I have to wonder if the WWE has ever had the amount of publicity it has had for WMXX. I mean the build up has been long and good on the WWE TV, but the amount of free publicity for this one has been crazy. From the TV Guide covers to the New York Newsday & Times articles to the Pete Rose HAll of Fame stunt, it's been non stop for the last couple weeks. My hometown paper, The St. Louis Post Dispatch, gave a mention at the top of the front page on Tuesday of an artical in the Everyday section that day. It turns out when you went to the Everyday section the whole front page of that section was devoted to WMXX and the history of WM with small capsule on each WM as well as a celebrity trivia section and a Vince Mcmahon biography. I mean the WWE couldnt have put together a better ad for WM than that article. Does anyone ever remember the WWE getting this much diverse free publicity for a WM? Maybe when Tyson got involved but I'm not even sure they were as lucky then as they are now. One thing is for sure you have to be dead under a rock to not know about WMXX. Add all this to the WMXX caravan stopping across the country and the billboards I think the WWE has a great chance to get an awesome buyrate for this. It also is true that with that audience being handed to them it could be "Where it all starts....again!"
(edited by knightvibe on 12.3.04 1850) and thats all i have to say about that!
Mania XIV with Tyson they had much more, as Tyson was still relevant at that point. Mania I with the Rock 'n Wrestling Connection, Mr. T, and Ali (plus, the dream of Patterson and Liberace being so near each other in the ring), had more play than this one, as MTV helped build it through the War that Settled the Score. And remember, a lot of the media attention they are getting is either negative or mocking them. That's not the best way to convince someone who doesn't watch to product to spend half a hundred.
Pondering whether the world is ready for the Red Sox Nation Lawrence Welk Workrate Report.
See I don't believe for a second that somebody who has never watched is suddenly going to see the hype & plunk down $50. I can't imagine that Vince expects that either. I think what they're looking for is people who have watched in the past, or people who watch casually. The other commercial, where the regular people are saying things along the lines of "remember when we used to watch wrestling" & such. Maybe some of them will kick in.
Another objective of some of the publicity would be to soften objections. F'rinstance, the kids really want it. Dad remembers when he used to watch, & might be willing to spring for it. But maybe mom's not really into spending the money for "that wrestling stuff". If she sees HHH being charming & articulate on Regis & Kelly, maybe that softens her up a little bit that maybe they're not all that bad. If she sees print ads & billboards, maybe she believes the kids when they tell her it's the biggest event of the year. That kind of stuff. So maybe she gives in & lets the boys order the event. That sort of thing.
I haven't read the USA Today stuff. That's the kind of negative stuff that's out of Vince's control. Is that enough to significantly counteract the intentional stuff that Vince has been doing? Maybe some, but there's not a lot he could do about that.
The fact that WWE has and average audience of 4.5 million viewers for RAW and 5.5 million for Smackdown leads you to belive that there are a ton of viewers who never ever see a PPV. This one has a chance to hook a lot of those viewers. WMXX could be a big buyrate I think.
I doubt anything can top the promotion for Mania 1.
Mania 14's was obviously hugely successful with the Tyson crossover and the angles they shot with him, as it took Austin to the next level and started WWF's boom period.
Mania 18 must've been the single-hardest mainstream hype job they did for one match, as the advertising for Hogan/Rock was everywhere all the time.
This year lacks the one elusive dream match you can really hit hard, but as far as setting up a bunch of matches long in advance to make them all meaningful, is pretty much the best job they've done on a show in the monthly PPV era. (For the overall show, not the one big match, like Austin/Undertaker at SummerSlam 98 or Austin/Rock at Mania 17, which they teased for months.)
Originally posted by knightvibeThe fact that WWE has and average audience of 4.5 million viewers for RAW and 5.5 million for Smackdown leads you to belive that there are a ton of viewers who never ever see a PPV.
I'll bet that a lot of those viewers are kids who, when they approach their parents about a pay per view, get a response like:
"You want me to spend $49.95 for WHAT!!!"
At least, that's how it was in my household
(edited by asteroidboy on 13.3.04 2059) -- Asteroid Boy
Wiener of the day: 23.7.02
"My brother saw the Undertaker walking through an airport." - Rex "Was he no-selling?" - Me
Originally posted by knightvibeThe fact that WWE has and average audience of 4.5 million viewers for RAW and 5.5 million for Smackdown leads you to belive that there are a ton of viewers who never ever see a PPV.
I'll bet that a lot of those viewers are kids who, when they approach their parents about a pay per view, get a response like:
"You want me to spend $49.95 for WHAT!!!"
At least, that's how it was in my household
(edited by asteroidboy on 13.3.04 2059)
Wait, that would mean Vince is marketing towards children, and we all know that the WWF/E does not market towards children. The family McMahon has repeatedly stated that, and we know that they never engage in falsehoods. And, if the 4.5 million and 5.5 million watch the product and don't buy the PPV's already, why would a billboard or a newspaper advertisement change things? They already are getting 4 hours of infomercial for Mania per week for the months leading up to it, Page Six of the New York Post mocking Pete Rose and listing the names of the other Hall of Fame inductees probably won't cause them to break out the wallet.
Pondering whether the world is ready for the Red Sox Nation Lawrence Welk Workrate Report.
Well, my dad called me the other day and asked if I knew WrestleMania was on Sunday. I answered yes, and asked why he was asking. He said "Because the ads are all over the goddamn tv." He then proceeded to ask me if I was planning on taping it, because he might be interested.
My dad hasn't watched ANY wrestling since the '70s, yet he knew 'Mania was on today, and actually expressed interest in watching it. That's never happened before, so I'm thinking something must be working.
Thread ahead: Another WWE Main Eventer May Be Done After WMXX Next thread: Wrestlemania must put all of its focus on a handful of guys. Previous thread: Christian's Driver
from 411mania.com: WWE Monday Night Raw scored a 2.5 rating Monday night, down from the previous week's 3.4 rating. They scored a 1.83 in males 18-49, a 1.99 in males 18-34, and had a total of 3.4 million viewers.