Witness and ExperienceCCTVA documentary program with the most humanistic temperament and broad connotation, its purpose is to pass through the wind and rain of the years;Pursuing historical authentic works;Recalling unforgettable experiences;Touch the memory of the soul.
The program "Witness and Experience" was launched on CCTV on May 8, 2003.Over the past four years, thanks to the efforts of all colleagues, the program has gradually grown into one of the most influential documentary programs of CCTV.
The column always pays attention to the major events or social phenomena that have a wide impact in the process of Chinese history. In the process of keeping up with the pulse of the times and paying attention to the people's livelihood, it constantly finds history and is close to history.Pursue historical authentic works and touch the memory of the soul.The documentary film broadcasted by the program "Witness and Experience" covers all aspects of China's modern history.Among them, we reviewed the days and nights of Mao Zedong's first visit to the Soviet Union, and talked about the acting president of the Kuomintang governmentLi ZongrenThe unveiling of such an important historical event as the mysterious trip to Beijing has also been traced backBarefoot doctorWe will revisit the warm memory of the glorious eight members who have explored the changes of the times
Brand status
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Brand identity status assessment
The first step of brand building of TV programs is to establish brand identity and strengthen the audience's familiarity with the programs.The establishment of brand identity of TV programs first requires the design of brand identification symbol system, and then through cross media arrival, high frequency contact, adherence to "consistency" and other communication methods to achieve.
1. Independent identification symbol system has not been established
Generally speaking, the identification symbol system of TV columns is mainly established by means of column packaging, including title, tail, logo, music, studio, host, subtitle, etc.As three columns packed together, Witness · Personal Experience, Witness · Video Record《Witness · Discovery Tour》Basically, the same set of packaging system is used (The Journey of Witness and Discovery uses its own logo). For Witness and Experience, the difference of its identification symbols is only reflected in the word "experience" on the word mark, lacking other independent symbols, which emphasizes the commonness of "witness" but not the individuality of "experience".
2. Inadequate reach of brand information
"Arrival generates brand recognition".To establish the brand identity of the column in the competitive market, a sufficient number of audiences must be exposed to the brand.With the increasing abundance of information communication channels, more and more attention has been paid to the concept of "cumulative arrival" in brand marketing, that is, according to the different target audiences, multiple media integration strategies and communication strategies have been adopted to achieve the broadest possible spread of the brand information of the column, so as to provide coverage guarantee for the establishment of the column brand.
Due to the limitation of broadcasting time, the arrival rate of Witness and Experience is relatively low during the premiere and rebroadcast. At the same time, there is no relevant ratings promotion on its channel.In addition to television communication, although the columns are also spread through the Internet, audio-visual products, books and other means, the scope of influence is still limited.On the whole, the breadth of brand information of the "Witness and Experience" column needs to be improved.
3. Low contact frequency of brand information
"Frequency generates brand identity".Repetition is an effective means to strengthen memory, which is also effective for TV program brand building.Many brand plans fail to achieve the expected results, in fact, because the frequency of arrival is not enough.Although the arrival of brand information is important, the target audience must be reached more than once before they may be affected by this information, which is the necessity of repeated arrival.Marketing and advertising researchers also found that the time interval between two arrivals and the use of arrival methods are also very important.For example, 10 ads a week have more impact on consumers than 10 ads a month;It is better to get the same brand information repeatedly on different media in a short time than to get the information only on TV.
The frequency of exposure to the brand information of Witness Experience is greatly limited by objective conditions.First, during the premiere and rebroadcast of CCTV 1, the average weekly arrival frequency of viewers is 1.7, and viewers' watching behavior is unstable;Second, Witness and Experience broadcasts twice a week, but the broadcast date is uncertain;Third, the rebroadcast of the program at 20:30 of the Seventh Set is also unstable, and the broadcast volume and frequency are not large.These objective factors limit the frequency of TV viewers' contact with the brand information of Witness.The same problem also exists in other means of communication other than television broadcasting.
