Why "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" is so popular. New Model of Successful Business.

"Two aspiring businessmen were watching TV.
One was watching the Shopping Channel.
The other was watching "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire""
---Anonymous

We will never know what EXTERNAL circumstances made "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" Game Show a success.

But I am pretty confident that the sharp entrepreneurial minds of this board CAN (if they are willing) find out what INTERNAL aspects and merits of the game made it a winner.

I am sure that the answers to this question will establish "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" as a model and paradigm of successful business.

What are your thoughts?

Simon

It appeals to everyone because you don’t necessarily have to know to answer every question. If you wing you way to a level where you’re stuck you can use one or all of your lifelines to get it right.

Also, it’s more involving for the folks at home. The question is given and the answer is available on screen for everyone to talk about, while the person in the hot sit thinks about it.

So you’re got the elements of already having the answer in front of you, all you have to do is pick one. Even guessing can get you through and you’ve got three options to help you weed out the answer if need be.

I can imagine that the people who thought it up may have said….." We need a show like Sale of the century, but is easier and more couch potato involving"

It really is quite an ingenious idea. By making it easier for the contestant and more involving for the home viewer, to me it s a more enjoyable format than quick fire questions.

What’s also interesting is other shows like Greed, that have tried to copy it on a similar level have failed and The Weakest Link, which is an exercise in making people feel bad and encouraging people to turn on each other. Sure it’s just a game, but I don’t like it, but it is a ratings winner.

Just goes to show that people enjoy watching others back stab and generally plot against each other, just like on Survivor.

Millionaire doesn’t have that element at all, just time and lots of help. Anyone can play it and you don’t need to be quick on the buzzer, but it must have been too successful, because in Australia, they brought in more sub $1000 questions to slow the game down.

I just realised why for me at least it’s the most enjoyable of all the game shows…..it’s comfortable.

It’s non confronting, relatively easy and one can take all the time necessary to be involved.

And you can relate that information to business, where you offer an environment for your customers that’s all of the above.

I was in a take away food shop yesterday and if you wanted to dine in, they charged you! And even had a big sign at the counter saying, " Do not eat take away food at our tables. If they had any common business sense, they’d realise that the longer you keep your prospect/customer at your business, the more chance you have to sell to them.

It’s the same online. Offer a place that feels comfortable, is non confronting and encourages the visitor to stay and become involved and you’ll have more chance of success than doing the opposite.

In fact how many times have you been in a store (and even websites) where practically everything about it makes you want to leave. Bad layout, uncaring staff and crowds are just a few things that come to mind that many stores suffer from.

I suppose common (business) sense isn’t that common.

Just an opinion.

Max

mentioned below!

Interesting question, Simon.... :)

Like Max Power, I've noticed that Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is a very good show to watch with others.... During the time the contestant is thinking, when I've watched it we're usually discussing which answer it is (if it's not obvious to one of us)....

I think one of the keys though is the fantasy element. There is something still "magical" about the world "millionaire".... And that's the fantasy element, it hooks into your dreams.....

You know, sometimes I love reading certain ads.... I didn't fully understand why, but now I do. I think (in part) it's the fantasy element.... For example, I can go to a web site like www.adflip.com and have a fun time looking through certain ads (I tend to prefer the "wordy" ones).... Ads often represent a "perfect" world -- one where you have the latest cool gadgets, the cleanest, most perfect houses, no more illnesses, perfect family relations, and you're driving the coolest car! Hey, who couldn't enjoy that.... :)

A while ago, Adam Katz brought up the topic of J. Peterman and the J. Peterman catalog (see the current online version at www.jpeterman.com ). If anything represents successful advertising as "fantasy," I think the J. Peterman catalog is it! On one level, he's selling clothing, but on another level he's selling a fantasy of mystical days gone by....

Anyhow, Simon, what do you think regarding your question? I know that behind your thought-provoking posts usually lie some excellent insights! :)

- Dien

Dien, Max (alphabetically)

Here are some factors (not scaled yet):

5-49 Game (statistically)
(Is YOUR product good for the kids from 5 to 49?)

Family Game.
(Does YOUR product bring families together?)

Smart Kid- Smart Dad Game.
(BTW, the "Rich Dad Poor Dad" bestseller has evolved into a GAME for kids and adults)

School Game
(combines education and entertainment; no mom can tell you that you are just "watching TV")

Trivia + "multiple choice" aspects
(Trivia - building on established success; "multiple choice" - building on common school practices)

Reality Game.
(mimics our way "to the top" in real life)

Help Factor
"When you go to the top you get a lot of help along the way".

The way the life-lines are structured.
As in real life you get your help from:
1. Interested People (audience)
2. Experts-friends ("call a friend" life-line)

Scalable (can be easily duplicated OUT of TV context on the friend-family level - Michael Ross will love this "viral factor")

Essentially a FRANCHISE.
(world-wide and now with the Disney contract - corporate-wide)
(compare "franchise" model with "affiliate" model. Which do you prefer?)

Promotes educational values.

Former "trivia junkie" can become a "celebrity".

As in every rigorous success analysis you CAN'T tell from the start which aspect will become relevant to YOUR business.
Just enumerate them.

"For you don't know the time and the day and the key factor"
---The Bible of Success

Simon

Simon/Dien,

To me 'Millionaire' is just content, it doesn't make the money, it's ploy is to keep you watching for the ads which provide the revenue to make the show(s).

