Akron, OH

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Dancing with the Stars is either TV pablum or divine inspiration.

I prefer to think of it as divine inspiration, which is my rational for being glued to the TV set for all nine weeks. Dancing is not really all about dancing, which is why I believe it is inspirational. It is proof, for two nights a week for nine weeks,

that while you need to be competent, competency does not guarantee you a win, in any field.

Competency is required but is not the determining factor to success. Competency is like your ticket of admission. You may have a ticket to the Super Bowl, but that ticket does not guarantee you first row seats at the 50-yard line. It just guarantees you admission. In season six, Mario Lopez was a better dancer than Emmitt Smith, but he did not win. Mya was arguably a better dancer than Donny Osmond, but she did not win. Donny was better at communicating his overall value.

5 Reasons Why Donny Won Dancing with the Stars



1. He connected to the audience

Whether you are a speaker, a doctor, a lawyer or a dancer, your first job is marketing. You have to connect to your audience. Your audience might be an audience of one or one million. It does not matter. Your job is to connect.

2. He had a following

There are many great singers and bands. The groups that are displayed on the Today Show are groups with a following. Will people stand in the rain to hear you? Will people sit in a waiting room to see you? Everyone needs a following in order to succeed.

3. He improved

Americans don't care so much, where you start, as long as you improve. That rule applies to celebrities as well as us mortals. And we want to see that desire to improve. The only exception is the superstar like Michael Jordan. We did not want to see the 500 free shots a day in practice, we just wanted to see the superstar fly.



4. He wanted it

Audiences want to see desire. Early in the competition the Olympic swimmer was ousted from the dancing island. Natalie's parting comments were that she really did want to be there, even if she didn't look like she did. Audiences want to cheer for the underdog only when the underdog looks like they are trying and want it. Even though Donny was a celebrity, he continually said and did words and actions that communicated his desire to improve and advance.



5. He knew when to be on

Athletes have long had an advantage on the show because they know how to get up for game day. Actors can have re-take after re-take. Athletes have to be on at a certain time and day. Donny knew how to be on when it came to Monday night. And more importantly, he knew to be on in the final freestyle. There is a saying at a horse show that you only have to be good for fifteen feet in the horse show ring. You just don't know which fifteen feet the judge is watching. Donny knew he had to own the freestyle, and he did. Mya still thought it was about competency.

Leslie Ungar

Electric Impulse Communications, Inc.

Akron, OH

330-668-6569