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Lessons For Radio Talent In The "Late Night - Anytime, Anywhere" War
April 9, 2013
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As the headlines read, "It's Official: Jay Leno's Out At 'Tonight,' Jimmy Fallon Is In," I couldn't help but immediately think of Fallon's incredible social presence in contrast to how Leno hardly uses it.
And in that context, this move just made sense.
Regardless of the other key motivations that undoubtedly played a role in the changing of the "Late Night" guard, anyone who works in media would be wise to use this transition as a forewarning.
Nearly every morning, you don't see content from Leno's "prime hour" show on the News Feeds of Facebook or Twitter. Instead, it's material from Fallon's much later time slot on all key platforms, including Instagram and even Vine. From First Lady Michelle Obama's "Evolution of Mom Dancing" to the all-clucking version of The Lumineers, "Ho-Hey," Fallon consistently taps into his big named guests to create content that resonates with millions.
But here's the key...
Fallon clearly understands that great content has little worth today without an active social fan base sharing it and keeping his show the center of talk.
And that is where he trumps most of his late night competitors (with the exception of Conan O'Brien). Fallon seemed to naturally understand the essence of social when he began building his fan base on these platforms. He never felt entitled to fans sharing his content because of his celebrity. Instead, he worked (and still works) strategically to build this active base.
Fallon inherently knows that social is about including the fans because he taps into these outlets to encourage fan-generated content that is always used on the show.
One of his more popular ways to involve fans is through Twitter. When Fallon's famous "Late Night hashtags" get created on the show, his viewers use these hash tags to tweet back and he reads many of them on the air.
Talk about "pinballing." This is exactly what we talk about at Jacobs Media – a great use of moving the audience from the "mothership" (the FM/AM stick) to social and right back again.
Below is an example of some of the recent hashtags he and his team have created:
With Fallon, the fans are involved, and that leads to the feeling of being heard and being seen on his platform - which is exactly what social fans want: attention in front of all the other like-minded fans.
Too much of media and its personalities (including Leno) seem to come at social with a myriad of flawed approaches. Social communications (tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram pictures, etc.) come across as, "Help improve my ratings," "Increase my revenue," or "Look at me, pay attention to me!" rather than "Thank you" or "I hear you."
When you're in a position of privilege to inform, inspire, and entertain the masses on broadcast platforms such as radio or TV, self-indulgent communications on your social assets miss the point.
Beyond Fallon, look at Conan O'Brien. He nearly equals Fallon's social success. Jimmy Kimmel – while not nearly as active as both Fallon and O'Brien – is also right there with the late night hosts using social to exchange with fans.
They are building value by being present and connected and elevating brand perception.
In the case of Leno - his old school approach had to be part of the rationale NBC used in making this move.
It's interesting and perhaps Ed Bark, former TV critic of The Dallas Morning News, put it best in a guest blog for CNN:
"These really aren't just the late-night wars anymore. They're the anytime, anywhere wars, with Fallon, Kimmel and O'Brien arming themselves to the hilt."
You can almost feel the shift happening – with Leno and Letterman having little to nothing to do with social and those coming up after them immersing themselves in this space.
The tide is turning - or in this case – the monologue. It must go beyond the show.
Maybe the next time someone debates the value of social media or asks the tired old question, "What's the return?" Tell them to turn on 'The Tonight Show – with Jimmy Fallon.'
Leno is reportedly a great guy – and as a fan of his, very funny, too. But technology trends and consumer habits wait for no one – not even the nice guys.
Reach out to me anytime on Twitter @lorilewis.
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