The Marketing Diner

The West Wing Paradox: Intelligent, Accessible Brands

Posted on 06. Jan, 2009 by Jared Degnan in Branding

It’s kind of funny, my roommate can’t quite wrap her head around my manic obsession with the show, The West Wing. While I can watch repeats of the show almost endlessly, she just sits there and asks, “How can you call this entertainment? It’s so serious.

Known for its idealistic main characters and strong issue-oriented plot lines, The West Wing often drew criticism for being too intellectual for prime time audiences. At first, many doubted if it could even break even as an investment. Defying all odds though, the show went on to make a profit of over $110 Million and secured a place in the heart of every American political armchair quarterback…and then some.

The success of The West Wing also illustrates one of the most interesting marketing paradoxes of all time: how you keep a brand intelligent, yet accessible?

A Matter Of Accessibility

There’s a point in every marketer’s life where they face this kind of a paradox; do you raise the bar on a brand or do stick with branding that has “less meat,” but broader appeal? You find this most frequently in services marketing, where the point of differentiation is most often found in the customer’s identification with the personality of a brand.

Most often, it’s the marketing team that sees the potential in a brand but must build a business case to management that it won’t alienate the broader audience. For instance, The West Wing could have gone “lower brow” and probably secured a larger audience up-front. Long term though, it would have probably fallen woefully short of the kind of brand equity that now allows it to remain a profitable franchise in DVD sales and in syndication.

Ultimately, it was up to the show’s producers to build a more intelligent brand of prime time show. They also knew that to ensure the show’s longer-term profitability, they had to make the accessible to a broader range of audiences than the liberal elite. Over seven seasons, they did just that. By adding a range of characters across the political spectrum and tackling issues with unrelenting, aspirational practically, it was able to win over a diverse audience.

Brands That Balance Risk & Execution

They key to this kind of success is two-fold. At first, NBCUniversal’s management had to be willing to take a risk to build a better brand. Secondly, the show’s producers had to be willing to execute on that better brand flawlessly, demonstrating that the show wasn’t about elitism but reaching for something higher, across the board.

The West Wing – Make The {Brand} About Something Better

In marketing, we have the same opportunities and risks. It definitely takes more energy and focus to bring more meaning to a brand but the long-term could very well justify it. Next time you face the trade off, simply ask yourself; what would Jed Bartlet do?

Tags: Branding, brands, profitability, television, west wing