‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ season 16 premiere was marketing at its best

Demonstrating LGBTQ+ excellence is RuPaul’s Drag Race, created by ru paul charles, Season 16 premiered last week, and this latest installment began with a bang as a new group of (half) queens entered the workroom ready to claim the title of “Next Drag Superstars.” . For fans who have been watching since Season 1, it can be disconcerting to realize how much the show has changed. Not just in quality, but as the leap from LOGO to VH1 and eventually MTV. saw a significant improvement not only in the stage itself and the lip-synced songs, but also in the way the judges themselves handled the queens.

We’re a long way from RuPaul having a screaming match with him. Tammy Brown During the Season 1 reunion, there is still a constant push for RuPaul’s music and products, which serves as great marketing for the show as a whole by promoting the host himself. And that speaks to the real success of this premiere: its marketing. The episode itself was great, but there was a constant reminder of the past and a continued effort to turn the host into a submissive figure. The show was able to achieve a promotional feat that will likely attract even more viewers in the future.

rupaul’s drag race

release date

February 2, 2009

cast

RuPaul, Michelle Visage, Jason Carter, Carson Kressley

Main genre

reality

Genre

reality

evaluation

TV-14

season

15

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ learns the importance of image

The show has been running for over 10 years and has featured many exhilarating moments, making it easy for even beginners to enjoy. rupaul’s drag race queens This is to refer to our ancestors. We see more and more of these callbacks every season, and this premiere was no different. Whether to ask viewers, “Do you want to watch the show, Tamer?” Or bringing out a 40-inch (?) human hair wig and rehashing the comedic scenes that defined the previous season is always a good way to recall the greatness of the past while building on the hype of the present. And this episode wasn’t just a throwback to the early days. drag race And they showed their love for the new channel by doing an entire challenge in honor of MTV. spring breakwith former contestants Derrick Barry stepped in to introduce an entire young audience to the historic programming that once defined the network. That in itself was a lot of fun, but There was also an ulterior motive behind this memorial. It’s all about fueling nostalgia and making the audience want more.

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rupaul’s drag race has gotten better at commercializing itself in recent years, going beyond the typical merchandising of other shows and even dabbling in the production of things like books, entire Las Vegas shows, and even chocolate bars. It continues to grow the empire that this small series has amassed. Along with this, The fact that the show features so many amazing artists who continue to pursue further opportunities in drag, most often after their tenure ends, means that most people who frequent spaces where drag is celebrated It means remembering the influence of (Even when it’s not being watched or discussed). While this organic marketing has proven to be an overwhelming success, the major hurdles the show faces are not just new channels, but also changes in tone and content that remain. It’s about how we honor the era that led us to where we are today. It’s completely different from the original screening.

Capable of bringing out the greatness of the past while blending these moments into a firmly contemporary episode, the premiere elevates the show to this new setting, giving viewers the reason they fell in love with it in the first place. It reminds me of the early seasons when it became. By constantly bringing back old jokes and former queens while using new contestants as messengers of this nostalgia, it capitalizes on the goodwill that earned it such popularity in the first place and further promotes its future direction.

Glorifying a less glamorous past isn’t a disservice to ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’

premiere of rupaul’s drag race Season 16 featured a new twist called “Rate-a-Queen,” where instead of judges deciding the rankings, the queens themselves ranked each other’s performances to determine the top two for the week. This is a fun play on the regular format, but That ultimately translates into another aspect of the show’s marketing strategy, which has become more widespread than previous seasons.: Changing RuPaul from a “ruthless judge” to a “loving mother.” Because while many viewers may have only started watching in the last few years, there is an overwhelming number of fans who have been watching since the early days and remember moments on and off the show that producers wished they would forget. That’s because there are a lot of them.

From her taunts and tense encounters, pearl In Season 7, the series is filled with public outcry over RuPaul’s problematic behavior over transphobic comments she made regarding the inclusion of transgender women as contestants. To undo this negative thinking, series producers have sought to manipulate hosts to avoid any opportunities for potential backlash from fans. What are the main ways they do this? Erase her ability to actually make decisions.

During the portion of the premiere where the judges critique the queens and tell each other their rankings, all the audience sees from RuPaul is the host laughing or offering a quick, kind word. Nothing is too broad and nothing can provide any real weight in terms of feedback. It is up to the tougher co-organizers, such as: While RuPaul has turned benevolent host, Michelle Visage has steadily become the show’s resident hard-truth teller. It may seem ridiculous that the show’s namesake would be excluded from providing feedback, but it’s this lack of input that protects her from harsh online feedback. Because how can they be mad at her when she hasn’t said anything negative about her? And with this new twist, why would anyone be mad at her over who won the challenge and who didn’t when she doesn’t have her say? While it may be disappointing to see such a major change, it’s great in terms of maintaining RuPaul’s image, which is responsible for much of the show’s branding. By keeping her a forgiving presence and shielding her from potential criticism, the show protects and continually improves her primary marketing tactic: RuPaul herself.

‘RuPaul’s Drag’ race is all about marketing

The inability of a show to evolve with a growing audience is often a death sentence. Because while its core premise may attract viewers, it requires the ability to incorporate new and relevant themes to reach a wider audience. rupaul’s drag race excels at blending its historical past with new eras by using it as fuel for its modern showcase.

Especially in the season 16 premiere. This show managed to perfectly package nostalgia, newness, and overall excitement. In a way that excites both old and new fans. And in recent seasons, RuPaul’s image as a lovable (and impeccable) host has been perfected, with the series losing ground from viewers eager to voice their feedback on the show. Protecting. Already proving in the first episode why this show has been around for so long, viewers can watch this season and everything that follows to see just how great this show was and all the thrills it’s going to reach. You can expect this to be a masterclass in marketing that will help you understand the heights. .

RuPaul’s Drag Race is available to stream on Paramount+.

Watch on Paramount+