Why CNBC’s Fast Money Will Overtake Cramer
Jim Cramer watch your back.
Fast Money on CNBC with Dylan Ratigan, created by Susan Krakower, Ratigan, and Dan Hoffman have got a sleeper hit on their hands.
They did it cheap, and they did one thing really well.
Cheap by TV standards. You can hear the audio echo, you can hear a janitor or Production Assistant int he background yelling off in a hallway. A nightmare for producers, but a sense of transparency for viewers.
Why does cheap work? We trust things without glitz, and without slick.
And when it comes to our own money, trust is paramount. Do I trust the five people in front of me to make multi-thousand dollar risks?
A friend of mine in Development for ABC strongly felt that the downfall of a great day-time show (the Wayne Brady Show) was it’s glitzy, slick set and over-produced look. Understand that even though the show won Four Emmy’s–it failed and got cut.
But the one thing that Fast Money’s Hoffman and Krakower are doing really right is their “Face 2 Face” segment.
It follows the principle of Empowered Interactivity put forth in Chapter 6 of my book.
Every night, average Joes and Janes get to ask one of the four experts a question, and perhaps joke and poke with them. From a Buzzmarketing perspective this is BRILLIANT.
What it does is give the viewer (the consumer) what we call buzz currency. It’s not just a phone in…it uses new technology of webcams. We see their face. The viewer becomes famous for their 60 seconds visually on TV.
How many other shows does the viewer get to appear on a show? None!
Call-ins, sure. But with their mug on TV, never until Fast Money.
This gives viewers what most want–fame (with hopefully a tip of fortune).
And to-boot, my guess is it’s being paid for by Sprint and Logitech…the sponsors of the segment.
This show is hot. This show is a little rough around the edges (hence trustworthy). This show has grass-roots viewership and passion.
Kudos to Susan Krakower, Dan Hoffman, Dylan Ratigan (”The Commissioner”), Eric Bolling (known as “The Admiral”), Jeff Macke (”The Lone Wolf”), Tim Strazzini (”The Risk Doctor”) and Guy Adami (”The Negotiator”).
Jim Cramer watch your back and your ratings.
Mark Hughes is a marketing speaker, consultant, and author of the book Buzzmarketing: Get People to Talk About Your Stuff (Penguin/Portfolio).
