DaveChung.com - A Guy's Blog From Girl World | Making the Band 4: Day26 + Danity Kane = Best Ad on Television

While shows like Don’t Forget the Lyrics and Moment of Truth stink up the reality joint, one of the shows I refuse to miss is reality show/super advertisement Making the Band 4. While in a different class (most would say lower) than American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Amazing Race, MTB4 is a weekly guilty pleasure of mine that beyond being a great reality show, demonstrates how Diddy has found an effective outlet to advertise his bands that transcends advertising troubles plaguing the television industry.

Making the Band 4 is a continuation of last season’s selection of Diddy’s new soul supergroup - Day26. Along with following the recording of the guys’ debut album, Bad Boy’s newest band lives with labelmates Danity Kane and fellow Bad Boy newcomer Donnie as the three parties prepare to simultaneously release their albums later this month (I’ll buy Day26 and Danity, not sold on Donnie).

What makes this show more watchable than many other reality shows is that Making the Band 4 did a great job making viewers feel like we knew the guys. This show ends up being a continuation of that reality greatness. While we knew some (Robert, Mike, and Brian) more than others (Quanell and Willie), there was enough character development through the show’s first round to make the second round something that viewers would care about.

In addition to that, Danity Kane’s Making the Band experience was so well done, especially the relationship between Aubrey and Aundrea, that bringing the two seasons together makes for really great reality television. While the show alienates the hundreds of millions of people who don’t watch Making the Band, it brings fans of the two previous seasons together under one roof and show. 

And well, Aubrey O’Day is just so ridiculously hot that I could watch Home Shopping Network all day if she was hosting. I know she’s a little brash, loud, and has a little too much attitude, but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t think she was one of the hottest girls “in the game” right now.

Diddy is himself, obnoxious, but as driven as ever. The cut scenes get a little ridiculous at times, but when Diddy is speaking to the bands, you get the feeling that this is truly a glimpse into what life would be like working for him. Remember when Diddy did that “Be My Assistant” contest on YouTube (that I almost entered) ? His assistant has a law degree. Diddy is no joke and he doesn’t “play no games” with the bands.

Having both Danity Kane and Day26 on the show keeps it from getting old because the two bands are in different stages in their careers. Danity Kane put together a platinum debut album that was better than I think anyone expected and the show follows their search for their identity in their sophomore make or break album.

Day26 (and Donnie) is just starting out, so they’re learning about the business and about the dedication it takes for them to succeed in the music industry. Of course, there is some love interest drama - Donnie and Aubrey, Robert and D. Woods, Q and Dawn - but at the core, the show keeps its focus on the music. What makes this even better is that Diddy can make these songs hits before they’re even released as singles to the point where people like these two guys make YouTube videos of themselves singing the theme song to the previous iteration of Making the Band. Just like that, Diddy has 100,000 more views and listens to a song that will hopefully be on Day26’s debut album.

Really, Diddy is getting an hour every week to promote his three newest acts. While I’m sure that this is part of a larger Bad Boy marketing campaign that includes having the guys go on tour before they even have an album, it’s done so well that you don’t really care that you’re watching a stylized infomercial for CDs. Making the Band has turned into kind of a 21st century version of those ads for Cool Rock or Classic Soul compilations that used to come on TV all the time with the song names scrolling by vertically.

The television industry is getting all beat up because people are skipping commercials via DVR, but Diddy has taken over the Making the Band franchise to make it a commercial that viewers actually DVR so that they CAN watch it.

By watching the show, viewers get to preview tracks from the upcoming albums and at the same time, Diddy lets viewers feel like we “know” the bands so that it makes us feel like we are supporting a friend by preordering their albums - the same way that viral videos have given YouTube stars turned major label artists Kina Grannis and Marie’ Digby such loyal followings.

Smart? Actually, pretty genius. And if you’re not watching Making the Band on Monday nights, you should be.

Related Posts

• Making the Band 4: Day 26 Performs, Danity Kane’s Dollhouse, where’s Donnie?
• Making the Band 4: They “in the door” and Now, On Tour!
• Making the Band 4: Danity Kane Outsells Day26
• No Bitchassness Official Sean John T-Shirts Available Online
• Day 26 and Danity Kane: Will Making the Band 4’s Albums Find Success?