Martha Stewart's Reality Tv Show

Martha Stewart Ð'- Reality TV Success After Prison

Key insights and conclusions from market/industry analysis

A hard-working, successful businesswoman, Martha Stewart certainly has made a "name" for herself. However, it is important to analyze the relationship between her former audience vs. her potential audience. Before going to prison, Stewart was a household name that generally attracted those persons (i.e. homemakers and retirees) interested in arts, crafts, cooking. These are areas whereby Martha is considered an industry-expert, thus she can quickly gain her credibility. However, it is important to note that Stewart's show was not predicated upon her business savvy.

In regard to her potential audience, Martha is seeking to capture an audience that has little to no knowledge of her business success. Furthermore, the knowledge that people have tends to be in a negative sense. When one, other than homemakers and retirees, think of Martha Stewart, the majority would not associate her with her industry, but rather with lying and prison. Unlike Donald Trump, Martha is not viewed as business icon. When one hears Trump's name, a successful business man comes to mind. Martha is attempting to attract a market without first building her brand.

According to the industry, reality shows in general are taking a beating. For example, in spite

of its success, Donald Trump's Apprentice audience has fell 16%. This is a unique challenge in itself as Stewart's Apprentice will always be compared to the "original" Apprentice.

Another potential conflict is her ability to "cross-over" audiences. While one show will focus on "fun and getting more out of life," her other show will focus on business. While Martha Stewart's parent company has not directly invested into the Apprenctice, given the decline in the stock prices of her parent company, Martha's Apprentice success and/or failure is indirectly and financially linked to the financial success of her parent company.

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