Like a website that is content rich with ads to produce income. I said that the format could be related to business, but even a pleasant business environment is similar to content, it's goal is to please the visitor so they'll notice the products.

You can't make money with a sunny outlook in an empty shop. Unless you can get people to buy your mental attitude. You need products and/or services to sell to make money.

I find content to be just that, the filler that attracts and if it's any good, it keeps the prospect for the real reason for it's existance.....the sell, whether it be ads, products or services.

I suppose 'millionarie' is technically a product and the network does want you to buy it, so you stay, but it doesn't actually make the money because without ads during the show, there'd be no revenue.

But it's an interesting vehicle non the same to study for a variety of reasons.

Max

Practically every other forum is about repetitive questions, self promotion and Guruship. This place is an interesting diversion from the 'norm'

In case you don't know, 'Guruship' is the ship that the first Guru's came out on;>)

Hi Max

I think you wil find the tv company make more from the premium rate phone calls from prospective contestants than they have to pay out in prize money

regards peter

> Simon/Dien,

> To me 'Millionaire' is just content, it
> doesn't make the money, it's ploy is to keep
> you watching for the ads which provide the
> revenue to make the show(s).

> Like a website that is content rich with ads
> to produce income. I said that the format
> could be related to business, but even a
> pleasant business environment is similar to
> content, it's goal is to please the visitor
> so they'll notice the products.

> You can't make money with a sunny outlook in
> an empty shop. Unless you can get people to
> buy your mental attitude. You need products
> and/or services to sell to make money.

> I find content to be just that, the filler
> that attracts and if it's any good, it keeps
> the prospect for the real reason for it's
> existance.....the sell, whether it be ads,
> products or services.

> I suppose 'millionarie' is technically a
> product and the network does want you to buy
> it, so you stay, but it doesn't actually
> make the money because without ads during
> the show, there'd be no revenue.

> But it's an interesting vehicle non the same
> to study for a variety of reasons.

> Max

> Practically every other forum is about
> repetitive questions, self promotion and
> Guruship. This place is an interesting
> diversion from the 'norm'

> In case you don't know, 'Guruship' is the
> ship that the first Guru's came out on;>)

Hi Simon,

Let's discuss.... :)

> Here are some factors (not scaled yet):

> 5-49 Game (statistically)
> (Is YOUR product good for the kids from 5 to
> 49?)

Ah, yes, that would be good for mass appeal, though don't forget the baby boomer demographic.... :)

> Family Game.
> (Does YOUR product bring families together?)

This is one nice thing about "Who wants to be a Millionaire." I'm not a regular watcher of the show, but when I have watched it it's always been with friends or family, and we've pretty much always discussed the questions! It's hard not to, when they give you that blank empty space when the person is thinking about which answer to pick.... :)

> Smart Kid- Smart Dad Game.
> (BTW, the "Rich Dad Poor Dad"
> bestseller has evolved into a GAME for kids
> and adults)

Do you mean "Cashflow"? I have that game -- apparently, the game predated the book. :) (It's a good game, it DOES teach you some good money management skills and some basic property-investment skills....)

Robert Kiyosaki had previously been using games as a teaching tool, since he's a strong critic of the methods of education we commonly use today....

When you think about it, games are a very natural way to teach. When you look at how various animals behave, we see that the animal young play games in order to learn life survival skills.... But when it comes to humans, we do this too when it comes to physical skills, but NOT as much as we probably should when it comes to mental skills.... If we had more teaching of mental skills using games, perhaps everyone would be better off!

Hmmm.... I think Robert Kiyosaki could be on to something.... :)

> School Game
> (combines education and entertainment; no
> mom can tell you that you are just
> "watching TV")

Heheh, hmm.... I think if I was still a school kid, my Mom wouldn't react that way. But I can see how some moms would.... :)

> Help Factor
> "When you go to the top you get a lot
> of help along the way".

As the Beatles (and Joe Cocker later) sang,

"I get by with a little help from my friends...."

> The way the life-lines are structured.
> As in real life you get your help from:
> 1. Interested People (audience)
> 2. Experts-friends ("call a
> friend" life-line)

> Essentially a FRANCHISE.
> (world-wide and now with the Disney contract
> - corporate-wide)

Yes, that's true. As Max pointed out, we have our own version here in Australia, and many countries have their own national version of the show on TV.... I think (if I'm not mistaken) that it originated in the UK....

> Promotes educational values.

> Former "trivia junkie" can become
> a "celebrity".

> As in every rigorous success analysis you
> CAN'T tell from the start which aspect will
> become relevant to YOUR business.
> Just enumerate them.

Business is generally a complex thing....

Certainly one of the main keys to success in anything (business included) is to know your strengths and weaknesses, and capitalize on your strengths. If you have amazing sales ability, then you should capitalize on that. If you have excellent analysis abilities, then you should capitalize on that. What are your strengths?

Maybe this is one area where real life is different from "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" since on the game show, it pays to have general knowledge. In real life, if you are not a generalist, it's not always a penalty (to compensate, you need to partner with people whose strengths complement your weaknesses).... Specialists may have an edge in areas which are their specialty....

Thanks Simon, that was a thought-provoking post. :)

- Dien