I’m fascinated by the lifecycle of TV shows and what makes one survive over another. Ultimately it comes down to the advertising value and the ROI for the series, but it strikes me that the shows that live on tend to be the ones that hit on a good formula. Get the right formula and the audiences keep showing up for more.
A show like Bones, which isn’t particularly innovative or fresh, has apparently struck a good formula of detective stories and quirky drama. Most importantly, they have a good grip on what works about the show and keep delivering on the successful formula. Contrast that with Heroes, which brought something fresh and new, but they don’t seem to know what exactly their winning formula was.
There’s a parallel with successful companies – dig back in the history of a lot of companies and you’ll find the story of a few people who hit on a good formula then built a business by repeating it and scaling it up. Do you know the formula of your own company? Does the company know it’s formula? If you just had a great success, do you actually know what the formula to repeat it will be?
Filed under: method, user-centred , audience, bones, branding, companies, formula, heroes, simplify, strategy, success
