Web Marketing- Online Activities of MasterChef Australia, X Factor Australia and The Project Blog Entry 4a

MasterChef Australia On Network Ten

 This is a competitive cooking show on channel Ten, based on the original British MasterChef. It is an intense competition between amateur cooks who share a passion for food and deliver some of the finest dishes on the show, competing for some big prizes. The first Australian series aired in 2009, since then the show has received popular reception and its ratings have boomed.

Online marketing activities and Domain

Over the years the show has developed its online marketing activities to target a greater audience and engage its viewers. Initially when the show started, the primary modes of online advertising was display advertising including web banners, search engine marketing and through social media which only included Facebook and Twitter at that time. However now it has extended the social media platforms it uses which will be discussed later and the website has more interactive features to engage it viewers.

http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/masterchef

The domain name for MasterChef Australia is shown above, however every country that runs Master Chef, has a website with a different domain.

Content

As a food show, MasterChef has highly appealing web content, depicts enticing images of food among many other things and videos of the shows episodes, master classes and other feature videos including show highlights, tours of the MasterChef house etc. To enhance the user experience other types of content on the site includes information about the show, Recipes, Food Hub, Trivia page, and social a page where people can interact with each other and the various MasterChef social media activities of people are featured in one place.

Connections

The site links users to the sites of other shows on Channel 10, other networks and the Channel 10 app, through web advertisements.

 Community

There is a community presence within the site, though a Food Hub where past contestants can share their food blogs on the site. Also there is a MasterChef Garden section in the Hub, which features garden articles that offer tips and advice for various topics on the Garden. There is a Wine guide and MasterChef  Loves section, which includes unique articles about food for all food lovers. A sense of community is also present as viewers can interact with judges and contestants via their respective social network pages.

Communication

Through the shows social network platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Beamly, people can stay connected with MasterChef. The site also offers an online discussion room, where visitors can engage in conversation. Visitors can also subscribe to Tenplay to watch shows on the app or online.

Cross Promotion

As Coles is one of MasterChef’s major sponsor’s, it cross promotes the Coles brand through the recipes present on the site. Some ingredients on the recipes is only available at Coles and it mentions that next to the ingredient itself ‘available at Coles’. Also guest Chefs that appear on the show, have their exclusive line of food only available at Coles.

X-Factor Australia – Seven Network

X Factor Australia is a reality music competition that first aired in Australia in 2005 on Network Ten. The show is the Australian version of the X Factor competition franchise, based on the original UK series created by Simon Cowell. In 2005 the show received poor ratings, as a result was dropped by the Network. However in 2010 the show was revived and relaunched on the Seven Network that won broadcasting rights against the Nine Network.  Several production factors of the show have been improved; initially the setting of the show was an ‘audition room’ where contestants sang in front of the judges, now it is an arena. The judging panel has also been replaced couple of times.

Online Marketing Activities and Domain

After the relaunch, the show’s online marketing activities have also been enhanced by more effectively communicating with the audience through social media and by having a community presence.

https://au.tv.yahoo.com/x-factor/clips/#page1

The domain for X-Factor Australia is shown above, however every country that is part of the franchise, has a website with a different domain.

 Content

The X factor Australia site is part of the Yahoo Seven parent site. The content of the Home page is very eye catching and busy. It features latest episodes, sponsor advertisements, show timings, behind the scenes videos, show highlights, finalists section, about the judges and Production Company, communication mediums. Other types of content on the site include a section that has full episodes that are available for 28 days, Clips that features outstanding performances, behind the scenes footage, video diaries, latest News about the show, Music section that includes group performances by top contestants of each week, X factor Radio, Backstage and Fan factor pages.

Connections

The site links visitors to the sites of the shows sponsors including Olay, McDonalds, Holden, and Optus. There are also links on the site that connects visitors to other services offered by yahoo 7, including TV guide, Show Casting sites, Travel, dating etc.

Community

X Factor Australia has a strong community presence, through its social networking pages including Facebook (806,716 likes), Instagram (64,711 followers), Twitter (242,000 followers) and on Tumblr. Through these platforms visitors can interact with each other, share their opinions and thoughts, provide feedback, and engage with the show by sharing videos and pictures and stay connected.

