fans

All links lead to the Weatherfield Gazette (itv.com)

Page 34: Coronation Street Appeal

Facebook – Forum stimulating gossip Likes: 1.7m

Facebook content•Photos and videos •Events – announcements/reminders, i.e. new programme times, character weddings and special episodes •Spoilers – exclusive video previews, picture galleries and interviews with characters•Storyline updates•Behind the scenes look at filming of dramatic scenes etc. •Promotion of television awards i.e. voting, nominations and wins•Introduction of new characters and nostalgic look backs at old characters •Much discussion by fans is centred around plot line predictions and expressing opinions on characters

All links lead to the Weatherfield Gazette (itv.com)

Page 35: Coronation Street Appeal

Facebook Game – Corrie Nation

Allows players to build their own Weatherfield, using real currency to buy "virtual products". However, it has been taken offline for further technical work amid grumbling from early adopters. ITV claims its in beta-testing phase.

Page 36: Coronation Street Appeal

Coronations Street main communication hub

ITV.com content•Spoilers - watch previews of upcoming episodes •Backstage – go behind the scenes of the latest stories •Picture Previews of episodes •News – read/subscribe to ‘The Weatherfield Gazette’ online•View characters •View and stay up-to-date with current storylines •Corrie Bingo •ITV Player

Page 37: Coronation Street Appeal

ITV Player is Corries most popular mobile app

Viewers can watch Corrie on either the ITV website or via range of platforms such smartphones and games consoles

Corrie is not syndicated to other content providers such as YouTube. Making ITV Player the only place to catch up on missed episodes

ITV Player is an online video on demand service

Page 38: Coronation Street Appeal

iOS/Android AppCoronation Street - Mystery of the Missing Hotpot

This is described as an entertaining hidden-object game! Users a challenged to help Betty locate all the pieces of her famous hotpot recipe, before they fall into the wrong hands.

Game Price : £1.99 Game Content

•24 Corrie themed hidden-object levels•8 varied mini-game puzzles and challenges•Fun and light-hearted storyline•Features all the well-known characters from the TV show•Visit iconic Coronation Street locations including The•Rover’s Return, The Kabin, Roy's Rolls and the Garage…

Page 39: Coronation Street Appeal

Get more from Advertisements Uncover exclusive content with ITV and Shazam

TV and Shazam have teamed up to bring viewer an exciting new type of interactive advert. 

Now, when the Shazam prompt appears on adverts, viewers can use the Shazam App to tag the ad and get additional info, plus music downloads, enter competitions and other cool content – straight to their smartphone

Brands currently involved include Pepsi Max, Microsoft, Barcalycard and Cadbury