Two episodes in, and VH1 is still struggling to find an audience for its much-ballyhooed foray into the naked reality show genre,
Dating Naked.
In fact, ratings were so low for episode 2, that it didn’t even break
the top 100 cable shows for the week, though reruns of the 16-year-old sitcom
Seinfeld did, as did reruns of
Friends which went off the air ten years ago and has been in constant syndication since (meaning die-hard fans have already seen every episode of the show roughly 162 times), and also multiple reruns of
Cops. So that should tell you something about just how much interest TV viewers have in the naked reality concept.
What’s even more bewildering than VH1 keeping this show on the air despite the obvious lack of viewer interest, are the companies that continue to underwrite it with their advertising dollars. Companies like McDonald’s, which is already struggling to regain the trust of consumers who have abandoned the brand.
Why would a company that is best known for Happy Meals want to have anything to do with naked dating on television?
According to the
Chicago Business Journal, McDonald’s will be re-evaluating its marketing strategy due to poor sales. McDonald’s “will try to become a ‘more trusted and respected brand,’ in the words of CEO Don Thompson, by re-evaluating its customer service, menu, and marketing practices.”
Let’s hope that review gets underway immediately, before McDonald’s does further damage to its brand through continued association with programs like “Dating Naked.”
Let McDonald’s hear from you:
http://www.winbackourtrust.com/
