Page 220 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

in various situations. Finally, at the end of the two-hour episode, she tells
him (and the audience) of her choice.
Like soap operas, the key to reality shows is relationships. Linda Susman,
editor of Soap Opera Weekly, declares, “‘The Bachelorette’ and ‘Joe Million-
aire’ both ended with a triangle. What could be soapier than that?” Indeed,
25
the breakup of Aaron and Helene during the second season of The Bachelor
attracted so much interest that ABC presented a special episode of The
Bachelor on the breakup, which drew almost 14 million viewers. 26
At the same time, soap operas are now incorporating elements of reality
shows into their storylines. For instance, a subplot that ran throughout the
2004 season of All My Children, involved two characters starting a search
for the “sexiest man in America” to promote their new line of cosmetics.
During the spring break period, the actresses, followed by a camera, held
the first auditions for real-life contestants in Panama City. Brian Scott
Frons, president of ABC Daytime and a former producer of European real-
ity shows, explains: “Prime-time reality shows absolutely give women a
soap opera experience. And now we can take some of the authenticity and
unpredictability of prime-time reality and put it into soap operas.” 27
Increasingly, elements of the reality genre are being incorporated into
ad campaigns. For instance, in 2004, Levi Strauss & Company launched
an advertising campaign, entitled “A Style for Every Story,” featuring an
assortment of “real” people wearing Levi’s jeans: a rancher, an aircraft
mechanic, and a surfer. Levi promoted a national contest to find real
people to appear in an ad that ran in the September 2004 issues of some
Time Inc. publications.
The latent function behind the infusion of formulaic elements in hybrid
programming is to convey messages commonly associated with the popu-
lar genre. Thus, using the “reality” approach in ads is designed to send the
messages of authenticity to the public. According to Neil Powell, whose
advertising firm is responsible for advertising brands like Rheingold beer,
consumers are weary of sales pitches, especially by celebrities whose
lives are often detached from everyday lives. “Everyone knows that those
people are being paid a ton of money to say great things about a brand.
It’s much more effective when it’s sort of a regular Joe.” 28

Spin-offs

Another manifestation of this conservative sensibility is the spin-off. A
spin-off refers to a new program that is based on an established series.

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