Today’s secret word is… COMEBACK!

If you’re a child of the 80s then in addition to Fraggle Rock and Alf, you’ll remember turning on Saturday morning television and hearing the distinctive laugh of Pee Wee Herman on his hit show Pee Wee’s Playhouse. The show ran for five seasons and 45 episodes, coming to an end in 1991. Unfortunately those of us who remember the excitement of Pee Wee’s secret word also remember the ill-fated reputation that followed the actor as the show wrapped up. At that time Paul Reuben (who played Pee Wee) was arrested for exposing himself in an adult movie theatre. The show was stopped immediately. No more re-runs. No more Pee Wee. Or so we thought.

Skip ahead 20 years. 

Its noon on October 7, 2010 and the West 4^th Street basketball courts in NYC are filled with twenty-somethings that clearly are not here for a slam-dunk contest. The crowd is jumbled in small groups, everyone refreshing their blackberries every four seconds to reread the same Twitter message that gathered them all there in the first place.

  

All of this was part of the Pee Wee Herman social media strategy aka his “comeback”. 

The strategy was for Reuben to directly engage with his fans. His team conducted research to find out where his fans were virtually and where they hung out. Once the data was collected they utilized social media optimization to promote him on social networks like FourSquare, Facebook and Twitter.

To the surprise of MANY - it worked! This is a prime example of the power of social media. 

Why did it work?

• Reuben understood technology and was organic with his messaging. He posted authentic messages and created hype that made sense to his fans and to his character. He was able to include funny antics that fans appreciated. He also was dependable. When he posted that he’d be at the courts at noon, he was there. 

• A lot of research was involved. Had this comeback been done without in-depth research on what mediums his fans use and what types of places they hang out, this would have been another flop to add to his record. But fortunately for him, he was exactly where he needed to be and it created a fanfare furry!

• As a public, we tend to be forgiving people. And over 20 years the majority of Pee Wee’s fans had forgotten and/or forgave him for his theatre mishap years ago. Sometimes time does heal and for Pee Wee it definitely played in his favor. Had this comeback been staged ten years ago, I am not too sure it would have been a success.

By engaging with the public, Reuben built up his fan base and created the momentum he needed for a comeback. He then exploded on Twitter and his Broadway show, The Pee Wee Herman Show, benefited from all the e-buzz. Reuben’s show  has now been nominated for three Emmy Awards .

I’m not sure what is next for Reuben or his hyperactive character after Broadway but what I do know is that Twitter is a great way for him to expose, I mean express, himself!