Background: The Heroes / PrimaTechPaper.com connection.
It has been just about a week since the primatechpaper.com website was made public during the first broadcast of NBC’s Heroes winter season. The site a cleaver ploy by NBC is the Internet point of presence for the shows “Prima Tech Paper” the company that Mr. Bennet (Clair’s Dad) works out as a daytime front for his more X-Files like gifted freak research in the show, a kind of Hero hunting shadow ops, or is it?
The site is very basic, and contained a “Secure” area that visitors had to either text message to the company on a cell phone, or call the 1 800 to get the entry code (we took the nerds approached and cracked the pages source code for fun). This then revealed the sites hidden page, the careers form for you to apply to Prima Tech, and in the process answer some personal questions about yourself to help Prima Tech see if you’re their kind of candidate.
The Theory: The “Career” Information is used to determine what happens on the show.
When you blow through the basic part of the career form, name, address, blah, blah, blah, you get down to the stuff that’s really useful to the shows writers and producers. Sure getting your Email or cell phone number is a great way for them to build marketing lists, and in turn being able to push opt in Emails and texts to the fans of the show, but what about the other data collected? Why have a people jumping though hoops before you can actually see this “Hidden” page, such as entering the code, and having to call in or text to get it? Simple… A cheap, fan only focus group online with fans lined up around the block to have a look, and the casual fair weather fan excluded as they will not go the extra mile to get the code to participate.
Why it’s Plausible: NBC has a good thing going with Heroes but no long term plot in stone.
So here’s how this works, Heroes from the Studio perspective was a long shot, they did not expect it to work, did not promote it very well at first, launched with a half finished website etc. It was just one of those shows they toss in the lineup each fall and don’t expect to renew when the 6 episodes in the can are all used up. What happened, Heroes became the runaway success we know it as today that’s just be renewed for a second season.
The problem, all the plot development the writers have been working on to this point with bridges like hiding characters true alignments, no clear distinction between villains or heroes and true identities largely obscured or subject to question leaves the producers and network in a tough spot. Where do they go from here without alienating the core audience that is hooked so far? I mean is Mr. Bennet with the good guys or bad? Does the Haitian work for Bennet? Or is he manipulating Bennets mind, to further his own agenda? The whole Niki/Jessica situation, good, evil or both? Is Peter a savior that brings the team together? Or is he responsible for the destruction of New York? These questions go on and on but what path should the writers take us down?
So who on the writing staff is going to make a singular arbitrary call at this point and decide what’s going to happen next on a show with such a fanatical following, the simple call is none of them. What they did instead is ask the following questions of the most fanatical fans, screening out the net nobodies by making them either call the phone number or search the net for the secret code to gain exclusive fan entry to PrimaTechPaper.com all to ask them the following questions, in essence allowing the aggregate input of the majority to choose the shows fate.
The Questions that Matter on Prima Tech: Data so valuable they can bet the show on it.
Q: Date of Birth:
A: Used to filter down the responses into age demographics not only watching the show, but providing data on how to target merchandise, contests and parse data from the other questions.
Q: If you work at a store and see a woman steal a can of soup to feed her family, would you:
1. Ignore it. 2. Inform the store manager. 3. Pay for it yourself.
Q: If you see a turtle lying upside-down on its shell in the middle of the road, you:
1. Run it over. 2. Take it to safety. 3. Avoid it.
Q: If you see a turtle lying upside-down on its shell in the middle of the road, you:
1. Run it over. 2. Take it to safety. 3. Avoid it.
Q: How do you reach conclusions?
1. Emotion. 2. Logic. 3. Research
Q: How often do you put yourself above others?
1. Never. 2. Always. 3. Only if it benefits me.
Q: Are you fueled by:
1. Passion. 2. Money. 3. Routine.
Q: At a party, you are:
1. The center of attention. 2. An eavesdropper. 3. A gracious host.
Q: In stressful situations, you react by:
1. Taking charge. 2. Avoiding it. 3. Emulating proven leaders.
USE: All the questions above can be used to determine if you like villainy, perceptions of justice, what is your threshold of right and wrong, this is very important for character development and plot direction that will ensure viewer loyalty and acceptance.
All of the questions listed above are designed to profile you, they hid them under the pretense of a fictitious job application, but everything listed is designed to either find out what type of character you are sympathetic to, currently identifying with or aspire to be. This data can then be easily cross referenced to current characters alignments and then used to plan where to go next in a manner that only alienates the smallest possible demographic of regular viewers. This is a very smart strategy on the part of the shows producers to maintain a strong dedicated viewer base that is growing rather then waffling as seen in other comic fiction shows like Smallville where crazy plot turns turn off loyal fans.
What does this all mean: If I’m right, were all making a good thing better!
What it means is that I think NBC may be doing right by the fans of Heroes where so many other shows have gone wrong and It is my Heroes prediction that they are going in to the remainder of this season, and the planning of season 2, with eyes open to what the fans really want ensure a great show becomes an amazing one, and with smart viewer profiling like this, they are certain to succeed.
Posted: Sunday, January 28, 2007