Australian Idol and the marketing lesson

Australia has voted...........................

There is a TV show on at the moment called Australian Idol. It's the exact same format as American Idol.

Last night one of the contestants was booted off after voting had finished. And people aren't happy.

You see, there's a guy on the show called Rob Mills. Rob is a good looking young guy with a bit of charisma. And he knows how to work the camera and the crowd. But he doesn't have much of a voice.

Mills, after what was the worst performance out of 6 on Sunday night, was voted one of the top 3 performers.

One of the judges, Marcia Hines, commented during the show (after 2 of the better singers were nominated as being up for expulsion) that she was:

".....hoping Australia was voting for the voice."

No way!!!

These shows aren't about just the voice. Or even the music. They are about the whole package. Sure, the voice is included in that, but it's not the be all and end all.

Mills got through to the next round because of 1 very simple fact. The target market for this show is teenage girls. The people most likely to vote are teenage girls.

Teenage girls are voting for the hottie even if he sounds like a dog howling at the moon (Mills isn't that bad. But popular opinion says he's not the strongest singer of the remaining 5).

Have the best product for your target market

Australian Idol is a marketing exercise. It very brutally shows that you don't necessarily have to have the best product. Just the best product for the target market you are reaching.

Identify your target market and then give them what they want.

(BTW, I think my wife is in love with Mills as well. I'll be checking the phone records to see if she is voting for him!)

Brendon Sinclair