Communication

The website enables site to user communication by encouraging its audience to download the X Factor Australia App, it allows users to keep updated about judges, contestants through social news feed, view latest episodes. It also enables music downloads of latest songs performed by top contestants on live shows. There is user to site communication through a Fan factor section on the show’s site; it wants people to feel part of the show (interrelated with the community factor) by providing them an all access virtual pass to the world of X-factor (Fan Factor- Plus 7). Fans can provide suggestions; share their thoughts, opinions, musings and what they love about the show and use hashtag #fanfactor. The show assures fans that they will be heard.  The social media platforms are also used as a two way communication medium.

Cross Promotion

There is a Win menu on the site which features promotional competitions run by Sponsors in conjunction with the X Factor, clicking on any of the competitions leads the visitor to the associated sponsors promotion page. Example Olay is offering VIP tickets for the X Factor Finale and a personal styling session.

The Project- Network Ten

The Project is an Australian news and Current Affair TV program, with a satirical twist. It is hosted by Carrie Bickmore and Peter Helliar, with rotating guest panellists daily. The panel converse about the latest news from around the world, share their opinion, the public’s thoughts, essentially they just ‘dissect, digest and reconstitute each days’ news’ (The Project, 2014).

Online Marketing Activities and Domain

The show’s online marketing activities are straight forward and user friendly. It uses a Content Marketing approach, as it provides content relevant to the show, valuable to viewers and is consistently updated (CMI, 2014), to enhance the visitor experience on the site.

http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project

As the show is part of Network Ten, the domain of the show includes the network domain with the show name as an extension.

Content

The Project’s website, similarly to the other shows analysed, is part of the network that broadcasts it, i.e the Ten Network site. The content of the Home Page is simple and appealing with an organised layout. It consists of a snapshot of the show’s latest episodes, top stories, and an advertisement of the program for current day’s show in a single section. Other content on the homepage includes a list of top stories, show timings, Guest list of people who will appear on the show, Social page links, feature stories, full episodes, guest interviews, the shows blog ‘Side Project’, wardrobe section of what the panellists are wearing, audience tickets and a live twitter feed. The site also has a menu which links to other content available such as information ‘about’ the show, the program’s Team and a discussion forum called the ‘TV Room’.

Connections

The site links visitors to the site of one of its major sponsors that is Kinetic Superannuation. The show has a ‘Recommended’ section on its homepage that links visitors to other programs showing on channel 10 such as Neighbours, Family Feud, Late Late show with Craig Ferguson etc. There is also a ‘Sites We Like’ section which has links and Information on the show’s stories and guests, it  connects visitors to the sites of several charitable organisations such as beyondblue, Kids Helpline, 1800Respect, National Breast Cancer foundation etc.

Community

The Project creates a feeling of community through its show and online presence. On the site there is a ‘TV Room’ discussion forum that encourages visitors to join the desk and discuss the latest topics from the show. There is also a strong community on its social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and Beamly, the show interacts with its fans, provides them with latest updates of the show. The Projects has 12.2K followers on Beamly, 212. 2 K Facebook likes and 216K followers on Twitter.

Communication

The website enables user to site communication, through a ‘Your Say’ section on the site, which encourages visitors to share their opinions on the show, offer their though on stories they’ve seen , provide tips for future stories and it also asks visitors to send news breaking, hilarious pics or footage they have of news stories. However this is not a two way medium of communication, because there is a notice on the site which states ‘Please note that while we read everyone’s feedback, and pass enquiries on to the relevant people, we don’t have time or resources to respond to everyone’ (The Project, 2014). The shows Facebook, Twitter and Beamly pages allows two way communication.

Cross Promotion

Cross promotion is evident in a section on the  homepage called ‘Wardrobe’ which provides a monthly feature of the in season outfits worn by the Cast of the show.  The outfits that are supplied by the shows sponsors are credited in this section. Therefore the Project is cross promoting its sponsors.

References

Content Marketing Institute 2014, what is Content Marketing?, CMI, viewed 23rd September 2014, http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/what-is-content-marketing/.

Network Ten n.d., MasterChef Australia, Ten Play viewed 22nd September 2014, http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/masterchef.

Network Ten n.d., The Project, Ten Play viewed 23rd September 2014, http://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/the-project.

Network Seven 2014, The X Factor, Yahoo seven TV, viewed 23rd  September 2014, https://au.tv.yahoo.com/x-factor/#page1.