The Couch Potato Critic

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The Couch Potato Critic

By Stephen Bucaro

This is an idea I've had for a while about a Web business.
I don't know if it's a good idea - you be the judge. You
are free to use this idea because I won't have the time
to use it myself.

Picture a Web site titled "Couch Potato Critic". The
header displays a photo of you, laying on your sofa,
bathing in the glow of your big screen TV, with a beer or
pop can in one hand and the remote control in the other.

The Web site content is your articles criticizing TV shows
and commercials. I'm not talking about critiques from an
entertainment "expert", that's been done. I'm not talking
about Hollywood gossip, that's been overdone. I'm talking
about the opinions of "beer can Joe" or "soda pop Sally".

Who on earth would care about the opinions of beer can
Joe or soda pop Sally? Advertisers and network executives,
and anyone who is a TV junkie or can't get enough trivia
about their favorite TV show.

The fact is advertisers and network executives pay a ton
of money for demographics and studies trying to find out
what beer can Joe and soda pop Sally are thinking. That's
because the majority of the TV viewing audience has the
beer can Joe and soda pop Sally mentality. Beer can Joe
and soda pop Sally are the people who purchase those
products advertised in TV commercials.

On your Web site's "About" page, present your
qualifications to be a TV critic: overweight college
dropout with slightly below average IQ who spends 40 hours
or more per week in a mental haze in front of the TV set,
occasionally nodding off. If a TV commercial can get it's
message through to you, it's a marketing success.

This might be your findings: many TV commercials are too
creative. After you've seen the commercial, you have no
idea what the product was! Every TV commercial should have
the same pattern: show a sad person, present the product
or service, show person using the product or service, show
a happy person.

What are all those computer generated special effects in
car commercials? Show people being envious of someone
else's new car. That'll sell cars. What is all that creativity
in fast food commercials? Simply shove a burger in the
viewers face and then show someone enjoying eating a
burger. That's how to sell fast food.

You can judge TV commercials on the following criteria.

1. Did you understand the commercial?
2. After viewing the commercial, did you know what the
product was?
3. Did the commercial provide enough information about the
product?
4. Did the commercial create a desire for the product?

You can use similar criteria to criticize TV shows. What's
with those Star Trek shows? I don't understand those
convoluted temporal loops, or alien intelligence taking
over the brains of the crew. That's way too complicated.
Just show me man against alien or man's technology against
nature.

You can use photos and sound bites from TV in your
articles. It's not copyright infringement if you use them
for news, critical, or educational purposes. That's called
"fair use".

How do you make money from a TV critic site? If you have
traffic, you can generate revenue from any kind of
general advertising. If your site experiences strong
demand from advertising and network executives, you might
make it a subscription based site.

One way you might NOT want to make money is when one of
those advertising or network executives offers to pay you
for your opinion or to use your opinion in their advertising.
This would undoubtedly bias your opinion, causing your Web
site to lose credibility. Resist that money!

Can you image earning a living by laying on your sofa all
day recording your unqualified opinion of what you see on
TV? The Couch Potato Critic - good idea, or crazy idea?
You be the judge.
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