Case Studies

Cupid

DRTV Viewer Voting



Client
CBS and FremantleMedia

Description
Cupid - Vote Implementation and Management

Service
Viewer landline and SMS vote management

Tariff
Toll-Free (1-866 GO FOR 01-10) and standard AT&T Wireless SMS rates

Operating Hours
Tuesday nights, July 2003 - Sep 2003

Background
Telescope was appointed by CBS to manage and set-up the telephone and SMS voting systems for the new reality dating show CUPID. Telescope's expertise provided the platform for viewer voting which was integral to the show. CUPID successfully brought viewer voting back to the public and its popularity was reflected in the steady rise in viewer participation throughout the series.

There were a number of changes during the run of the show which presented a challenge from the management perspective, including schedule changes in which the show moved from Tuesday to Wednesday nights as well as a broadcast time change from 10pm PT to 9pm PT. Despite these factors, viewer investment grew and there proved to be a rise with unique voters in both phone and SMS.

Objectives
- To implement and manage the telephone voting process
  across toll-free and SMS

- To use creative input and technical know-how to assist
  AT&T to build a system that ensured voting integrity and
  could cope with rising call volumes

- To use experience and knowledge to help AT&T Wireless
  and Mobliss develop the most effective/viewer friendly
  SMS mechanic and promotion

- To ensure the SMS system and reporting package
  mirrored the toll-free voting exactly

- To provide fast, accurate and detailed results, essential
  for voting integrity and future marketing

- To deal with media and viewer enquiries

Mechanics
The CBS Network introduced a new kind of dating show in which viewers were able to take part in choosing a suitor to marry Lisa Shannon, the eligible, young woman seeking "Mr. Right." The show spanned 11 weeks and viewers watched a myriad of contestants from across the country try to woo Lisa and her two friends into picking them to be one of the 10 finalists. After the 10 finalists were chosen, viewers were asked to take part in the week on week process of choosing whom they thought Lisa should marry. During each episode, the suitor with the least amount of votes was eliminated. The voting aspect took place on 7 of the 11 episodes and viewers had two hours to call or text in their vote after the show. Telescope was able to secure through AT&T a range of memorable toll-free numbers 866 GO FOR 01-10, the last two digits signified the number of the contestant they wanted to vote for. The finale proved to be suspenseful as millions of viewers tuned in to watch the results. Unfortunately there was no marriage proposal as Hank, the suitor that America voted for, chose to continue his relationship with Lisa in private and not under the scrutiny of the American public. The couple thus gave up the one million dollar prize that they could have received if they had married on national television, though another qualification they would have to adhere to is staying married for one year.

Results
Reports showed a steady rise in voters with a significant leap in viewer participation on the final vote night. This proved to be a positive voting experience for the viewers, evident in the rising vote figures, as well as a smooth and successful project for Telescope, CBS and FremantleMedia.