This seems to be the age of the "business" reality shows.
There seems to have been a series of waves in the reality genre:
After watching people with no discernable skills for a few years with shows like Big Brother, the genre seemed to move onto transformation formats (people and places with shows like Extreme Make Over, The Swan), then into showcasing people with some skills (Pop Idols, American Idol, X-Factor, Britain's Got Talent), into shows giving previously successful people a new skill (Strictly Coming Dancing, Dancing on Ice), and now we now seem to be in an era of business reality shows.
The big 4 business related reality shows at present are probably:
- The Apprentice, which has been hugely successful in the States with Donald Trump and the UK with Alan Sugar, where they take a group of people who have no self awareness, are all individuals and can never work in a team and have limited business skills and get them to run around trying to do soem basic business.
- Dragon's Den, where inventors pitch for investment. This show I cannot be bothered with as the "dragon's" are all trying to become the "Simon Cowell character of business", but they don't have his skill.
- Mary Queen of Shops, where Mary Portas helps failing clothes shops turn around. I love this show and her approach a lot. Her book is also great: click here
- Hotel Inspector, (another favourite of mine) on Channel 5 in the UK where Alex Polizzi tries to help failing hotels and bed & breakfasts turn themselves around (although most of the people are quite odd as they ask to go on the show and then resist most of her advice, usually as the reason things are bad is the people are rubbish at running a hotel)
Now before the genre moves on to the next wave, there does not seem to be a marketing / branding/ advertising based reality show. Maybe it cannot work as even the usually skilful Apprentice flirts with this topics - other than sales which is what most tasks are about - it all gets a bit woolly and vague.
But as we don't seem to have a marketing based show yet, I am ready and available! Any ideas?
2 comments:
I think the interesting thing about these reality shows is their universal nature. A single idea that is locally produced. Big Brother, Apprentice, Pop Idol, Next Top Model etc. Much better (and more successful) than trying to remake or localise an overseas sitcom.
Love your idea! I would watch a show like this for sure... got tired of Apprentice and the judges on Dragon's Den are not very likeable...
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