Bravo Measures 'Silicon Valley Status'

Digital companion to 'Start-Ups: Silicon Valley' allows fans to measure their social media influence

By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/29/2012 3:28:47 PM

In the run-up to the Nov. 5 launch of the Randi Zuckerberg executive produced series Start-Ups: Silicon Valley, Bravo is launching a digital companion called Silicon Valley Status that will allow fans to measure and test their own social media influence.

Visitors to SiliconValleyStatus.com will get a Silicon Valley Status (SVS) score that measures their influence online and on social media. Then, they will be able to see how their SVS stacks up against their friends, cast members and celebrities from other Bravo shows. They will also be able get tips from cast members on how they can improve their score.

Start-Ups: Silicon Valley follows the lives of a group of young entrepreneurs as they work to become the next big tech success story and is designed to tap into the growing interest in "Silicon Valley and all that is going on in digital with start-up companies and entrepreneurship," noted Ellen Stone, Bravo's senior VP of marketing in an interview.

It is one of two upcoming digital themed Bravo original shows. In addition to Start-Ups, which premieres on the channel Nov. 5, Bravo will bow LOLwork on Wednesday, Nov. 7.

In developing its social media campaign for the show, Stone noted that they wanted to create a digital experience that would tap into the growing interest in technology and Silicon Valley start-ups.

"We built this campaign on the insight that being successful in Silicon Valley isn't just about having the next big idea," Stone added. "Someone's popularity, ability to pitch, friends, and the way they're perceived online all play a vital role."

The SVS score is based on a person's popularity, influence and image, Stone notes. The site uses a person's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram presence to create and assign an overall rating.

To boost interest, Bravo also added some competitive features. Six digital billboards on U.S. Highway 101 between San Francisco and Silicon Valley will show users with high SVS scores between Nov. 5 and Nov. 11.

High scores will also be featured on Facebook and Bravotv.com

Anyone who registers for SiliconValleyStatus.com, will be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a ticket to the series' VIP premiere party on Nov. 4 in San Francisco.

"It's meant to be fun," but at the same time tie in closely with the huge interest in "what makes for success or failure in Silicon Valley," she adds.