Since 1987, The Discovery Channel has provided us with a week long of entertainment every summer that consists of nothing but sharks. Humans are often fascinated with things that scare us and that my friends, includes the king of the ocean. The movie Jaws, which took place in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, only made us more interested in the life of sharks. Thanks to the Discovery channel, millions of people around the world drop what they are doing for a week in July/August, to take part in Shark Week. This year the start of Shark Week drew a whopping 4.8 million viewers with the premier of “The Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives.” The event has grown almost larger than life over the years with viewers all around the world setting their DVR to make sure they don’t miss a second of the action. This year The Discovery Channel was able to hype up the week long marathon even more with a hilarious commercial to get people ready for some sharks. Warning: If you are an avid seal lover, view discretion is highly advised!
(Lets all take a moment of silence for Snuffy the Seal)
Shark Week Social Media
Many of you have probably noticed that social media is buzzing about crazed fans who cannot seem to get enough Shark Week. The people over at Discovery are certainly not upset about the amount of people talking about their event on various social media platforms. This free form of advertisement is directly related to the increased viewership over the last few years. For the last three years I have been reminded about shark week from my Facebook and Twitter friends. This goes to show if you have something worth talking about, people will talk about it on social media. Throughout the marathon, the hosts have done a great job at encouraging people to ask them questions on social media. They told people on twitter to use, “#Sharkcam,” to ask any questions they have for Discovery to answer. This is a great way to humanize their brand.
What Small Businesses can learn from the success of Shark Week
- Have an understanding of what your consumers enjoy and provide them that content.
- Encourage customers to interact with you on social media.
- Create a schedule that allows consumers to know when to expect material from your company.
- Advertise through various outlets.
It seems like there are always advertising agencies in Massachusetts and other businesses joining in on the fun.
Pure Hockey Shark
With so much buzz around Shark Week it seems like there are ways for smaller businesses to join in on the fun. Pure Hockey, the largest retail hockey equipment store in the United States, has created a contest to get their customers even more excited about shark week. They are giving away a free pair of hockey skates to a person who creates the best video of how they use their hockey equipment during the off season. Contestants can upload their creative video to Twitter, Vine, or, Instagram by tagging #PUREHOCKEYSHARK. This is a great way for Pure Hockey to interact with their fans in a fun way that always provides a benefit for them. Below is the ad that Pure Hockey made to start up the competition:
If you have any questions regarding Shark Week or Mittcom in general, please comment below and we will get back to you!