Don't Discount Social Media

Last night, Blue Bloods, a TV series that depicts a police family including a DA sister, premiered on CBS. I don't watch television, so I can't speak to the amount of advertisement portrayed there. Nor do I read the newspaper. My soul source of information comes by way of the internet. And, I'm thankful that networks such as CBS allow people like me to view favorite shows less than 24 hours later on their websites!

So, back to Blue Bloods. I first heard of this show through Donnie Wahlberg. If you have read any of my previous posts, you know that I'm a New Kids on the Block fan. Donnie has been tweeting about this show for the past three or four months. All of his followers knew that September 24th was the debut of the show. Donnie had hoped to invite a lucky fan to join him in viewing the premiere of the show, but his work schedule did not permit. Even so, he promoted the twitter account for the show and was a major contributor to their almost 9,000 followers.

On the day of its premiere, @bluebloods_cbs tweeted twice. Donnie tweeted throughout the day reminding his fans of the upcoming show for both east coast and west coast watchers. He also let his followers know that his adlibbed "Woo" was especially for his NK Army.

It is well known that Tom Selleck has a huge following. Like Donnie Wahlberg, he has aged well and has retained many of the female fans that he had in his days as Magnum PI. I certainly do not want to discount Tom Selleck's draw for this show.

But the point is this -- tweeters changed their avatars to reflect their anticipation for Blue Bloods. The night of the premiere "BlueBloods" was the number one trending topic. And on Saturday morning, the data revealed that over 12 million viewers watched the show. This number was 2 million more than any other show watched on Friday night, and it was stated that the 10pm slot for Blue Bloods was perhaps the worst slot for any television show.

Actors, musicians, and the like should not discount the free advertising they can garner with social media. Being able to communicate with one's fans and demonstrate authenticity is perhaps the best thing a celebrity can do to advertise his next upcoming album, tv show, or movie. Donnie Wahlberg might be unique in that he averages more than 25 tweets a day with wisdom, silliness, and love for his followers. He also has taken to following some of his over 130,000 fans.

Celebrities like him who know the value of twitter will continue to find success as they continue to embrace the newest avenues of social media.