When Blogging Promotion Works

There are times when promoting a television show in the Philippines via blogs is effective.

I got excited about ABS-CBN's Ang Panday because I read about it in the Pinoy blogosphere. I made it a point to see the pilot episode, and perhaps that helped boost the viewership (since I don't usually watch ABS-CBN).

But I didn't watch the show primarily because of the show itself. I watched it because I wanted to build a blog site about it and attract a ton of web site visitors, since I was "inspired" by all those other AP blogs that I had read.

So that's when blogging can help promote a Philippine television show. Promote it among bloggers interested in web traffic, that is, and you'll have additional (internet-savvy) viewers eagerly watching for bloggable content (i.e., episode summaries, screen captures, mp3 sound tracks, theme song lyrics).

The Ca t wrote that television viewership is generated via promotions done through press releases, radio and television. And I completely agree with that, because traditional trimedia does reach the target market of the local television networks.

But do blogs reach the bulk of those who watch Philippine television shows? I don't think so. I did a quick survey of people who watch PBB and asked them about blogs. They had no idea about what I was asking about.

True, 20 people is not a statistically significant sample size. What do you suppose your own surveys will reveal when it comes to blogs promoting PBB?

No, blogs did not promote PBB among televiewers. Rather, it's the show itself and social conversations in school canteens and around office watercoolers that drove internet-ready viewers to the search engines. The search engines, in turn, funneled these interested people to the PBB blogs and astronomically cranked up their web stat counters.

Why do people build blogs about local television shows which will be a hit with the masa? Is it to promote the show or to get more web traffic from less internet-savvy visitors who are more likely to help the blogger earn advertising revenue? ;-)

Can blogs promote other products and services? Certainly. Companies allocating portions of their advertising budgets to online promotions via blogs are either just testing the waters or are already reaping the benefits of those new types of promotion.

Afterall, the target markets of these companies are already reading blogs.

But what about promoting and creating awareness among the target televiewers of a show like Pinoy Big Brother via blogs? Sorry, but no cigar. At least not yet, anyway.

Give it a couple of years and more municipal e-centers and we'll see.

[ First posted on 12/20/2005 by Manuel Viloria ]