“Somebody once said I had a face for radio and a voice for newspapers.” - Jerry Springer

I could go in a couple different directions in the blog post.

It could be about personal branding, going from niche to mainstream, #blah blah, blah.

After all, #Jerry Springer does have a fairly impressive resume.

He isn't just the host of #the Jerry Springer Show.

He was a campaign advisor for #Robert Kennedy.

He then became a member of the Cincinnati city council and eventually becoming Mayor.

He has been the host of many TV shows, like #America's Got Talent, including a few in the UK. Plus doing a bunch of radio talk show programs.

We could learn about how he has leveraged opportunity to get this next opportunity. But that's not what I want to talk about.

The #Jerry Springer Show

Even though The #Jerry #Springer Show has been on for 20 years, it probably doesn't have the best reputation. To be candid, I have never watched a full episode myself, but here is what we #can learn from Jerry Springer about #marketing.

The Jerry Springer Show debuted on September 30, 1991. It was developed by WLWT to mimic the format and look of fellow talk show Donahue, all the way down to Jerry's haircut and glasses, making him look like Phil Donahue (coincidentally, both were produced by Multimedia Entertainment). It started as a politically-oriented talk show, a longer version of Springer's commentaries. Guests included Oliver North and Jesse Jackson, and topics included homelessness and gun politics.

In early 1994, Springer and his new producer, #Richard Dominick, revamped the show's format in order to garner higher ratings. The show became more and more successful as it became more and more lowbrow.

By 1998, it was beating #Oprah Winfrey in many cities, and was reaching more than 6.7 million viewers. (Waxman, 1998)

- Via Wikipedia

Marketing is about giving #people what they want.

Jerry started off trying to do a certain type of show with a certain type of content. It wasn't working.

They changed directions, gave people what they wanted and ratings started to increase.

Does this mean you have to lower your standards or sacrifice your integrity or compromise your standards?

I don't think so. It simply means marketing is about giving people what they want. It is next to impossible to change peoples mindsets, the way they think and their current perceptions.

Read more on psychology

• The Money Tree – The Social And Economic Experiment
• Understanding Theory Of Mind
• Why You Can't Trust Yourself Or Your Gut

But if you give people what they want, where does that leave you?

Well, sell people what they want first, but then give them what they need.

If you are in the business of teaching people guitar:

People don't want to learn how to play chords or scales on a guitar. They want to learn how to be a rockstar, or be the center of attention at the party or get the girl. So sell them what they want first, then give them what they need. The chords and scales.

If you are in the business of fitness training:

People don't want to work out and exercise. They want to look better in their clothes, have more energy or feel better about themselves. Vanity actually appeals more to most people versus health. So sell them what they want first, then give them what they need. The exercise and training.

I think what we can learn from Jerry Springer about marketing is he started providing people what they wanted, but then gave them what they needed.

Sure the show is ridiculous and over the top, but if you watch the end, Jerry has what is called the Final Thought.

This must be the way Jerry feels ok about the other portion of the show. That 1 to 2 minutes at the end of the show is his opportunity to give some intellectual reasoning to the absurd, yet entertaining last hour.

Watch the video of one of his Final Thoughts.

See. That's not crazy and over the top is it?

There is some wisdom there. And it might be possible to make a whole show of this concept, but will as many viewers tune in? Probably not.

So look to start marketing and offering people what they want, then after you have their attention, give them what they need.

After all, what did Mary Poppins say about a spoonful of sugar?