What The New “24″ Taught Me About Reinvention
Posted on September 15, 2008 - Filed Under ideaDRUNK's ideas
Constantly changing appetites make reinvention a business necessity. In order to stay relevant and profitable in today’s business environment, you have to allow your brand story to evolve with the times. Most of the time, a brand’s story doesn’t need an entire overhaul to relate to a changing audience. You just have to find a different way to tell it or a different element to focus on. Take a look at Coke. They consistently employ both of those methods. In the “Happiness Factory” ads, they found a different way to tell the Coke story. By releasing a new product every 21 days in Japan, they constantly have different elements to talk about in that market.
What Fox has done with their show “24″ is equally impressive. After being completely off of the air last year due to a writer’s strike, the network is faced with the challenge of winning back so many of the followers that have moved on from the show.
Additionally, the producers struggled internally about how to make the show more culturally relevant. When the show launched, it was a 9/11 era. The US viewed terrorism as an imminent threat and were happy to see a reluctant hero do everything in his power to stop it. Fast forward to the present - the end of the Bush era marks the chance of America to right itself on the global stage. So what have the producers decided to do? Allow the 24 franchise to reinvent itself … through a movie called 24: Redemption.
Initially, I perceived this move as a means of Fox to squeeze more money out of the idea. Kind of like putting Jack Bauer’s face on a lunchbox. But I was wrong. This move accomplishes three things:
- Reintroduces old fans of 24 to the show
- Allows the producers to reposition the show’s focus
- Ignites excitement for the show before its January launch.
Check out the trailer. They call it 24: Exile in the trailer, but they’ve changed the name to Redemption:
This move demonstrates some of the keys to a successful reinvention:
- Stay true to your core strengths. The success of 24 is based around riveting action, compelling plot and Keifer Sutherland’s portrayal of a reluctant hero. By staying true to the pillars of their past successes, they will satisfy the entertainment desires of their core fan base. Where they risk losing their core is if they do something radical to the basic formula, like kill off Jack or try to make it a more thoughtful show.
- Respond to the cultural shifts. In the case of Wonder Bread, it could be that people are now more health conscious and decry unhealthy white bread. For 24, as an entertainment property that draws its plots from a modern political landscape, its the fact that the landscape has shifted. The producers responded by allowing 24: Redemption to reflect today’s world. They have the first female president (because they’ve already had a black one). The plot revolves around America’s attempted role on the world stage, not within its own borders. All in all, good moves.
The teaser for 24: Redemption showcases a good reinvention that will draw people back into the show and the characters. I’m excited.
- Christian
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6 Responses to “What The New “24″ Taught Me About Reinvention”
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Who would you rather be?
Jack Bauer
Jason Bourne
Tien,
Interesting questions. I’d go with Jason Bourne. He gets to be a spy and travel to countries all over the world. Jack Bauer just tends to hang out and kick ass in LA.
I wonder if 24 will do this more often. It’s much easier to watch 2-hour movies instead of having to keep up with the show week after week, because if you miss an episode or two of 24, you’re out of the loop.
They make Jack Bauer lunchboxes?
Chris,
I think it’s probably going to be more of a bridging strategy when the show’s not normally on the air, like in the summer or fall. I think the addiction factor of the timeline format is their bread and butter, so they’ll probably stick to it for the regular season.
Yes, they have Jack Bauer lunchboxes. And they interrogate your sandwich to reveal where the nuke is.
I just ordered a sweet Jack Bauer for President shirt from http://www.PantherTees.com. They have a bunch of Jack Bauer stuff. They said not to tell anyone, but here is a 10% discount code, pts10 (it is case sensitive, so copy and paste it). Enjoy!
Thanks Kate. But if Jack’s president, who is going to defuse the bomb?