'Dragons' Den: is it now a self-fulfilling prophecy?' blog discussion

Former_MSE_Lawrence · 22 July 2008 at 1:30PM

This is the discussion to link on the back of Martin's blog. Please read the blog first, as this discussion follows it.

Read Martin's 'Dragons' Den: is it now a self-fulfilling prophecy?' Blog.

Click reply to discuss below.

aris · 22 July 2008 at 2:06PM

You have to wonder if this sort of "advertising" fits in with the BBC's charter.

austin · 22 July 2008 at 2:43PM

You can liken it to shows like the X Factor...a large number of people turn up without the slightest intention of getting through to the next round - they do it for the publicity of their 'act'. They know fine well they will be getting bookings all over the country and may even be invited on to the X Factor tour!

Britain's Got Talent is another major culprit!

peterwaine · 22 July 2008 at 3:03PM

13 (I think) weeks for Oliver/Sound of Music, every week for 1+ hour.

hermcp · 22 July 2008 at 3:18PM

I pitched on Dragons Den a couple of series ago. I was equally driven by publicity for the business as for getting an investment. Speaking to other entrepreneurs over two days while I was waiting to pitch, there were many others who were there purely for publicity. I know someone who went on the first series, and says he gets flurries of enquiries from specific countries abroad whenever it is shown on foreign TV (the BBC sells it around the world).

As Martin points out, in many cases, 10 minutes of primetime TV exposure is more valuable than the amount people are asking for. This is, of course, assuming your business/idea doesn't get pulled to bits...!

RabbitMad · 23 July 2008 at 6:58AM

Being a big fan since it started, I have noticed more and more those in search of publicity, but my thoughts on this are:-
1. There is no guarantee of more than being included in a montage of clips
2. You have to be interesting / watchable to get your 15 mins
3. The deals that get offered have already priced the publicity into them (i.e. real investers without the TV element would generally get offered the money for a smaller stake - I think I read this from the American dragon who left after the 2nd or 3rd series)

I'm still waiting for my eggtastic egg cooker to be available to buy.

JasonLVC · 23 July 2008 at 8:29AM

All popular shows, for some reason, jump the shark and sell out.

The hamfatter thing on Dragon's Den was just appalling. That is NOT a business or investment opportunity. It was just blatant advertising to launch a new band. I'm sure either a producer or manager on the show or one of Peter Jone's 'mates of a mate' has their son in that band and that is the only reason why this got any airtime....plus the whole posh Cambridge graduate/rich daddy grunge thing is well covered by Coldplay already.

There have been investments opportunties on this show where the Dragons have said "I'm not geting enough return on my investment" - even though the figures stacked up. Here, we have a band (where even EMI can't make a profit out of bands) asking for £75k on the basis their last album sold 500 copies!. The maths just don't add up and yet the Dragons were all fighting over them?. Plus, anyone would think their concept was original but Radiohead have already done the free album/breaking away from record label already as have many other top selling bands so its not even groundbreaking.

I'll still watch the show as it remains fun, but that episode was just insulting our intelligence, which is a shame as the show purports to be for intelligent people and yet have pulled a classic Big Brother trick of 'pretending' that these people are all randomly selected when the truth is the opposite.

MSE_Martin · 23 July 2008 at 9:11AM

"All popular shows, for some reason, jump the shark and sell out."

This did make me smile

. I'm not sure they jumped the shark with Hamfatter, now if Peter Jones had said "I'll invest as long as I can become lead singer" that would've been jumping the shark.

Im not sure they're selling out either.. ultimately its a TV programme and its a world I know well. To stay on air its about morphing, finessing and changing to provide a continuing interesting watch.

Dragons Den is a factual entertainment not factual programme and fulfills its remit. If it pretended this was the real world of venture capital and how it worked that would be inappropriate, but for me they dont do it

Speeding_Fines · 23 July 2008 at 10:52AM

every time i eat at a restaurant I bemoan the fact that stable table didn't make it.

The BBC could easily solve the problem by vetting the 'contestants' more thoroughly before hand to weed out the publicists

MSE_Martin · 23 July 2008 at 11:31AM

Speeding_Fines wrote: »

every time i eat at a restaurant I bemoan the fact that stable table didn't make it.

The BBC could easily solve the problem by vetting the 'contestants' more thoroughly before hand to weed out the publicists

But would you invest in a company where the bosses weren't interested in publicity for their product?

Esqulax · 23 July 2008 at 12:23PM

To the OP:
Yes.
Look at Levi Roots.
He thought he sell 50k bottles of reggea reggea sauch in the 1st year.
He sold 150k in the 1st week, AND has a subway promotion.
I have to admit, whenever me and my mates have a BBQ, we go through at least 2 or 3 bottles.

I do think that they take the mick a little bit though, putting on people who they KNOW have no chance.. like that fitted duvet sheet with a line down the middle, so you know whos hogging the bed... i was confused at that!

I wonder though, if someone had a good product on dragons den, but was snuffed for various reasons (e.g. the tattoo removal treatment), would that have an effect on other non-dragon investors.. like "Woah, those guys a mega MEGa rich and diddnt invest... why should i?"
So.. could DD be responsible for BAD press?

'Dragons' Den: is it now a self-fulfilling prophecy?' blog discussion

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