For all soap fans upset about the cancellation of their favorite soap or worried about the future of their favorite soap, here is a way to make your voice be heard. The sudz.tv soap coupon campaign is a grass roots effort to make the media and entertainment industry aware of the demand for the soap opera genre: a demand that is not accurately reflected through the antiquated Nielsen ratings. Coupons are being printed in the July 4, 2011 edition of The Globe this week. Soaps In Depth also tweeted that the Cable/Satellite coupon will be in the ABC issue on sale July 11 and the CBS issue on sale July 18. Return the love to these magazines by buying an issue to send in soap coupons. Alternatively, you can go to the sudz.tv website for more information about the campaign and the soaps coupons.
NOTE: If you are concerned about revealing your street address, there has been an announcement on one of the campaign radio shows that the actual street address may be left out as long as the city, state, zip and cable provider is included. Only one coupon to be submitted per person per household.
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Here is a statement from Blogtalkradio's Silas Kain about what the soaps coupon campaign is all about:
Any soap website, Facebook group or soap related group on any venue is welcome to download the coupons for distribution to your users. This is a COORDINATED effort bringing soap VIEWERS together in a common purpose. In many ways, this is a test for us. The networks and the soap press are counting on the typical "fan wars" and "agendas" to cause yet another "fan based" campaign to implode. There has been a lot of misinformation being spread around soap groups. So let's get a couple of things straight before this campaign takes off.
This Cable Coupon Campaign was developed by the Leadership Council at SudzTV. There is no one specific leader over the other. In addition to myself there is @TxKimmie @Crispy829 @SpinsVixenella and @Phantom0065. We all have different backgrounds and opinions. Our common bond is a passion for this genre, period. We've forged an alliance which brings out the best in soap enthusiasts and have found ways to develop alliances which bring soap viewers from soaps on all 3 networks together. If we five strong minded people were able to come together and leave our egos at the door -- ANYONE CAN! We've invited leaders and followers of other groups to join our effort in a variety of ways and that door remains wide open. Remember, we as a viewer base have a stereotype to overcome. If we can't at least do that then we are all wasting our time in trying to prop up the soap genre.
To do something to turn the tide in the decline of soaps we have to begin by proving there remains a demand for quality scripted serial programming. It's a tall order and we believe we can do it! When that demand is created advertisers, production companies and networks take notice - it is that simple. And if you think having 10,000 - 50,000 followers on Facebook makes you a "leader" in the movement, then you don't know the facts. The truth is 5% of your total "likes" take an active role in your group. The next 25% are known as "lukewarms" and the remaining 70% of your followers are regarded as "stale". These aren't my figures. These are figures provided to us by bona fide social media marketers who have the data to back up their claims. So, look inside your own group. Just how many of YOUR followers take active participation? How many of them are "lukewarm" and how many are there in name only? Connect your own dots and you will see it for yourself -- don't count on me or your group leaders to convince you otherwise. To depend on social media as the exclusive method of bringing the soap viewer base together is foolish and impractical. We don't have time to waste trying to make social media an effective marketing tool because the bottom line is 30% of soap viewers are probably checking out soap sites -- no more.
We can't point fingers at the soap press because as mad as I get at them, I'm a realist. They are stuck behind the 8 ball. They feel helpless. They have to deal with declining circulation numbers and a ridiculous constraint on what they can say in print because of network pressures. They won't admit it, but I think common sense dictates that I'm on the money. If we demonstrate that demand I talk about, inevitably the soap press will feel they have the backup to step up to the plate and put something in print. One hand washes the other. Once the soap press realizes we WILL have their backs, they will finally have ours. And when they reach out to us, it is up to us as consumers to return the favor.
We have a battle plan in place which will unfold over the next three months. We're not going to roll everything out because when you have a strategy you do not broadcast it all over the Internet. That's just stupid. And for all the soap groups who are joining in the cause, your leaders will be in the loop for making this effort work on the right timetable. That means no one - NO ONE - jumps the shark and starts making announcements all over the boards without clearing it first because this is a coordinated effort, PERIOD. Any deviation from this strategy will only demonstrate that folks were not in this for the right reason. For too long most soap viewers have left it to organizers and sat back while group leaders spun their wheels. Your leaders need your support. This is your final opportunity to make a difference in turning things around for the soap genre. We have an opportunity as a community to do right by the soap actors and those who have worked back stage all these years. And by proving just how solid we are we will give these actors the boost they need to come out of this downward spiral which is lending itself to insecurity and low self esteem within the daytime acting community. You see, it doesn't matter they are the actors and we are the audience. These most professional in their profession have been guests in our homes for years. We've welcomed them in with open arms and have been entertained 5 days a week. Sure, there are days we wanted to throw our mugs at the screen. There are other days when we just throw up our hands in disgust over a story line that just made no sense. All of that doesn't matter at this point because unless we get it together now we will have nothing to bitch about a year from now.
I'm sorry I'm so wordy and redundant -- but I was taught a long time ago in business marketing that consumers usually don't get the "message" until you get them to see or hear it at least 7 times. So be patient. Give a little bit of yourselves. And let's end this year accomplishing that which the networks, soap press and soap industry believes is too late to achieve. Like the movie says, "if you build it they will come". Well we're building a strategic foundation from which to launch. Are you ready to come to the party?
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