Vanity searches are hot. How many of us haven’t Googled (sorry Yahoo!) our own names to see what comes up. So here is an idea for Yahoo! that I’ve suggested in the past. Why Yahoo!? Because they’ve got the talent on hand at present to actually negotiate a deal and get something done with the content providers.
Why not unlock the potential of the hours and hours and hours of basically worthless game show video that’s locked up in the vaults of the studios.
How would this work? Well first you’d index the names of every game show contestant that has ever appeared on a game show (you could also add in talk shows as well if you’d like). Certainly all of these people have already signed away all rights to their likeness when they appeared on the game show itself.
Next you put a top search ad for a DVD of the game show that they appeared on for any search for their name. As most advertisers are not clamoring to place advertisements on the names of every day people you have no missed opportunity cost here. The next time they do a vanity search, bamm, there it is.
Then you sell them (or a relative or co-worker or who knows who) a DVD of the game show for $49.95. Why $49.95? Because people would HAVE to have these DVDs. After the first year when you sold all that you could at that price, you could drop the price to $29.95 or $19.95 or wherever the price point needed to be as well as offer actual video downloads. You split the money with the content provider.
Imagine how much fun you’d have at the next company off site when you are able to order a DVD of your co-worker from his youthful appearance just after college on the Dating Game.
My parents appeared on the Newlywed Game back in 1966. Unfortunately after doing some research with a friend who worked for the Game Show Network I was told that shows of the Newlywed Game back in 1966 were destroyed. What I wouldn’t give for a DVD of that show though. It would be priceless.
This is a win, win, win, all the way around. Yahoo! makes money on vanity searches. The content provider is able to squeeze a few more nickels out of basically worthless content. And people get to finally see these lost episodes of themselves or family members that have been locked up for years and years. Like I said, win, win, win — unless of course you happen to be that unfortunate co-worker who appeared on the dating game back after college.
You’d also have the added benefit that this would be an interesting service and you’d receive a lot of free buzz and publicity about it prompting anyone who ever appeared on a game show to do a Yahoo! vanity search for their name. All you’d have to do is just back up the truck and drive away with a big truck load full of cash.