If your favorite television show got canceled, what would you do? See what else was on? Write a letter of protest?
Fans of CBS’ “Jericho” went nuts.
Or rather, they sent nuts. Over 20 tons of them.
Outraged by the program’s cancellation, last spring viewers sent bags of peanuts to CBS in protest. The gesture was a reference to the show’s hero saying “nuts” before going into battle.
NutsOnline — where many fans ordered from — didn’t start the campaign. In fact, company CEO Jeffrey Braverman had never even seen one episode of “Jericho” when orders for CBS started trickling in. Quickly realizing something big was afoot, he started communicating with fans via a blog. He answered every e-mail from the show’s faithful, who saw the site as an ally in their cause.
Despite the 4,781 orders — totaling $54,968 and 40,377 pounds of peanuts — the hoopla wasn’t a revenue generator in the short term. Rather, Braverman is banking that the company’s support will generate good will and loyalty from customers who will remember the site when they have to send a gift. Prior to the holidays, about 10% had gone on to become customers.
Did all this nuttiness work? For the fans, definitely. “Jericho,” which is the story of a Kansas town in the aftermath of a nuclear Armageddon, returns with new episodes Feb. 12.
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