-
Looks Like Fun
April 19, 2023
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
Lorne Michaels, producer of SNL, The Tonight Show, Late Night and many other movies and television shows, knows a thing or two about creating successful entertainment. In an interview he was riffing on the creation of comedy and entertainment for American audiences and mentioned that one philosophy he subscribes to is, “looks like fun.” The idea being if you, the audience, see something that looks fun then it must actually be fun to watch.
“Well duh!” was my first somewhat dismissive reaction but as I reflected on those three simple words “looks like fun” their importance should be appreciated. If an audience believes that a show or movie “looks like fun,” whether because of the way the trailer portrays the film or it’s your first impression as you flip through TV channels, then the chances are you’ll watch. You’ll go see the movie. You’ll keep watching the TV show. When we want our mood enhanced we seek out pleasure. We search for what “looks like fun”.
The act of having fun has positive biological effects. When we do pleasurable activities, we get a release of dopamine which leads to positivity and subdues more uncomfortable emotions and feelings we may have. After we have experienced these positive biological effects we’re then on the hunt for that high again… and again. We’re like pleasure junkies. When something “looks like fun” the subconscious signal we receive is “we’re going to get a hit of dopamine. Sign me up!”
When we were tasked with rejuvenating Breakfast Television and returning it to the top of the ratings we subscribed to Lorne’s philosophy. The first time I watched the long- standing morning television show, I thought this does not look like fun. Not at all. If I wasn’t having fun watching how could the audience? We spent our time thinking about, “how do we showcase a sense of fun and create the perception that this is a place where you’re going to have a good time every morning.” The show’s content was always centred around the day’s news, trending topics and conversations you’d have that day around the breakfast table, we didn’t need, or want, to change that so we went looking elsewhere. We changed how the overall experience was presented to the audience, some of it was subtle and some of it was new ideas. We changed the way we shot the show, freshened up the graphics pack, the set was tweaked, changed the lighting, we altered the way the cast interacted, played with the structure, added some new games, increased the pace and energy of the show. All these things - little things - added up and changed the feel of the show. We were also intentional in fostering an environment for creativity and playfulness to develop amongst the production team. Now, when you scan through the channels in the morning Breakfast Television “looks like fun.” It worked. Breakfast Television won consecutive morning show of the year awards and returned to #1 in the ratings. Breakfast Television looks like fun.
When working with radio stations or shows, we start with the filter of “does this sound like fun?” Obviously we’re talking about authentic fun, not the contrived artificial fun that fools no one. Too often we miss that the first impression or feeling your brand radiates to the consumer forms their perception of you. That first impression, when someone comes into a touch point with your brand, can make more difference to your success than anything else.
Why if it’s such a simple concept do we not embrace it universally in brand creation? Our brains often reject simple. Our tendency for complexity kicks in. Its official term is complexity bias; we think complicated solutions are more valid than simple. We seek to find more information. We analyze things further. We obsess about the little details. We seek out experts that can provide formulas and decipher the anatomy of content. Our brains like complexity and they reject simplicity, when we shouldn’t. We make it more difficult than it needs to be.
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
— ConfuciusListening to radio shows or stations, you can spot those who understand “sounds like fun” is the most important image to convey right away. Fun will mean slightly different things for different brands depending on your target audience and format but nevertheless, if you’re creating entertainment you want your audience to think “this sounds like fun.” We all want to have a good time. If we have a good time somewhere we come back. So: Is your brand better at curating the fun than your competitors? Is every touch point of your entertainment brand conveying a sense of fun?
I’ve worked with a lot of programmers who agonize over the perfect music clocks, the right song adds, the perfect sequencing of imaging, building great contesting tactics and so on (and I know I am just as guilty of obsessing about the smallest of details!). While all of this is important it means nothing if the audiences overarching first impression isn’t “this sounds like fun.”
Next time you’re monitoring a show or station start big picture and concentrate on how you can ensure your brand “looks or sounds like fun”. One of the lessons I learned (or relearned) as we worked on rejuvenating Breakfast Television was that as you enhance your show’s perception of fun, you also make your competitors seem more boring, which in turn helps you seem more fun to be with.
-
-