Monday, November 15, 2010

What the Chuck?

Social media has given the general public a more active voice in the media than any other public relations campaign has ever accomplished. A prime example of this is the social media campaign that was launched regarding the possible cancellation of the NBC comedy series, Chuck.
Although the series Chuck has garnered a great deal of praise from critics and has translated into almost a “cult following”, this unfortunately has not translated into ratings success. Once rumors began to swirl that Chuck would possibly not be returning for a third season in the fall of 2009, devoted fans of the comedy quickly sprang to immediate action.
The TV blog “Give Me My Remote” were the catalysts behind the “Give Me My Chuck” movement. Bloggers encouraged fans of the NBC series to not only be sure to tune in every week for the end of Season 2, but also to encourage friends and family members to become devoted followers of the series. Many fans felt so passionately about the cancellation of Chuck that they too looked to the web to let out their frustration.
Following rumors of Chuck’s cancellation, Facebook pages dedicated to the “Save Chuck” campaign quickly began to grow on the web. Fans of Chuck were also encouraged to use their Facebook statuses to let Facebook friends not only know to watch Chuck, but to also join the different pages dedicated to the series. Tweeters would often use the hash-tags “#save chuck” or “#chuck” on Twitter, and many fans made their background images pictures supporting the series and campaign.
Because of the success of the fan-driven social media campaign, Chuck was eventually not only picked up for a third season, but has been renewed for a fourth season this fall. Social media has truly given fans and the general public power that they had previously never truly possessed. NBC realized that such a strong “cult following” could hopefully translate into ratings success for the series. The decision to “Save Chuck” reflects positively on NBC as a network dedicated to presenting quality television despite less than impressive ratings. It also portrays NBC as a network who truly values its dedicated fans.

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