I’ve been perusing some of the discussion around the net and, it seems, that some are questioning whether or not the recent notification that the SoapMania (SoapNation) tour cancellations are another indicator that daytime is in real trouble. Frankly, I think that sets up a false correlation between the two outcomes. The failure to launch SoapMania has little or nothing to do with the ailments of daytime. The stated rationale used to establish SM was flawed from the onset.
From the minute ABC began touting SM during last year’s SSW as the great new “thing” to replace, or rather, to expand the outreach of SSW, I cried foul. There were so many obvious holes in that logic; I cannot understand how or why the person who made the initial pitch wasn’t sent back to the drawing board to try again.
The first question TPTB should have asked was “who” their target consumers were. The answer would have been:
a) Those who were already attending the annual SSW events; and,
b) Those who would like to attend events such as SSW, but who were unable to because of the geographical distance and/or the cost.
The second and third questions should have been IF and how they could reconcile the two.
If TPTB had done that, it would have been pretty obvious that these were two competing goals that simply could not be reconciled; however, were ones that could be pursued independent of each other.
Let’s look at who the attendees of SSW were: families – a large number who used the events at Disney as their annual vacation destination. It became a win/win proposition for all. The soap viewer in the family could pitch it as a vacation spot where everyone could have something they wanted fulfilled. With all of the theme parks, golf courses and sporting events, Orlando is an ideal spot to get folks to participate in shelling out their hard earned money to see their favorite soap stars. That pitch becomes a bit more difficult to justify to a spouse or significant other when you’re only heading over to a local hotel to spend $75 or more to sit and talk with your favorite star for an hour or two (no matter how much chicken they serve). SSW was FUN because people could bring their whole family and make a vacation of it, while stalking their favorite stars on the side.
SSW was also special because it only happened once a year. Let’s face it, it is much easier to plan a once a year, large event, where just about all the cast, crew, and staff are involved than it is to try and coordinate multiple events throughout the year where schedules are constantly being changed due to storyline changes and life’s unexpected mishaps. A once a year event gave the coordinators time to plan so that fan favorites included not just individual stars/characters, but also the “pairings” that are so popular in daytime. Not just the man/woman pairings, but the arch enemies or BFFs. Let’s face it; wouldn’t we all prefer an event that has both TK and AM? Well, SoapMania made those kinds of events less likely because of their shooting schedules.
SSW was more than just an opportunity to meet stars and receive autographs. The game and talk shows, parades, and host of other non-soap related events taking place over the course of an entire weekend made the cost of attendance well worth it. SoapMania tours would have been a poor substitute. And therein lies the problem…
There is no comparable substitute for the SSW experience. The cruises offer a, somewhat, similar experience, because there are a myriad of alternative recreational outlets, along with shows and entertainment, to enhance the meet and greet experience for attendees. However, because it is a cruise, the expense and the increased limitations on the number of people who can participate make it a less attractive option for many of the families who were SSW regulars.
I understand the network’s desire to reach out and expand their ability to reach the fans by having the stars of their shows participate in meet and greet opportunities in locations closer to them. However, the exchange of one type of event for the other was an uneven one. Sure, SM would have picked up some of those viewers who had neither time nor money to make the trip to Orlando for SSW. However, they were also going to lose a lot of those SSW attendees who were only able to participate because they could wrap it up as a “family” package deal.
AM Viewer: “Honey, we’re not going to Disney just so that I can stalk and ogle Thorsten Kaye. The kids really want to see The Mouse. And you’ve always said you wanted to golf where the pros have. Orlando has a TON of stunning courses.”
LeerySpouse: “I dunno. How much is this gonna cost? I don’t have a lot of vacation time.”
AMCViewer: “See, that’s the thing…it happens over the weekend so you would have to take too much time. And it usually fall around Veteran’s Day, so we can plan our family vacation around it. The kids will LOVE it!”
Win-win.
Bring it back. The interest in SSW was increasing, not waning. Fans of last year’s event even managed to coordinate an impressive activist protest over the weekend for fans to express their displeasure that the events were ending. It may be too late to coordinate an event for this year, but it is never too early to plan for a return of a better SSW in 2010. If anything, expanding the event to include a weekend on both coasts, at both Disney parks, would seem much more preferable than trying to make SoapMania work.
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