Thanks for that thorough answer - it's very much what I suspected, particularly regarding the inexperience and crappy equipment. That pay you quote for the staff is appalling - as you say, IW is obviously end up having a huge turnover of staff because as soon as they have even a modicum of experience, they're off to pastures new. I agree wholeheartedly about the Dissolves! All in all, the working conditions put me in mind of those exposés you periodically get about Amazon, all except this one is too niche to get any coverage.
Do you mind my asking another couple of questions?
1. Being careful not to name specific presenters, IW has made a conscious decision to go even more down-market over the past few years, and the ex-Bid presenters certainly help them along this path. Do certain brands get a veto on who presents - I can think of several more aspirational brands (not that there are really any on IW) would be loathed to have certain presenters do their shows! Also, has IW seen their inventory shrink significantly as a consequence of these move downwards, or have they just changed the products they stock? It's noticeable that QVC doesn't regularly sell items for less that £15-20, but this seems to be IW's core price point.
2. IW sells airtime to things like Legacy Probate, Thomas Sanderson, Benedon Healthcare etc. Do they get a lot more say in the production of these shows as a consequence, because it seems very much business as usual to the viewer.
Thanks!
Hello. Thanks for the appreciation. Not a problem answering these questions as best I can..
1. Presenter line ups are pretty much chosen due to their target market. Unless there's been a massive a scheduling error, you would not expect to see the slapstick comedy guys presenting a laser hair removal pick of the day for example. However, it is very much down to Ideal World who they put presenting what products. The brands have no say in this whatsoever, for normal shows. They have a say in their guests demo'ing the products, but not really the presenter. As Ideal World are trusted/expected to provide someone to front the show. However, in an "Ideal World". the brand and the product demos are to lay solely in the hands of the guest. Therefore, the presenter is meant to be there purely to ask the questions the audience want to know, give the demo'er someone to bounce off, and provide the details on how to order etc.
Regarding IW stock levels and inventory etc, it's not really where I was based I am afraid.
2. These shows are called ADVERTISERS, to the backstage crew. They do have a lot more say in the production. Whether or not it is seen as obvious to the viewers at home is another matter. But for example, a normal show may take anything from 15 minutes to 90 minutes to set up. An advertiser show always took 2-4 hours to set up, with the set for that show being scheduled to be empty for the majority of the day. This allows plenty of time for the set to be set up, guests and advertiser clients to come and view the set and make any changes they feel it needs. They will make suggestions such as having champagne flutes on set to make the cruise ship shows seem more luxurious. However, this is not alcohol. It is watered down cheap apple juice. It tastes really nasty. No idea how they pretend is tastes so good!
On top of the usual documentation provided for a product/show, advertiser shows have a much larger documentation, set out by the company, and they will request a certain style of presenter, lighting, product order etc. They sometimes even have someone sat in the gallery to oversee the production live, and guide the producer in the way they want. These shows cost them an absolute fortune, so it is only right.
One thing to note on the presenters. And please don't anyone take this as me defending them, or that I like it... BUT, people have made so many comments about the slapstick comedy of some of the more tacky presenters.. How embarassing and low key, innuendo based some of their presenters are. How unfunny they are. How the hell do they get away with it? Why aren't they sacked etc? People seem to fail to realise, whether we like it or not, they have been hired by someone to PURPOSELY be like that on screen. Why? I don't know. I think it looks as awful and tacky as you all do on here. But someone, somewhere, has hired them for this exact purpose.
