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LA Times
February 28, 2003
'Alias' on a Mission: Recruit More Men
Marketing blitz aims to attract young male viewers to the spy TV show on
struggling ABC.
By Meg James, Times Staff Writer
SPOILERS!
ABC believes it has a secret weapon in Sydney Bristow, the sexy double
agent of "Alias."
But the Sunday night drama hasn't been able to penetrate TV's top 25 tier
of shows, despite kudos from critics and a cult-like following.
As a result, ABC is planning to throw more money at the program in an
unusual marketing blitz. Coming soon: "Alias" DVDs, comic books, action
figures, trading cards, video games and even a new cell phone ring tone,
all designed to attract more young men to complement a core audience of
young women.
"Shows like these are hard to find," said Susan Lyne, entertainment
president of ABC, a unit of Walt Disney Co. "We'd rather put more time and
energy into building this show than take a risk on four others that we
might put in that time slot and cross our fingers."
Expanding the audience for "Alias" has never been more important for ABC,
which this week finished the February sweeps period in fourth place among
total viewers and fourth among those ages 18 to 49 the key category
watched by Wall Street and Madison Avenue.
Meanwhile, ABC's two stalwart dramas are nearing retirement. "NYPD Blue" is
expected to run one more year, and "The Practice" might not last the
summer. Four new dramas that ABC rolled out in September were yanked off
the air by November.
The effort to draw more male viewers to "Alias" kicked off in January, when
the network placed it in the post-Super Bowl berth. During the game, tens
of millions of people saw commercials with the show's star, Jennifer
Garner, strutting around in attire arguably better suited for a Victoria's
Secret catalog than to a TV drama.
There are no guarantees, of course, that the marketing will work. Stacey
Lynn Koerner, broadcast research director for advertising-buying firm
Initiative Media, questioned whether video games and trading cards would
lure new viewers.
"Typically, ancillary products are appealing to people who are already fans
of the show," Koerner said.
"There's a whole history of critically acclaimed programs that are loved by
pockets of viewers and never take off in a grand scale," she added.
Network executives say they realize that "Alias" merchandise isn't likely
to attract hordes of viewers who are in the 18-to-49 age category. But they
are hoping to indoctrinate teens "who will soon be in that ...
demographic," Lyne said.
A series of "prequel" books have been designed to create a back story to
the TV show, while video games and comic books aim to add elements of
fantasy and intrigue.
"We're going to introduce a new character in the comic book before we
introduce him on the show," said J.J. Abrams, the creator and executive
producer of "Alias."
ABC also has been working with Nokia Corp. to produce a cell phone ring
that mimics the show's theme song. Central to the sales pitch, especially
to young men, is Garner. Positioned as a young, female James Bond, she also
currently is staring in the hit movie "Daredevil."
From the beginning, "Alias" has been an enigma. The second-year show,
produced by Disney's Touchstone Television unit, aimed to have youth appeal
with wild outfits and lots of action. Young women embraced the plot lines
and tangled relationships of the characters; Garner poses as a bank
employee who secretly works for the CIA alongside her father. But young men
didn't stick with the show.
By mid-January, viewership had slipped nearly 9% from the show's first
season and was averaging about 9 million viewers an episode. That put it at
75th place in the TV ratings race, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Several months earlier, network executives began meeting with Abrams to
figure out how to build a bigger and more masculine audience.
Abrams offered to unwind some of the dense plots driven by the
double-crossing characters. To "relaunch" the series, they quickly trained
their sights on ABC's Super Bowl telecast.
It paid off. Some 17 million viewers tuned in to "Alias" after the game,
even though the show began at 11 p.m. on the East Coast. Since the Super
Bowl, the show's overall audience has shot up by about 15%, with the
biggest gains among men 18 to 49.
Lyne said "Alias" has suffered because it doesn't have a strong "lead-in."
The network may try next fall to package "Alias" with another
younger-skewing show, perhaps on a different night.
"The show has got huge potential," Lyne said. "But it's been frustrating
that it hasn't taken off."
© LA Times 2003
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