Selling Sunset: Is reality TV good for business?

Selling Sunset is a reality TV series that first aired on Netflix in 2019. The show follows real estate brokers working for the Oppenheim Group.

The company is based in LA and sells luxurious homes to wealthy buyers and the show, based around them, leaves viewers astonished as they get a glimpse into some of the luscious homes the company sells.

The curiosity to see how the filthy rich live their lives is enough on its own to grip anybody into watching the popular show.

But as with a lot of reality TV shows, there comes drama.

Mary Fitzgerald and Christine Quinn, two people in the show, used to be best friends before Selling Sunset started. However, their relationship took a negative turn when Christine felt that Mary had sided with her ex’s new fiancé, Emma Hernan, who joined in season 4. On top of this, Christine has lost the friendship of all the other girls at the Oppenheim Group.

So this does beg the question, has the show caused more harm than good to the company’s reputation?

On the one hand, the advertisement of their properties is a great marketing boost for their sales. In season 4, they constantly mention how manic their sales are. But I can’t help but think the childish drama and the almost-unprofessional behaviour both inside and outside of the office are damaging to their sales potential.

In any workplace, the hostile environment that a feud creates has an impact on staff morale which affects how the company runs, along with the impression it makes.

So is making a company into the subject of a reality TV programme the best idea? In terms of marketing, I would say yes.

However, even though the long-term effects of the on-screen drama may have a detrimental impact on the company, every episode shows the girls with a new outfit and a new designer bag, so they must be doing something right.

Take the Kardashian family, for example. Their business empire sky-rocketed off of the back of their show Keeping up with the Kardashians. Even looking at Love Island, all the stars make lots of money through brand deals when they exit the villa.

So maybe it's time to stop viewing reality TV as a silly way for people to grab some air-time and start seeing it as the savvy business move that it is.

Edited by Hannah Youds