What Marketers Can Learn From the Murder Documentary and True Crime Phenomenon
If liking true crime documentaries was a crime, millions of Americans would be behind bars, possibly inspiring their own documentaries. At one point, the true crime phenomenon was one of the largest sectors of filmed entertainment, seemingly uniting a country while killing its competition. With over half of all Americans claiming to watch true crime, it’s not an exaggeration to say that people were obsessed.
Though still a tremendously popular genre, the crazed, almost maniacal, obsession with true crime is now waning. So, let’s transition from entertainment to education.
The Motivations Behind the Media Mania
As marketers, there’s much to be learned from the societal interests that are so popular they hold people hostage. What are the psychological reasons for true crime documentaries’ popularity and what can marketers implement in their own strategies?
Allow us to take a stab at it.
Mental and Physiological Safety
Watching murder documentaries reminds you that you are safe even if others are not. It lets you deal with fear from a safe space, which is psychologically comforting to many people. Also, these documentaries and fictional mysteries need to convey a complete narrative ending. The introduction of danger, but with the resolution of that danger means true crime documentaries offer closure to people.
The crime is in the past and has been solved; the bad guy has met his comeuppance. True crime documentaries offer viewers catharsis by allowing them to witness intense emotion-inducing events without needing to experience those events or emotions.
So what can marketers learn? Consider not just the extrinsic but also intrinsic motivators. Consider the emotion. What feeling does your product bring? Does it make people feel safe and secure? How does it protect them from the future?
Emotive messaging can go beyond the benefits of a product or service and address why an audience needs it.
Culture and Media
The 24-hour news cycle and social media expose us to negative headlines constantly. Bad news sells papers or, more recently, gets clicks and advertising revenue. It can feel like we get bombarded with negative news. But that’s because people are more likely to notice negative. If you’re in a room with a tiger and a cake, you’re not going to tell people about the cake.
Watching true crime documentaries not only is a representation of a person’s instinct to notice the ‘bad’, but also allows viewers a sense of agency. In a news media environment that seemingly forces ‘bad news’ to people, when viewers choose to watch true crime, it gives them agency.
Marketers can utilize both the reflex of people to look at the bad and then offer them the opportunity for agency. Message your audience through the problem and then offer them a positive solution.
For example, if you have a cybersecurity firm, showcase the dire consequences of lacking cybersecurity; identity theft, loss of operations, etc. Then, offer a solution they can choose to take.
Train Wreck Phenomenon
Back to that 24-hour news cycle. Who hasn't watched video after video, and read article after article, on some terrible catastrophe mostly because they can’t look away? It's human nature to slow down near a car accident to get a good look. Humans are naturally curious and morbid curiosity is still curiosity.
While we don’t recommend you create disturbing, accident-like marketing material (unless you're selling your horror book or... well... your true crime podcast), you need to be interesting, and almost every memorable marketing campaign ever made took a risk. Don't be afraid to do weird, fascinating, and out-of-the-box stuff.
Something to Solve
One appeal of murder documentaries (factual or fictional) is the desire to figure it out before the end or, even better, before the detective. We love a good puzzle, and we love to solve a problem. We also love to feel that we found the solution ourselves.
To satisfy this aspect of human interest, marketers can implement gamification to make more interactive campaigns. Polls, quizzes, and bracket challenges can all give customers the illusion of helping solve the problem. You can also use marketing materials that make the reader think about solutions before you present yours. Give them that "Aha!" moment.
Elevate My Brand: Serial Marketers
At Elevate My Brand, we’re psycho about working with companies to find new and innovative ways to market their product or service. We want people to be as crazed about your brand as Americans are about true crime documentaries. Contact us for more information or get started now!