>Audience

The target audience for this project is two-fold. Any (more than casual) fans of GBBS —e.g., people who have shared memes or caught themselves pronouncing a random piece of pastry “stodgy” in a perhaps fake British accent— should find Ob&Up intriguing, as should linguistics and other linguistically interested academics in media studies, literature, and beyond. 

These two groups are, of course, not mutually exclusive and are likely already involved in ongoing exchanges. Existing language-focused public engagement via word games and puzzles, language-usage quizzes, etc. shows that the channels of communication between the media-consuming public and language experts are naturally present. Ob&Up wants to consciously build on overlaps between playful engagement with language and academic research by reaching and connecting these two differently motivated curiosities with an analysis of GBBS judging language communicated, partially, in game form.

>Outreach Strategy, General 

There is a core group of these constituents that we aim to reach out to first for our project launch in May. Beyond May, the game component of the project (Bingo, trivia) can serve as the locus for expansion to a broader user base. Targeted outreach to more casual fans of the show should go hand-in-hand with the release of a new season of GBBS on Netflix (which will be available for streaming in late October 2023). When the show re-enters public discourse as part of its broadcasting/streaming cycle, intensified outreach at this time can expand the project’s audience and re-engage initial audiences.

>Social Media Strategy

The project team plans to establish a social media presence before the site’s initial launch. Broadly, our social media outreach will unfold in two stages. Stage 1 for the May launch and Stage 2 for a re/launch in the fall. 

For the May launch, the project team will reach out on a smaller scale. We will connect with GBBS fan communities, primarily via Reddit, where active discussion of the show continues to take place. According to our preliminary research, Reddit users will be an ideal first audience to test the project website and give feedback on games and other content. A user profile has already been created, and Nuraly has been following/observing relevant subreddits. By mid-April (once we can build on the initial findings of our corpus analysis), we may jump into conversations and insert teasers/previews of our language analysis. In conjunction with Reddit, for the May launch, Teddy will use his TikTok presence to inform followers,  which include linguists and linguistically interested people.

Based on initial responses and public feedback, a more extensive outreach strategy will be developed for the fall, Stage 2. Facebook and TikTok are platforms with generationally distinct GBBS fan communities; outreach via these platforms will be included in Phase 2. Simple games might also be adapted for cellphone usability. “Judge this Bake” Bingo, word-of-the-day judgment trivia, and statistical findings shared as various platforms could all incite and continue the dialogue around evaluative language and its role on social media. 

Geographically speaking, we will focus on GBBS communities, which are coded as US-based, although we continue to research differences in reach between GBBO (the British acronym) and GBBS-related hashtags and communities and can appeal to both.

>Website and Additional Communication 

Website

         The project will primarily exist as a website that consolidates the academic and entertainment components, i.e., the visualized corpora, the interactive game/s, and texts on the project’s aim and background. While the visualization of the corpora and the game/s will be the focus of the landing page, academic texts detailing methods and findings will be an essential part of the site as well. They will be available in specifically dedicated sections of the site, along with other ancillary material. 

Additional Communication

        Essays (or Op-Eds) that reflect and interpret the findings of our text analysis phase will be submitted to online publications like Eater and Vulture, which feature cultural criticism focusing on food and TV, respectively. The project team might also reach out to podcasts on linguistic phenomena, like Slate’s Spectacular Vernacular. Contacting GBBS directly and letting them know about the project is also potentially an option. 

A preliminary note on Accessibility (more on this next week)

The basic fundamental design of the website relies on a limited and high-contrast color palette and language rendered visually in readily readable fonts. The game designs will be minimalist. A visual simplicity will support the project’s focus on language and simultaneously lower access barriers.