The Marketing Doctor Says:

The Russert Brand Cannot Be Replaced

(But Meet The Press Is Ultimately Its Own Brand)

We use the word “irreplaceable” about a lot about people.  But do we really mean it?  Most of the time the answer is probably no.  But for some people the answer is a resounding yes. 

Tim Russert was one of those people. 

In Marketing Doctor parlance, Russert was an irreplaceable brand.  He was that rare individual who stood out in the crowded world of television talking heads.  People on both sides of the aisle loved him and the show he hosted, Meet The Press, grew into a powerhouse of television news.

His sudden death has created a lot of uncertainty because he was so closely identified with Meet The Press.  He hosted the show for 17 years and is the person who coined its famous tagline: “If it’s Sunday; it’s Meet The Press.”  More important, he made that tagline make sense by turning Meet The Press into must-see television that earned millions for its network NBC.

It’s no wonder that there is much speculation about what will happen to Meet The Press. 

My take on this is strictly branding-based and it’s this: NBC cannot replace the Russert brand and they shouldn’t even try.  Tim Russert and Meet The Press were two brands that worked beautifully together, but, nevertheless, they were two distinct brands.  And Tim Russert’s brand should not eclipse the Meet The Press brand during this transition process. 

We cannot forget that Meet The Press is the longest running television show in broadcasting history.  It has endured changing times, changing formats and changing hosts.  It is a valuable brand that was built up over decades and rather than attempt to fill Russert’s shoes by finding the “perfect” replacement and make the mistake of thinking that Russert and Meet The Press are the same, the network must think of why the two brands worked so well together and go from there.

So why did these two brands work so well together?  Russert embodied the best of what the word “press” means.  He was civic-minded, believed the people had a right to know, sympathized with politicians as people themselves (not as the enemy) and asked tough but fair questions of everyone.  He tried to get at the truth and let everyone know that that was what he and Meet The Press was trying to do.  He was consumately prepared and brought a week’s worth of reading of and reflection on the news to the table every Sunday.  His audience knew this, his guests knews this and they knew that the show would consistently deliver on its brand name in the best possible way. 

Tim Russert didn’t create Meet The Press, but he showed us what the program was all about.  He showed us that the Meet The Press brand –more than any other competing show— has a sense of mission. 

If Meet The Press is going to have a future, then, network execs can’t worry about finding a Tim Russert look-alike.  And they don’t need to worry whether one person or a team of twenty are going to host the show. 

They need to focus on what the Meet The Press brand delivers to its target market and make sure that it continues to deliver this.  Meet The Press is a forum that drives the news cycle and a place where history is regularly made. 

If they end up going with a single-host format then that person must share Russert’s combination of likeability and high-intelligence.  But they shouldn’t just base the selection on those traits since it was also Russert’s tireless work behind the scenes and belief in what his target market wanted that made the Meet The Press brand perform to its fullest potential.  And it was living up to the Meet The Press brand that guided Russert –just as this brand will guide a future host or hosts.

The network also has to be prepared to allow a new host or hosts to take the show in new directions which is fine as long as he, she or they stay true to the Meet The Press brand.  Stephanopoulos brought this kind of change to This Week after David Brinkley, but ultimately that show has maintained its brand (the roundtable, et cetera) and prospered.  And there’s also the ongoing question of declining viewership across the board which Russert himself confronted with his innovative move to distribute Meet The Press via the IPod.  There’s going to be the need for more of this innovation and all of it will come out of the Meet The Press brand.

In short, NBC has to think Meet The Press brand first and possible contenders for the host job second.  They should look to the show that Russert has left all of us, but not to the Russert brand.  And they should forget about finding another Russert.  Because they never will!

And, remember, it’s always easier when you keep branding in mind!