McMahon Makes Million Dollar Pitch for WWE Viewers
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. honcho Vince McMahon is looking to draw a few more viewers to “WWE Raw” with a weekly $1 million giveaway during the USA Network show.
“McMahon’s Million Dollar Mania” will offer $1 million a week from McMahon’s undoubtedly deep pockets to bring viewers back to “Raw” and to spawn new fans, the melodramatic pro wrestling maven told a live Bakersfield, CA, audience during Monday’s show.
“This is no hoax. This is the real deal,” McMahon said standing at a Plexiglas podium full of play money. “Why would I give away a million dollars in cash? Maybe it’s because I’m eccentric, or maybe it’s because I’m generous. Or maybe I just want people to enjoy and watch what you enjoy every week.”
In a statement on Tuesday, he called it “my own version of an economic stimulus plan for our viewers,” which would “no doubt” increase ratings.
He emphasized that those registering for the giveaway, which ePrize is handling at http://www.WWE.com, must be U.S. citizens to be eligible. And he declared that, contrary to perceptions of people who aren’t pro wrestling buffs, WWE fans represent “Americana.”
McMahon didn’t say just how much money he was going to give away. So there’s room to speculate on whether he’ll top the estimated $7 million Oprah Winfrey handed out on her 2004 season opener when everyone in the audience won a Pontiac G6.
That determination will be “week by week, as long as we’re getting people’s attention—and results,” said WWE spokesman Gary Davis.
A winning code number will be posted during the “Raw” telecast and online, Davis said. But there will be variations in the weekly methodology, he said. McMahon may award one winner the top prize, or parse out the $1 million to several people who answer and correctly supply the code.
Ratings for “WWE Raw” have been flat. While it remains among the highest rated series on ad-supported cable, its Memorial Day ratings represented a five-year low according to Nielsen. The TV jury is out on whether the stunt can make “Raw” ratings cook.
Geof Rochester, WWE chief marketing officer, said the tactic is “fundamentally, a watch and win,” with McMahon’s particular spin.
“He wants to give back to the fans and he wants to bring fans to the show,” Rochester said of McMahon.
Rochester sees the giveaway as a way to “infect life and energy into the brand” and notes that Money Mania will be promoted in spots across all NBC networks.
Others had a different take on the promotion.
“I think they should give somebody a million dollars to come up with the best plot twist,” said Richard Laermer, a sports PR consultant and author of “2011: Trendspotting for the Next Decade?,” alluding to WWE’s practice of scripting match plotlines months in advance to pick its winning wrestling characters based on merchandise sales.
Laermer called the promotion “retro” and speculated that WWE advertisers would be upset because viewers won’t have to pay close attention—or even watch the show—to find out the magic code. He also doubts the ploy will pay off.
“The people that tune in are already tuned in,” he said. “That’s the kind of contest that allows you to keep [the TV] on in the background.”
“Next week on WWE Raw, it’s all about the money,” McMahon barked on Monday night.
He’s right, of course: it all comes down to ratings points, and just how many points McMahon figures $1 million is worth.
