Gemma Clarke, Account Manager
A record 19.1 million of us tuned into the X Factor final last weekend. Simon Cowell must have been seeing pound signs in his eyes.
And why was this show one of the most viewed ever?
Was it purely down to Geordie Joe’s singing ability or the fact that almost half the population of teenage girls have been going ‘Radio Ga Ga’ over Olly Murs’ dance moves?
I believe what made the show one of the most successful and what inevitably helped Joe to win was down to the media frenzy that surrounded what could be dubbed as ‘Joe-Gate’.
As a region that is fiercely proud of its people and nurtures its talent, the overwhelming regional support that we have given local lad Joe McElderry is not surprising.
From illuminated boards at the entrance to the Tyne Tunnel, which have the words ‘X Factor – Vote Joe’ to South Shields Town Hall flying ‘Vote Joe’ flags at half mast, people actually changing their names live on the North East’s Real Radio via deedpoll to ‘Vote Joe’ - the region went well and truly Joe crazy.
An image of Joe’s face was also projected on to South Shields’ Town Hall for three hours prior to last Saturday’s show and the Vermont Hotel in Newcastle put up a flag, which was visible from the Tyne Bridge.
It was hard to tell at first whether this ongoing promotional campaign was coming from the X-Factor’s PR machine or whether we ‘as a region’ were just using all our own resources to support Joe– and gain a little PR for ourselves at the same time. I believe it was the latter.
From the support of South Tyneside Council, Newcastle Airport, Real Radio, Metro Radio, Tyne Tunnel, and indeed Newcastle College – to name but a few – who have all ran their own promotional ‘Vote Joe’ stories, we have all helped to create Joe McElderry mania – surely a collaborative award winning PR campaign in itself!
What also created mass hysteria in the region was the power of social media. This year, the X Factor created an online buzz, which the programme has never seen before.
Famous regional names such as Kevin Keegan ‘tweeted’ his support for Geordie Joe as did, top Toon radio presenter Tony Horne amongst many others.
But Joe faced stiff competition to take the Christmas crown this year. Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Killing In the Name Of’ pipped the cherubic Geordie to the post, thanks to an online social media campaign through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
It seems that the nation has had enough of the X Factor winner taking the top spot.
Simon Cowell is said to be ‘furious’. Yes, he’s furious that he has under estimated the power of social media. This was an example of social media marketing at its best and something that is sure to go down in history.
Joe McElderry The Climb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNXayt_UiyQ
Rage Against The Machine Killing in the Name of: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkuOAY-S6OY