The Nerdist's Guide to Multiplatform Branding

05.28.2014

​Chris Hardwick, founder of Nerdist and host of Comedy Central's "@midnight" as well as AMC's after show "Talking Dead," has turned his website into an empire and his hosting background (MTV's "Singled Out") into a career.

He has transformed his Web series "All-Star Celebrity Bowling" into an AMC pilot, and his "@midnight" show broke through last October into the late-night world, successfully utilizing the second screen, consistently appearing in Twitter trending topics each night (@midnight has more than 220,000 followers, @Nerdist has more than 2 million). In the original sell, Hardwick appeared in an on-air spot that described his social late-night series like this: "Social media is breeding the most antisocial generation in history. Join me and three comics to point and laugh in its stupid face on a sort of game show."

This week, he spoke with Jeanine Poggi at "Ad Age" about his "sort of game show," the transition from Web to TV, Nerdist's goals and which brands are misusing social media. Below are a few of his thoughts:

1. On his upcoming AMC bowling series: "As a culture, we have seen enough of celebrities on couches talking about their latest project."

Hardwick says that the talk show format is stagnant and needs a new twist. The AMC pilot, "All-Star Celebrity Bowling," has been a Web series at Nerdist and according to Hardwick, is one of its most popular because fans feel like they're interacting with stars and big names in ways that make viewers feel involved. "It's not always about the number of views, but if the people who watch it are engaged. At Nerdist, we are focused on making programming and content that's very inclusive in a way that viewers really feel like they are hanging out with these people."

2. On branding himself: "A comedian is an entrepreneurial brand machine."

Hardwick, also a traveling standup comedian, has successfully branded himself onstage as a comic but also as The Nerdist, which is a multiplatform identity. "It's about relating to the audience and being able to talk to the audience with a distinct voice. These are all the same things you do when you are building a brand."

3. On "@midnight's" success: "Other companies put a Twitter feed in the ticker at bottom of the screen and said they were using social media."

"We are tapping into online communities and social media for source material. Really when "@midnight" started last year no one had really done that yet." The game show on Comedy Central is a TV brand that's able to seamlessly integrate social media (and sponsors) into a fast-paced game show, while also identifying itself with late-night brands like Fallon and Conan. Hardwick, the host of the show that invites comedians to poke fun at the day's events online, says that having a sponsor-friendly game show format is a huge advantage. The one thing to monitor, though, is to make sure that the sponsored segments and branded hash tags make sense and aren't forced. Branded content that doesn't flow with what's on the air can be obtrusive, especially to millennial audiences who dislike being talked down to. "You need to own it and not try to sneak it in. People don't want to feel like they are being taken advantage of."

4. On brands' misuse of social media: "Why brands fail with social media is because they are trying to advertise to people who don't care because they don't care about them."

"Using social media as a press release is bad as opposed to just speaking to someone as human beings," said Hardwick. "Brands need social media teams that have their own voice." According to him, social voices need to have their own, correctly branded, personalities too, or else fans will check out if they feel they're being yelled at by a computer. Not only that, but branded partnerships should make sense to the audience and to the brand, or else fans will feel lied to.

Jeanine Poggi is moderating a session at The Conference 2014, "Social Security: Using New Media to Tell Your Tale − or Die and Wish You Had." Check out promaxbda.org for more information about The Conference and the full schedule of events.

[Image courtesy of Comedy Central]