Will This Sexy, Misleading Mad Men Promo Yield Record Ratings?
With the season premiere of Mad Men just days away, AMC has done its best to make viewers hoping to hitch a ride onto the critically acclaimed drama feel welcome. That means airing a marathon of the best episodes from season three last night and scheduling Michael Clayton to run before the premiere (so they can capitalize on the "Jon Hamm is the Next George Clooney!" movement). But does this admittedly killer promo take things just a tad too far?
Using some wildly out-of-context, frenetically edited shots from season three (and principally from the season finale) and the pulsating retro-soul beat of Amerie's "Gotta Work," the season four promo makes Mad Men look like some awesomely poppy remake of a '60s caper movie. Laugh as Don kicks open a door! Marvel at the dripping-hot sexuality of Betty and Joan! Nod in agreement as Peggy says this is "my time!"
It all looks grand and wonderful -- and yes, all these moments happened in some form on the show -- but doesn't it feel a bit too much like pandering? Obviously AMC wants to capitalize on the finale-record 2.32 million viewers last season's closer was able to score, but there had to be a more truthful way to make this niche show appealing to the masses. The promo is so good, it will probably work for the season premiere -- who wouldn't want to watch this show? -- but whether the new audience comes back once they see what Mad Men is really offering, is another story.
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uh, you do understand how marketing works, right?
Yeah it's kind of over-the-top, but I think they're just over-compensating for the fact that the show tends to begin its seasons on the slower side and not really gather a lot of steam until close to the midway point. This will probably help draw more people into watching the premiere, but what good is that if the number of viewers then drops off sharply when the second episode airs?
Audience drop off is inevitable. Not everyone will like the show. The theory is if you can get enough people to tune in for the premiere...some of them will stick around, boosting the numbers of regular viewers. Suddenly you're building audience. Voila!
True, true.
I'm going to go ahead and take credit for creating two new, soon-to-be regular viewers in recent months. I'm doing my part!
Overhead on set: "Don't you understand? I'm practically married to the next George Clooney!"
I'll let you guess who said it.
The promo encapsulates what the show is about and where it's heading. The show has always had a lot of style, female sex appeal and sex itself. Also, most of the characters lives are going into uncharted waters. I think the promo identifies all of these plot points.