The WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) is probably one of the biggest shows out there in history.
The show has a really wide audience of all ages– even kids.
So how in the world did the WWE get to have this much of an audience, and how do they keep these audiences committed?
On this episode of the Garlic Marketing Show, Rob Aurelius, the Co-Founder of ARCG Media, reveals to us how they have been successfully marketing the WWE for the past 9 years.
That’s why as you read more, you will learn:
- What the WWE is really amazing at doing
- What they do to keep the fans HOOKED
- How the WWE takes advantage of outside events to boost its marketing
Before we proceed, don’t forget that this episode is brought to you by videocasestory.com. Click here if you need help collecting, crafting, and delivering customer stories.
Imagine being the man behind the marketing of one of the BIGGEST FRANCHISES in the world: WWE.
Luckily, we can still get to learn about the 3 things that the WWE does with their marketing to have grown that big.
And during our interview, this was the first thing that Rob got to share with us:
THE WEE’S INFAMOUS STORYTELLING
I’ve said this time and time again, but PEOPLE LOVE A GOOD STORY.
Human beings are, by nature, STORYTELLERS and that is something that no one can take out of their system.
Stories create emotion, and human beings live for those emotions, keeping them hooked.
Take it from Rob Aurelius:
“The WWE is very good with storytelling. Sometimes a lot of their storylines can last a few months– sometimes more than a few months, almost a year. And what they do very well is with their storytelling.”
The stories are one of the elements that keep them sitting at the edge of their seats all the time.
But the story becomes extra powerful if they take advantage of
TEASING THE AUDIENCE.
Being invested as they are in a good storyline, the audience tends to form theories on how the next events will unfold.
So they ask more and more questions that are connected to the storyline.
“Who’s gonna be in the ring?”
“I wonder what conflict will arise this time?”
Those kinds of questions stimulate their minds to be a little bit more invested.
And if you ride on that by telling them:
“Find out who the Undertaker is fighting this Monday.”
Their imagination is gonna go WILD.
“What we try to do is we try to sync in with the WWE storytelling to let people know what’s going on and what to expect next.
Some people may not like the current storyline, but what we try to do is try to keep people interested in it by telling them, ‘Look, you may think that this is going to have a different outcome, but it’s actually probably going to have the outcome that you’ve been thinking about for a while.’
So, we like to throw a lot of hints out there, a lot of teasers, and a lot of publicity.”
THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX
And of course, whether we like it or not, things happen outside of the show– REAL EVENTS that stir up more fan theories.
Just like with one of Rob’s examples with WWE star Cody Rhodes.
It was announced in the news that Cody Rhodes who once left the WWE ditched his business.
This sparked the imagination of so many fans, making them think that he was about to return to the WWE after years of not being a part of it.
“There was going to be a main event that night with Brock Lesnar fighting a mysterious opponent, and everybody thought it was going to be Cody.
So that night, of course we didn’t get Cody Rhodes.”
This kept the fans buzzed about the show that helped them sell MORE TICKETS for that evening.
“And then once April came along, there was a wrestler named Seth Rollins who didn’t have an opponent for WrestleMania, and everybody kept wondering who his opponent was going to be.
And then finally, you know, the first line of WrestleMania 38, Cody Rhodes came out, shocking the world.”
INCREDIBLE STORYTELLING IS THE CENTER OF WWE.
It is what fuels the emotions of their audience, and Rob, the genius behind their marketing, just takes advantage of different ways to keep their audience guessing.
And that’s what made the WWE HUGE.
Watch the full episode now, and make sure to leave any questions or comments you have about the episode.
Connect with Rob: