I Will Not Write a Fluff Piece for ABC

Without going into the reasons for now, it's fair to say that large entertainment companies have been late to the social media marketing table.

Now these companies are beginning to expand their social media presence, and, as I predicted in my blog post Social Media Could Aid Ashton Kutcher's Success on TWO AND A HALF MEN, social media's impact on the success of a TV show may start to become very evident.

Initially I was pleased, as a Technorati blogger, to receive the email today offering the opportunity to blog about two fall 2011 ABC shows – the remake of the TV show "Charlie's Angeles" and the new show "Once Upon a Time" — with accompanying preview videos.

I clicked on the video for "Once Upon a Time" and watched a 2:07 minute trailer. The email from Technorati also provided a synopsis plus a cast and credits list.

And I'm supposed to write a blog post based on this info? Heck no!

If ABC had provided the entire pilot, that would be different. But to write what amounts to a press release about a new show?

To further check out ABC's social media efforts for "Once Upon a Time," I clicked on the Facebook Page link and the Twitter profile link included in the email. The Twitter profile at this writing (several hours after the Technorati email) has two tweets, 0 following and 33 followers.



Twitter tip for ABC: If you want people to be interested in your Twitter profile, it's a good idea to first follow people who might be interested in what you have to offer.

And then I discovered the "Once Upon a Time" video is not a special video for bloggers – it is the same as the one available on ABC's page for the show.

(The info for "Charlie's Angels" is just the same.)

Bottom line? ABC has a long way to go to effectively use social media if this email is any example. And until ABC truly shares on social media, I'm not writing any fluff blog posts to promote their new shows.

© 2011 Miller Mosaic LLC

Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter) is the co-founder of the social media marketing company Miller Mosaic LLC.

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