Today I wondered if a TV show that was new last season: "Chuck" would be back or if it had died a quiet death. Google finds me the NBC page for Chuck which says "returning Sept 29." This is excellent news. It's a featured news item on the page. There is a video announcement of it.
But why did I have to go find out for myself?
Where is "let me know" button? Let me subscribe: I'd appreciate to be able to leave my email and know that I'd get an email 2,3 or 4 weeks before the show was set to air. (Or, conversely, an email when it had indeed died - at least I would know for sure.) Isn't this the very definition of permission marketing?
I'm a fan looking to find out more. I'm just the person that NBC should be catering to when it comes to this specific type of information.
Or, how about:
- Letting me subscribe to get updates on the show: either by email or RSS
- Letting me see where in my town they might have season premiere events
(This would be linked to a list where restaurants & pubs could add their information - sort of Google maps meets Facebook events.) - Linking to forums, blogs, or groups (Google groups or Facebook groups) to find out news - and inviting me to join
(Beyond the nbc.com forums and quasi-social networking site that they have - link to the other community and external options.) - Letting me subscribe to a list of new videos as they come in (via RSS)
- Even better: let me do this on my iPhone, where I can view them directly in the NBC app.
- Let me download the graphic novel to my computer or mobile device.
- Let me download the videos (even just the web exclusives - not the episodes [that I can't see here outside the US]) to my computer or mobile device.
- Let me download or link to the music that is listed for each episode.
This is the first in an infinite series entitled: "Missing Items." The concept: services or features that could exist to help someone reach their goals. In this case, what NBC could be doing to reach out to fans and increase their viewership.
More:
- Morgan & Chuck "make a movie end a lot quicker:" http://www.nbc.com/Chuck/video/#mea=148455
- Seth Godin on permission marketing: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/14/permission.html
