Keeping it Real
by Brandon Palmer
It was only a matter of time before the adult industry picked up on
the "reality TV" craze that has taken the mainstream by storm.
After all, anyone who watched Fox's Paradise Hotel - by far the biggest
ratings blockbuster of the summer - would tell you that it had all
of the ingredients of a good porn movie. The only difference was the
lack of explicit sex scenes. But just add a few genital shots, and
whamo - it's an adult video.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that "reality" porn has become,
as Adult Video News recently predicted, "the hottest trend in adult."
The straight market was the first to capitalize on the public's fascination
with reality, churning out such top sellers as the Shane's World series
as well as Web-based fare like The Bang Bus and Mike's Apartment.
Gay reality videos and Web sites followed shortly thereafter, and
proved to be equally as lucrative.
Quentin Boyer, the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for
TopBucks.com and Cyberheat, Inc., says that his company developed
their first gay reality site - HisFirstHugeCock.com - because of the
success they had with their straight reality sites. "We saw that the
gay market had relatively few reality sites in place," says Boyer.
"The site really took off as soon as we launched it. I think the gay
market is just as receptive to reality themes, and there is a lot
less competition in terms of other reality sites in the gay sector."
But the competition-free environment is beginning to change as more
and more webmasters recognize the opportunities to be had in reality
programming. In fact, even adult Web sites that haven't previously
included reality content are starting to incorporate reality themes.
"At one time, enjoying that type of content was considered niche or
a fetish," says Lisa Turner, the Marketing Administrator for Badpuppy.com.
"However, I believe that opinion has now changed and we're finding
more and more members truly enjoying the fly on the wall voyeuristic
approach, as well as flocking to the amateur Web cams, enjoying unscheduled
rendezvous and chatting with the amateur solo Web cammers, as well
as impromptu guests that turn into quite the live sex show, totally
by chance."
For the webmaster accustomed to more "classical" adult content, navigating
through the foreign terrain of reality porn can be a confusing and
often frustrating experience. What exactly does one mean by "reality"
anyway? Just how real is real? Are there certain types of "reality"
that appeal to the widest demographic, or is all reality porn more
or less the same?
The general belief behind reality porn is that the audience is watching
real people just acting naturally while placed in extraordinary situations
(Obviously, this is not entirely accurate, as even the most amateur
performers are paid for their efforts). There are never conventional
plots, and the action is shot in much the same style as a gonzo or
documentary. Over the years, reality porn has branched off into three
distinct sub-categories:
1. True Voyeur: The viewer is a fly on the wall, watching the performers
who are seemingly unaware that they are being watched, or at best,
uninterested in the camera.
2. Interactive Voyeur (or "Web cam Porn"): The performers are not
only aware that they're being watched, but actively interact with
the viewer and/or camera-person. Occasionally the viewer is invited
to direct and determine what sexual acts will take place.
3. Unsolicited Voyeur: The performers have no idea they are being
watched by many lurking eyes. This is also sometimes known as "Hidden
Camera Porn," and is usually frowned upon by most respectable porn
producers and webmasters.
The "Interactive Voyeur" style has proven to be especially popular
among reality fans. Perhaps the most successful (and most controversial)
example is The Bait Bus series, which features a roving gang of gay
performers attempting to "trick" unsuspecting straight men into having
sex with them. The series caused such a sensation that it spawned
a legion of imitators, including Cruise Patrol, Deep Oral Guys, and
Boys First Time.
Whether you intend to deal exclusively in reality or simply include
a few reality-based features on your site, you'll need to determine
whether to create your own content or purchase it from a secondary
provider. "There are a host of difficulties in content production
- from managing the talent to maintaining all the paperwork - that
are very different from the challenges of promoting a site or running
an affiliate program," says Boyer. "By all means, I think you have
to be very involved in the process, and let the photographers/videographers
know exactly what you are looking for. But as far as the actual content
shoots go, I think it's best to leave those to the experienced professionals."
Even Badpuppy.com, which produces most of its own content, occasionally
uses outside sources to generate material. "We do feature leased or
plug-in-type content," says Turner, "and I'd have to say that the
most popular live and streaming content we have to offer is produced
by Men Of Steele. They also produce Flirt4Free, Boys Condo, Prague
Buddies, Montreal Boys and Boy Peep. All of these feeds are unique
and offer a variety of streaming and live content. Much of it is totally
interactive with the user. The members eat this up and keep coming
back for more."
One of the most difficult aspects of making a profit from reality
porn, whether online or offline is the promotional end. Because reality
porn is such a new and uncharted market, tracking and targeting your
intended audience can often seem like an impossible task. "Given the
nature of the affiliate program model, and the relative anonymity
of the end users who sign up for the sites, it's difficult to establish
a solid customer demographic," says Boyer.
Most webmasters might feel that their only option is to promote their
sites to the widest possible audience in the hope that their sales
pitch will find the right people. But, as any webmaster will tell
you, that is hardly the most ideal marketing tactic. Lisa Turner,
however, takes a more hands-on approach to matching customers to content.
"When a member signs up for Badpuppy, they are offered a profile of
our offerings and asked to check the ones that appeal to them. Based
on this profile, we have the ability to show particular ads, as well
as entries to particular content. If we offer something we know the
user is really into, we can notify them at login of something in particular
we want to point out to them or notify them about."
As for attracting new traffic, there are no hard and fast rules. Reality
porn is still in its infancy, and webmasters must be creative, resourceful,
and above all innovative. But as with any Web enterprise, your best
marketing tool can often be word-of-mouth. Many reality porn sites
have generated positive word-of-mouth by putting an emphasis on humor.
The Bait Bus site, for instance, is played as much for laughs as for
sexual thrills. Occasionally the marketing of a reality porn site
requires little more than a dose of good luck. Although Quentin Boyer
attributes many factors to the success of his milfseeker.com site,
he admits that a certain pop culture phenomenon made the biggest difference.
"Obviously, the mainstream exposure to the term 'milf' by way of American
Pie helped us out," he says. "Whether intentional or not, the film
contributed to the popularity of the milf-themed sites."
That, as they say, is the kind of publicity that money just can't
buy.
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