The Reality Behind Reality Television

by Meg Fullen. 

The public relations and marketing behind reality television create a multifaceted and dynamic landscape. While reality TV shows are filled with drama and excitement, the behind-the-scenes tactics play a pivotal role in the success of these shows. 

From rebranding to product placement, this job is entertaining all of the time, and it takes a special group of PR and marketing professionals to orchestrate the chaos of these shows that captivate viewers. So, how do they do it?  

Beyond the screen

Knowing the target audience and demographics is crucial to the success of these shows. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” is the most watched TV show among women aged 18-49 and features a house remodel for families that have dealt with hardships. The show appeals to the target audience through tugging at the heartstrings of women with their own families. Reality TV is a competitive industry, especially when professionals need to get the most viewership for their respected network show. 

Product placement within reality shows is a good way to cultivate consumer relationships with brands. A study from BENlabs shows, “Three-quarters (75%) of consumers have searched for a product/brand on at least one platform after seeing it on TV/film, furthermore, 57% of those consumers go on to purchase the same product, or a different product from the same brand.” The key reason for these purchasing decisions is that many viewers relate product placement to positive emotions. In fact, 63% of viewers reported feeling happy or curious after seeing a product in a film or TV program.  

An example of the power of product placement in cultivating the consumer relationship is the Kardashian and Jenner family, who do a good job of incorporating their own brands — 818 Tequila and Skims to name a few — into their show, “The Kardashians.” Through implementing product placement, they are not only influencing consumers behavior but promoting their own products in a positive way to consumers. 

Era of branding

Brand extensions are nothing new within the reality TV realm. The “Big Brother” series has three spin-offs — “Celebrity Big Brother,” “Big Brother: Over the Top” and “Big Brother Reindeer Games.” Spin-offs provide viewers the opportunity to see their favorite show in a different way and explore new perspectives. 

Rebranding and spin-offs help shows bring in new audiences and demographics. For example, “The Golden Bachelor” is a new series within the franchise that focuses on a 72-year-old finding love. The series outperformed ratings from previous seasons of “The Bachelorette” and “The Bachelor” with an average 3.83 rating among adults 50 and up. The spin-off targeted an overlooked audience for “The Bachelor” series and became a big hit. 

Spotlight mastery 

In the entertaining world of reality television, unscripted moments and carefully curated narratives go hand-in-hand Media training is often overlooked in how participants handle interviews and navigate the public. Through the audition phase or interview selection for these shows, what contestants say is extremely important because anything could be aired or quoted. 

Not only can a contestant on “American Idol” or “So You Think You Can Dance?” win the hearts of viewers through their talents, but also a contestant’s unique life story will get them just as far. Conveying and mastering your personal brand and how you want to be portrayed will help you stand out among the other contestants. Media training is a critical factor that determines how far a contestant goes relative to others. 

However, with reality TV shows, scandals and crises happen left and right. PR practitioners have the job of not only promoting the show to the right audience but making sure they have a plan in action for whenever a crisis might arise. Every second counts when a crisis happens, so getting your message out fast is beneficial. This is important in reality TV because anything said or done can be taken out of context, and assumptions can be made quickly. One instance of this is the cheating scandal on “Vanderpump Rules,” where it took one of the main show characters three days to release a statement regarding the situation, ultimately resulting in damage to his reputation. 

With the unpredictable nature of unscripted entertainment, there is no denying the appeal of this industry by viewers. With 79% of Americans watching reality TV, its popularity is not expected to die down anytime soon. 

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