Brand image status evaluation
In the Column Description of Witness and Experience, there are the following statements about the "column positioning": "Witness and Experience" is a humanistic and historical record column with the main means of narrating by witnesses. It emphasizes the individual memory under the big history, and it is aimed at those more influential historical events that can be expressed by current witnesses.The column is based on the macro historical background, replying to historical events and reflecting the fate of the characters with the "individualized" narration of the witnesses. "
This statement is mainly about the positioning of the content and form of expression of the column, and does not involve the issue of "psychological positioning", which actually shows that the understanding of the core of the brand is "psychological positioning" is still relatively vague.From our observation, the column of Witness and Experience has not yet formed a clear and unifiedBrand image appeal。In other words, the column itself has not been able to clearly define how to interpret the specific connotation of "experience", especially what the meaning of "experience" is for the audience.Therefore, different editors and directors, different topics have different pursuits in handling.As the brand appeal is not clear and unified, the strength, preference and uniqueness of the brand experience for the audience have not yet reached the ideal level.
brand positioning
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Sense of history
The so-called sense of history is, first of all, the sense of distance from time, so what Witness Experience does is not reflect the reality of today in a timely manner.The history described in Witness · Personal Experience is the history from modern times to contemporary China. Although it is difficult for us to clearly define how long it will take to produce this sense of historical distance, this is the narrative situation we need: on the one hand, aesthetics stresses that "distance produces beauty";On the other hand, the distance of time makes people's understanding and thinking about things more comprehensive, mature and thorough.
Secondly, the sense of history is also a sense of profound connotation.On the one hand, the topics of Witness and Experience should be more important historical events, social and cultural phenomena or important people in a certain historical period;On the other hand, the content of Witness · Personal Experience cannot stay at the level of general phenomenon, and the connotation and significance of the topic need to be deeply explored.This meaning is accumulated and settled after years of great waves, and can stand the test of time.
Third, history has a sense of reality.Why should people living today pay attention to history?A historian once said, "History is the channel of communication between modern people and ancient people, and the source of learning experience and lessons for modern people." From the perspective of brand theory, association generates brand image, that is, if people feel that a news is related to themselves, they will pay more attention to and remember the newsThe audience feedback caused by the series shows such a communication effect.History is not reality, but we need to take reality into consideration when telling history.On the one hand, the history and reality can be compared, which can often lead the audience to think more deeply.For example, in topics such as Born in the 1950s, Born in the 1960s and Born in the 1970s, we can compare the narrator's childhood memories with the heavy burden of exam oriented education faced by children today;On the other hand, history is a process of development and evolution. In general, the development of things is continuous and progressive, and the process of history is continuous and inseparable.For example, in the series of "The Eight Members", "I Want to Bloom Life" and so on, telling the reality of different professions and outdoor sports should not be simply understood as chasing fashion, but rather recorded the continuity and integrity of history, and reflected the changes of the times through the comparison between the present and the past.
Experiencing
The so-called "experience", for the column, is the way we tell the history orally through the historical event's witnesses and participants.But what is the feeling and significance of "experiencing" for the audience?In fact, this problem involves the core of brand positioning, that is, the meaning of brand to audience.
History may be the real voice and the heart pulse.When we transmit these real sounds and heart pulsations to the audience, we hope that the audience will get an emotional experience of "empathy", and the audience will get inner satisfaction through emotional resonance, which is called "experience".
How does this emotional experience come about?Just like the expression of emotion in the Column Description of Witness and Experience: "emotion: can be divided into four categories, one is the emotion expressed by the characters described in the program when the event occurs; the other is the emotion expressed by the people who experience the program because of the event or the fate of the characters described;The third is the emotion conveyed by the director through structural arrangement, lens design, interpretation, music and other elements;The fourth is the emotional resonance of the audience caused by the program. "
Differentiated brand competition strategy
The reason why the brand of Witness Experience is positioned in emotional experience is also a differentiated competitive strategy based on the current situation of the documentary market.
