Sample Twitter Stream Today:
JamesKChou: I have greater respect for Conan O’Brien – #Conan #nbc #leno
ChrisTashima: NBC is so spineless. They really need to get over Leno – the rest of the country has. This is embarrassing.
DmitrySocial: Conan has become the web’s fastest rising brand..why would he want to stay on TV and risk irrelevance?! http://post.ly/IjQl
DrewFromNY: If you don’t think #Conan is funny, read his 2000 Class Day speech at Harvard. http://www.allowe.com/Humor/book/COBspeech2k.htm
DavidInIndy: #Conan *actually* put the Tonight Show on Craigslist: Here’s the link http://bit.ly/4SJkSB Love it! #teamconan
Conan O’Brien may reach Millennial icon status as a result of NBC’s decision to favor Leno over O’Brien for the coveted 11:35 Tonight Show slot.
As the New York Times put its, “They may not have watched (O’Brien’s) “Tonight Show” regularly — or at all — but boy, are they angry now.” According to the Times, Mr. O’Brien fell short in NBC’s attempt to gain younger viewers at 11:35 p.m., yet he is by far the favorite in online viral buzz and voting. There are petitions, Facebook pages, “I’m with CoCo T-shirts, and a steady Twitter stream of support for ‘CoCo’. Sentiment is said to be running 50:1 for O’Brien over NBC/Leno.
Why now, with all the other news in this currently very heavy news cycle (Haiti, China/Google, McGwire) has this story managed to mobilize so many young adults?
I’ll hazard a few hypotheses:
1. NBC’s decision violates Gen Y’s sense of fair play. Leno’s failure in prime time was not O’Brien’s fault. He is the victim of others’ poor decisions, not unlike Millennials themselves.
2. O’Brien acted in a classy way. He didn’t overreact, he maintained his dignity and acted gracefully. His open letter to the “people of the earth” seemed reasonable and honest. “The most-recommended comment about NBC on nytimes.com read, “I haven’t been a fan of Conan’s show but this letter is complete class.” Johnny Carson, a former long-running “Tonight” host, “would be very proud,” the commenter added. “I’m a fan now.”
3. O’Brien fills a vacuum. I’ve commented before that as a generation, Millennials have surprisingly few ‘iconic’ celebrity brands. Yes, there’s Colbert, Stewart and Lady GaGa. But who else?
4. The imbroglio is tailor-made for social media. In my class this week, we speculated how much faster the whole New Coke episode might have unraveled if it had happened in the era of the social graph. The speed with which Gen Y has mobilized word of mouth in support of O’Brien is testament to their facility with the tools of digital social influence.
5. Leno is “so Boomer.” Let’s face it, Leno isn’t coo;, he’s the guy your parents watch(ed).
6. O’Brien is genuinely funny. Millennials love to laugh and this has provided Conan with an opportunity to shine. It’s his moment and he’s making the most of it.
