Placement is biggest key to success on TV's 'Idol'

In advertising, it's all about the four p's that make up a marketing mix — product, price, promotion and placement.

Everyone knows "American Idol" is more than just a talent search. It is a money-making machine, the juggernaut of reality TV.

"American Idol" is a business doing nothing more than promoting its products — the contestants.

Without the success of former contestants, it wouldn't be such a powerhouse. That may be one reason the show has promoted past contestants so heavily this year.

The contestants benefit from the promotion of "American Idol" in many different ways. What they may not know is that their "placement," or, in other words, "face time," is hugely important in determining their success.

Take, for example, the order the contestants sing on Tuesday nights. Consistently, every contestant who has gone first on Tuesday has been in the bottom three, with the exception of last week.

Coincidence? I think not.

The person who goes first runs a huge risk of being forgotten. It's hard to be memorable when you have eight others performing after you, learning from the mistakes you may have just made and wanting to show you up. You either have to set the bar extremely high or hope you have a fan base big enough to keep you on the show, even if you do end up in the bottom three.

This week it was Brooke White of Mesa, Ariz., an LDS singer with Utah ties, who went first, singing Dolly Parton's "Jolene."

"You could make an album like this," judge Randy Jackson said. "It was all right."

"You have an emotional connection to every song you sing," judge Paula Abdul said.

Judge Simon Cowell disagreed. "I think what was lacking was the emotion."

True to pattern, White was in the bottom three, along with Kristy Lee Cook and Ramiele Malubay, who ended up leaving the competition Wednesday night.

Viewers should also watch to see where the contestants stand as the show ends.

On Tuesday, Syesha Mercado sang "I Will Always Love You," a song made famous by Whitney Houston. I think she was incredible. The judges disagreed.

"You took on the biggest tiger of the night," Jackson said. "It was pretty good."

"I almost wish you hadn't (sang it) in a strange way," Cowell said. "The second part of the song paled in comparison to Whitney Houston."

I was shocked. I thought for a 23-year-old to take on a Whitney Houston song, she did a pretty darn good job. And the producers did, too.

Who was standing next to Ryan Seacrest as he closed the show? Mercado. Unlike past weeks, she wasn't in the bottom three. Why?