John Oliver’s Bold Content Risks
How comedy became real journalism
When John Oliver left the Daily Show to start a similar comedic news program on HBO, everyone saw his success as relatively assured. After all, year after year, Emmy awards are heaped on the Daily Show, and similar offshoot shows like the Colbert Report have experience the same success. All of this made it seem like Oliver’s move was a secure career choice.
However, when the first show aired, something was startlingly clear: John Oliver was about to take some major risks with that security.
Comedy Gets Serious
Last Week Tonight’s first season was not defined by pithy jokes or hilarious interactions with guest, but impassioned rants taking on real issues. Some of those rants ran longer than the time allotted for the entire Daily Show. Topics were treading ground other shows wouldn’t touch, including net neutrality and the pay day loan industry.
From a content perspective, this is like being offered the ability to go market Apple products, and turning it down in favor of marketing B2B software. It was a bold new attempt to redefine the genre, and what’s even more surprising is that the show has seen serious success.
So what made this bold move such a success for Oliver? His presentation of complex issues was perfect tailored to the modern audience.
Each monologue is perfectly crafted to deliver information in a way that would not only keep an audience watching, but also get them passionately engaged. While there is an incredible degree of subtly to his approach, here are four ways Oliver keeps his audience so engaged.
Distill Major Points: While Oliver covers his topics in great detail, his writers are sure to keep the major topics to those that the audience would either be concerned with, or that the audience would have a strong reaction to. When discussing net neutrality for instance, he gives just enough explanation of the mechanics of data speed to set up his point about Comcast throttling Netflix speeds. He provides the background his audience needs, but focuses his punching power on the points of interest.
Move Fast: Oliver covers his monologues at a blistering pace, often racing through his diatribes so fast that he talks right over his own audience’s laughs. This pace is a benefit for two reasons. First, it provides little time for an audience to lose interest or focus. Second, his speed becomes a personification of his passion on the the subject matter, and that passion and excitement transfers to his audience.
Use Humor and Metaphors: While Oliver forgoes the cheap laughs of his predecessors, the show is certainly not without humor. He often uses outrageous metaphors or caustic humor to make his major points. While both tactics have a supplementary goal of getting a few laughs, they serve a much more subtle purpose. By comparing Comcast to a mobster extorting Netflix for money, Oliver makes the concept of data throttling much more approachable and understandable.
Have a Distinctive Voice: One thing you can say for John Oliver is that he is passionate. It is obvious that he really cares about the issues. His enthusiasm and eagerness to make his points often leaves him stumbling over words or plowing through audience reactions. Although he is far from the archetypal host for the genre, his own voice shines through in each episode, and at times he seems more like a friend you are listening to at a party than a talk show host.
While taking a major risk in giving his new show more serious positioning, Oliver has proved something very important to marketers: even the most unsexy topics can become engaging with the right approach. Start crafting your blog posts with the same approach Oliver’s writers take to his monologues and see what is does for your engagement.
About the author: Matt Wesson is the content marketing manager at Salesforce. Follow him on Twitter or see more articles on his LinkedIn page.
