Remember, Nonhle Thema... Yes! The same thing, I'm going to trend on Twitter everyday by insulting other 'celebs' and telling people to 'Sit Down!' When we found out she was just doing it to gain followers and promote her brand, most of us were gobsmacked. OK, maybe not YFM DJs.
I'm no expert in marketing or advertising, but the one thing I know is that 'positioning' is key. If you are introducing a new product to the world, branding 101 says 'make some noise'... Those who follow Twitter trends would agree that ANN7, since launching as the youngest 24-hour news channel, have not only managed to make noise, but successfully redirected people to the channel, with their slick 'our anchors can't read' campaign.
Yes, they tricked us into believing that their presenters are just clueless... Serious work has been put into studying the psychology of their target market... that would be people who can afford DStv, probably have a smartphone; meaning 'the typical ANN7 viewer' is active on social media. Don't forget; these are the same guys who threw 'the wedding of the century', even Khulubuse Zuma's wedding couldn't match the hype.
Back to the issue at hand... ANN7's target market is well informed, they not only consume information but also prefer to get their news from a credible and well-informed source. Therefore, the glaring mistakes made by these 'unknown' presenters are definitely going to be noticed, and people are going to make comments, and where is the best place to voice your frustrations these days? NO, not Hello Peter, that's for my granny and her Stokvel group... Facebook, Twitter!
One thing I've learned about news environments; call it SOP, the anchor always goes on air with a hard copy of the script just in case there is some unforeseen problem with the autocue. None of the presenters on ANN7 have scripts with them, a bit odd. You can hear the production team in the background shouting instructions to the anchors; this is all happening at a high-tech, top of the range studios (don't ask me how I know)... that is almost impossible, if not bizarre.
From Husini Mubarak, Mother City of Johannesburg, Rhino-poachers instead of rhinos, the examples are endless... Just with these 'silly' mistakes, ANN7's got everyone talking about the channel; Twitter and Facebook are abuzz; even my 'I'm a soccer fanatic' friend was switching between watching the Soweto derby and Gupta TV, it's just amazing. Everyone just wants to experience it for him or herself; the ARs are skyrocketing with every tweet... I think.
Remember, most recently when the SABC re-launched their 24-hour news channel, most people got interested when they heard about the on-air mistakes by the anchors, and then we found out it was a 'booby trap', all interest vanished immediately.
Another example is the Daily Sun with its outrageous headlines, yet not so 'sophisticated' use of the English language. The so-called analysts predicated that the paper wouldn't last; fast-forward to 2013, Daily Sun is amongst the best selling newspapers in the country, but please don't make me comment about the Daily Sun TV. I just wish these 'Mbombai' analysts could respect us enough to come out and apologise, for getting it wrong.
South Africa's 24-hour news landscape is changing; I'm pretty certain competition will translate to consumers getting high quality products, and for a new player such as ANN7 entering the market, it's only right that they trying to break through the clutter. Telkom's 8.ta failed in that regard and couldn't survive the competitive cellphone market, they spent money advertising their product, but failed at the basics, making some noise and getting people's attention.
Ask yourself this question, why would ANN7 hire models and actresses with little to no journalism background? Obviously, when striving to beat the competition, you hire some of the best in the business... When the New Age newspaper launched, the Guptas acquired some of the best minds in the business; it baffles me that they wouldn't want the same for their news channel.
I'm going to put my head on the block, and say well done to ANN7; can I get an Amen? Not only have they managed to get even the competition noticing, it will however be suicide for the same competition to relax and think this is all ANN7 has to offer.
I'm curious to see how the next couple of weeks will unfold? To the actors and models at ANN7, stick to what you know best... This news reading business has its own people. I still prefer seeing you guys in the soapies and magazines... and to the Guptas, for your sake, I hope this is just a 'brilliant' marketing strategy... Reality check, we don't like your news broadcasts.
