I investigated how TOWIE had made an impact in Essex over the last decade

How a decade of the TOWIE effect has transformed Brentwood into Essex’s ‘mini LA’

The Only Way Is Essex (TOWIE) first aired on our TV screens back in 2010 and ever since, coverage of the reality show, and all things related, has generated a high volume of traffic to our site. Our content would often be based upon the show’s storyline, what characters did in their daily lives off-screen or reveal the locations TOWIE cast members had been spotted filming for upcoming shows. But earlier this year I decided to approach TOWIE in a different way.

Story link: How a decade of the TOWIE effect created Essex’s ‘mini LA’ with coach-loads of tourists

Both the Essex stereotype and accent have become widely recognised since the reality show first aired. Essex girls are all too often associated with promiscuity, stilettos, cosmetic surgery, excessive make-up and fake tan, while Essex boys are seen as arrogant, vain, and obsessed with designer clothing or jewellery. These traits, which the show reinforces, have shaped the Essex identity over the past decade.

I wanted to find out whether the TOWIE effect had worn-off over the last ten years. This involved a trip to Brentwood, the TOWIE hub. On the morning of January 23, I visited Brentwood High Street and spoke to residents, visitors and local businesses in order to obtain a varied and balanced set of opinions. Independent businesses seemed to love the fact that the show has placed the county on the global map, while residents were less enthusiastic about how their town had been influenced by the ITV show.

What it looked like in print:

How well it did for our site:

The article has generated over 10,000 page views and had an average engagement time of one minute and 22 seconds. On Facebook it reached over 44,000 people, and had over 3,000 engagements.

Story link: What we really thought when we reviewed TOWIE star Gemma Collins’ Brentwood boutique

A huge amount of our TOWIE content will make some sort of reference to Gemma Collins. Whether we cover her falling over on national television or stuck in traffic on the A12, it always seems to perform well on our site. With this in mind, I came up with the idea to review her Brentwood boutique- something that, to my knowledge, hadn’t been done before.

As anticipated, our readers loved it. In its first 24 hours the publication had 40,035 page views, 52.6% of which was generated from search. In total the article amassed over 46,868 page views with an average engagement time of one minute and 51 seconds. The story also had a global reach, as it was read in 22 different countries.

On Facebook, it reached over 71,000 people and had a total of just under 10,000 engagements. The review remained at the top of our Chartbeat for a number of days following its initial publication.

Story link: What we really thought when we reviewed TOWIE stars Sam and Billie Faiers Brentwood boutique

Following the success of my Gemma Collins’ Boutique review, I visited and reviewed the only other TOWIE boutique in the town – Minnie’s. The store was originally set up by TOWIE stars Sam and Billie Faiers and it is located just a stone’s throw away from Gemma’s boutique. I browsed the rails tying to pick an outfit suitable for a night out. But it wasn’t just the products on offer that I was reviewing, it was the whole shopping experience.

This review also did very well on our site. In total it has had over 21,000 page views with an average engagement time of one minute and 32 seconds. It reached over 14,000 Facebook users and was read by people in a total of 19 countries.