The documentaries of domestic column survival can be divided into two basic types - nature exploration documentaries and humanities and history documentaries.The rise of nature exploration documentaries in China came after the development of Chinese documentaries dominated by documentary genre entered a period of fatigue.During this period, foreign documentaries represented by the National Geographic and Discovery Channel of the United States entered China on a large scale and won the audience's favor.This kind of documentary film has certain knowledge, and uses the curiosity and curiosity of the audience to develop and enlarge the entertainment function of the documentary film.This kind of documentary is good at telling stories in TV language, turning knowledge into plots, aiming at attracting audiences, designing suspense and foreshadowing, and creating tension in vision and hearing.Some foreign researchers call such programs Infotainment or Education, which are composed of Information, Education and Entertainment.In China, some documentary creators simply call such documentaries "non fiction entertainment programs", such as "Exploration · Discovery", "Witness · Discovery Journey", "Approaching Science" and other columns.
From the perspective of general market demand, informative and entertaining documentaries tend to appeal to more audiences, while humanities and history documentaries, unless they are hot topics, generally have lower ratings than informative documentaries.This rule is also reflected in the "Witness and Experience" program. The legendary programs such as "China's First Atomic Bomb", "China's War Hawks", "370 Days Away from Yan'an" and other programs ranked top in the ratings of all programs during the first broadcast period.
Can we also take the entertainment route in Witness?In the short run, it is helpful to improve the audience rating of the program, but in the long run, it is not conducive to shaping the brand of the program.On the one hand, historical and cultural documentaries are different from nature exploration documentaries. Most historical and cultural documentaries may be difficult or not suitable for entertaining narration;On the other hand, like all arts, the most important thing for a documentary program is to have recognition. When a certain style has spread, it is difficult for the audience to form the strength, preference and difference of brand feelings.Therefore, Witness and Experience needs to find its own unique and handy way;Third, because the program itself is at a disadvantage in terms of broadcast period, broadcast frequency, etc., it is difficult to occupy a place in the competition with other similar programs without adopting differentiated strategies.
Secondly, why should "history" and "experience" be defined as emotional experience?On the one hand, the problem to be solved by brand positioning is how to win the hearts of the audience. The core of brand positioning is the meaning of the brand to the audience. Emotional experience is the satisfaction we hope to give the audience. Such brand feelings can move the hearts of the people, and can produce intensity, preference and difference;On the other hand, it is also a way to avoid the weakness of the column.Witness and Experience is mainly about modern and contemporary history. In the existing policy space, revealing the historical truth and expressing multiple views are obviously not the strengths of Witness and Experience.For example, in the "Lao She Dictionary" series, the content of "Lao She's death" can only be avoided. In the "Barefoot Doctor" series, the medical accident that occurred in the year must be avoided. In the "Li Zongren Returns" series, we cannot explain to the audience why Li Zongren was not assigned to the state leadership post after his return, and so on.In this regard, the historical documentary programs of Phoenix TV and Sunshine TV, such as Oral History (Saturday, 23:00~23:45) and Personal Experience (Monday to Sunday, 21:00~21:30), are very similar to Witness and Personal Experience in terms of program style, but they have the advantage of discourse space.
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Witness and experience
December 26, 2007, byChina Bookstore PressThe text edition book of the same name, Witness and Experience, which was published and distributed to collect the high-quality programs of Witness and Experience, was launched at the new film production center of CCTV.
The full set of books, in the form of pictures and texts, respectively contains more than 450000 words of documentary texts and more than 1000 pieces of images of the three main themes produced by the "Witness and Experience" column.The book is divided into three parts: the first part, "The Wind and Cloud of the Times", which includes "370 Days Away from Yan'an" and "Geneva Conference"《Sihanouk in China》And a series of national events leading the way in the military and political history of the Republic;The second part, "Special Memory", has a detailed exploration of interesting historical anecdotes such as "Sentinels under Neon Lights", "Eight Years of Southwest United University", "The Mystery of the Golden Chime Bell";The third volume, "Burning Years", records social events and cultural phenomena that are worth remembering and thinking deeply in the history of New China, such as "Love for the Ancient Capital: Liang Sicheng and Beijing", "Lao She Dictionary", "Barefoot Doctor", "A Dream of Red Mansions for 50 years".This set of books reflects not only the echo of history, but also the projection of real life and the pace of China's reform every day.
