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Descriptive
and
Aspirational
DESCRIPTIVE POSITIONING DEFINES AN EXISTING SITUATION.
Examples:
Avis was #2, and (at least theoretically) already was trying harder
before they came out with that position.
Examples:
MTV positioned itself as "MTV vs. normal TV" before the channel even
got off the ground.
The positioning served as an aspirational yardstick for everything MTV did,
from advertising and programming to staffing and acceptance of paid
advertising.
FOX's position was that it wanted to become the 4th broadcast network. It
was a long term goal that could not be accomplished overnight.
But it provided everyone at the company with a clear sense of purpose.
It gave a certain savvy section of the public someone to root for.
And, after careful selection of material and development of new product, it
bore fruit.
Fine, but why? How do we give CTV the sense of energy that you find with
say, MTV or CNN?
Now and then in the history of show business, time, resources, talent, and
vision fortuitously come together to form hothouses of creativity.
All of these emerged from relatively humble beginning and became creative
factories where exceptional talent could be discovered and thrive.
They were places where people who were passionate about movie making,
or animation, or music, or live TV comedy, were eager to come to work
often for peanuts --they were drawn to these places because there was an
aura about them of being "the" place where their dreams could come to life.
CTV COULD BECOME
THE TELEVISION COMEDY HOTHOUSE OF THE 90's...
"COMEDY CENTRAL."
WHAT WOULD COMEDY CENTRAL BE?
Like FOX becoming the 4th network, this will not happen overnight.
Like MGM, Disney, Motown and Saturday Night Live, it will mean slowly
building a consumer following around the talents that CTV has nurtured.
Before we laugh that off as being too grandiose, let's look at what we have
going for us.
Time: This is a time when cable is ascending and the broadcast networks are
on the wane. (CNN is already assuming a prominent role in TV news.)
Soon virtually all American households will have cable, and the distinction
between broadcast and cable will blur until it disappears completely.
Talent: The hottest new talents would spark to this positioning if it were
properly expressed to them. More established talents would be intrigued and
would gravitate to us as time goes by.
CNN, on the other hand, positioned itself as the world's place for news.
They opened bureaus and placed equipment in tiny burgs around the world.
At first, people were skeptical of CNN's vision. But now we're all watching
live CNN feeds from Baghdad, the Secretary of Defense cites CNN as
giving the best coverage of the Persian Gulf war, and the broadcast networks
are interviewing CNN reporters on their air. CNN has, in fact, become the
world's place for news.
CTV has a little-known studio which can literally be the "hothouse" where
talent and material can be nurtured. Comedy fans (read: everybody) will be
rooting for a channel that not only gives them great comedy round the clock,
but also is growing it from within. It is the only channel that actually could
become the "mythic visionary" of TV comedy.
SUMMARY
Comedy Central would win support and patience from the public.
It would place CTV in the role of pioneer, instead of just being one more
cable channel vying for attention.
It would make CTV a channel to watch, regardless of what you might see
any specific time you tune in.
WHAT COMEDY CENTRAL WOULD MEAN TO THE CABLE
TRADE.
Comedy Central means that CTV would be a focused channel with vision.
A focused channel with vision translates into an exciting place on the dial--
and therefore an additional lure for new subscribers.
WHAT COMEDY CENTRAL WOULD MEAN TO THE
PRODUCTION/CREATIVE COMMUNITY.
Comedy Central would build pride and energy within the company.
And--if the history of television tells us anything--with luck, vision and hard
work, Comedy Central would succeed.
The End.