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CTM Sponsorship Research
January 2013
By Jessica Ezeogu
Coronation Street’s 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
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
5
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.
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
"... tell the truth and show society as it really is..."
Phil Redmond, producer of Brookside & Hollyoaks (1990) [On what he believes soap opera means]
The Soap
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.
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)
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
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
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
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”
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
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
The role of Coronation Street
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
Reflects social trends and shapes culture
In todays society gossiping is regarded as active participation in the meaning-making that constitutes our very culture…
Coronation Street stars participating in popular culture
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)
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
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
Coronation Street archetypes
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
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
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
Coronation Street’s off-line /digital presence
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
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
Coronation Street’s online demographic profile
Top Countries
Sentiment Gender
Coronation Street’s digital hub - A ‘Content Honeytrap’
Forum stimulating gossip
Immediacy and updates
Digital Hub
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)
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)
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.
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
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
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…
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