As she fell to the floor of the X Factor stage and had a hissy fit, the hopes of the nation rose – could this be the week Katie ‘The Weasel’ Waissel finally got knocked out of the competition. But alas it was not to be, the most hated girl in Britain lives to sing another week.
But although it all kicked off on Twitter/Facebook/Blogs and in the mainstream media, it should not come as a surprise to anyone why the judges chose to save Waissel. PR is more important to the X Factor than real talent will ever be. Waissel is a controversial kooky character, who generates publicity for the show, which helps keep viewing figures high and in turn generates more revenue. Despite spelling her name in a daft way, Treyc Cohen, is like watching beige paint dry, she is frankly boring and as such has not received the same attention and media coverage as other contestants.
Some in our industry say all publicity is good publicity. Yes, the scandal of the judges keeping Waissel in the show may keep people interested for a short while, but it will do serious long term damage to X Factor’s brand. We are told the X Factor is about finding a new singing sensation, and as the less talented but media friendly acts are spared at the expense of the talented, people may begin to feel they are being manipulated and lose faith in the X Factor brand.
It is the same for any brand who are operating across any sector, trust is so important. If organisations begin to sacrifice their principles for desperate attempts to get in the media it will affect their long term credibility among their audiences and markets.
