Project Runway: A Brand That's doing Interactivity Right

I am very intrigued by the corresponding relationship between television and internet in this consumer-driven media world, so as an experiment, I thought I’d try to chronicle all the different ways a consumer can interact with a single television show. For my experiment, I chose one of my current favorite shows… Bravo’s Project Runway.

Media Source: Television
~ Watch the program on Bravo Network on its originally airing, Wednesday nights at 10:00pm
~ Watch any of the various repeats of the program on Bravo throughout the week
~ Record the program on DVR and watch at my leisure

Media Source: Internet
~ Visit PR website on www.bravotv.com to get general info on the show, bios on all the judges, contestants and models (usually with links to their individual websites)
~ Video video video – previews, recaps, behind the scenes, exclusive content
~ Behind the scenes photo galleries
~ Blogs by all the judges, Tim Gunn and contestants
~ Forums/Message boards from Fans
~ Episode recaps – including interactive voting, video, photos and blogs
~ Online Project Runway themed video games
~ Links to purchase fashion items featured on the show, plus any number of PR themed merchandise
~ Auctions to purchase items seen on the show – everything from designers’ sketches to the actual fashion items created on the show
~ User Generated content: Viewers can design their own fashion and submit them for weekly contests, viewers can edit together and submit their custom clips from the show
~ Downloadable “widgets” to put blog and video updates directly on various social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, LiveJournal, Blogger, Google, Yahoo, plus many others I’ve never even heard of), or you can get content emailed to you or sent to your cell phone
~ MyBravo – a Bravo-themed social network dedicated to PR
~ Exclusive online only spin-off “television” series – one featuring the full cast of contestants creating three looks for a challenge, which fans will vote on to decide the winner, and a second series of seven videos featuring fan favorite past contestant Malan Breton at Fashion Week

~ Plus! Any number of independent Project Runway dedicated fan sites and blogs, many of which have the full support of the PR producers

Media Source: Mobile / Cell Phones
~ In commercial breaks during the show, I can vote for my favorite designer via text message. The winner will be revealed in a commercial break at the end of the show.
~ The Project Runway Mobile Fan Club sends exclusive content to my cell phone every week.
~ The Project Runway Guide to New York offers an interactive map of New York, highlighting places to see and things to do in NYC
~ PR mobile website, with video, photos, contests, blogs, interviews, polls and games


Whew! I’m exhausted just thinking about all this! While the list does seem exhaustive, as if the producers of PR put every idea they ever brainstormed on the website (the “everything including the kitchen sink” theory), apparently there is a market for this. The PR brand includes everything all good brands should have in this “Media 2.0” environment – cross media content, viewer interactivity, user-generated content, internet-exclusive content, mobile technology and content, contesting, the personal connection through contestant blogs, viewer feedback and discussion area via forums, links to related content, use of social networking sites and perhaps most importantly, advertising that is prevalent, but not irritating. No matter how the consumer wants to consume content, these producers have produced content to meet that need – and they have figured out ways to generate revenue without alienating the consumer!