If approximately 86% ofpeople (who use mobile Internet) use their phones or secondary devices whilewatching TV - it stems to reason that brands would capitalize upon this
trend. As recently published by
the Sun, “Social media is to TV networks what fantasy football is to the NFL.”
To this end, whether simple
user feedback, real time voting, location based content, third-party promotions
or sponsorship – supporting TV using social media is all about providing a
dynamic, relevant, participatory second-screen experience.
Pepsi’s co-viewing (aka social TV)
platform ‘Pulse’, for example, is designed to get the most out of their
"X-factor" sponsorship by extending viewers a way to interact with
each other and the show – Overview
- A corresponding Pepsi 'Sound Off'
platform (modeled after Twitter) is a place for fans to connect during shows
and incorporates a gaming mechanism.
Heineken's StarPlayer is
another example is a dynamic, participatory second-screen experience that lets
fans watch UEFA Champions League (UCL) matches on TV while they play the game
in real-time. When a key event occurs, the app triggers in real-time a 'Match
Moment' and gamers are asked to choose from outcome options (for example, “will
that goal go in?”)
Each week during “The Glee
Project”, viewers can participate in missions to earn custom badges and points
for a more personalized experience. The points unlock sneak peeks and live
chats with contenders, among other rewards. Points also could win users
face-to-face meetings with contestants. On the platform, Glee Project fans can use Twitter hashtags to vote
for their favorite contenders during “Last Chance Performances.” Their votes
will be displayed on TV in real time with the top vote-getter winning a
featured spot on Oxygen Connect.
When USA’s hit show 'Suits'
returns to the airwaves on June 14, fans will already be part of the storyline,
thanks to a new interactive social TV campaign that
the network is rolling out. Known
as “Suits Recruits,” the interactive and social media-laden experience allows
fans to join the team at Pearson Hardman and help Harvey and Mike work on an
on-going case. This isn’t the
first time USA has dipped into the social TV/transmedia waters. Last year, the network
launched of a first-of-its kind interactive experience for Psych dubbed #HashTagKiller.
However, a show's online engagement
doesn't always translate into big viewing audiences. Adding gamification
elements to extend and reward engagement with exclusive badges (while
establishing a tribal hierarchy) only fuels this second-screen experience
further. All this while prompting viewers to
watch the TV show when it airs. As a viewer, you may not care. But for
broadcasters, the power of push matters a lot.
Most importantly, all of these examples allow networks to further fuel the fans’ desire to root for and connect with their favourite content, which is what drives passion and loyalty. It’s really about fishing where the fish are and using the right bait. To this end, there's an entire wave of start-ups, technologies and platforms that open up new possibilities for brands and media connect with fans and to build engagement around their content. Click here for more examples of Integration of Social Media with Live Television.
BEYOND SOCIAL TV
All too often, even the best examples of social media in entertainment are simply finding new ways to connect with those to whom they’re already connected. So, how do you expand the reach of a network, program or personality beyond the reach of the existing audience? It starts by seeing the future of television as much more than social. Social media merely connects the individual nodes that make up the human network. Social however, is not a means to an end. As such, the same is true about the working theories driving Social TV. Understanding the role social plays in how viewers connect with programs and other people is essential to defining the future of television.
To start, the future of television is more than integrating Tweets or #hashtags into the programming to start a “global conversation”. This is a time when bringing to life what’s possible takes imagination, design, scripting, and innovation. We need to raise the bar. The future of TV won’t be driven by a social media strategy. Instead, the future of TV will be driven by innovation and a vision for more meaningful entertainment and engagement. This innovation will in turn inspire new programming, revenue opportunities and ultimately social media strategies.
The
program is the event
If you think about it,
some of the biggest events, such as the Super Bowl and the GRAMMYs, are only
earning greater concentrations of live audiences. This is in part due to the
content of the event, but it’s also driven by the conversations that make the
event communal, a real-time exchange. Whether it’s driven by a fear of missing
out (FOMO) or a desire to share in the experience, broadcast events are
conduits to live participation and as such, can be designed to spark online
engagement.
It’s about effectively engaging
a connected class of consumers who live the digital lifestyle. And, they are
not only connected, they’re incredibly discerning. Connected consumers don’t
just expect online, on-demand streaming optimized for each device, they expect
to engage in each screen differently and in a dynamic way. This is where you
come in. The experience requires definition. The experience requires
architecture. And, the supporting experiential infrastructure must be adaptive.
It’s part programming, part mobile and social media, and part engagement. It’s
also episodic and continual.
Today, we’re seeing experimentation
across the screens with strategies that invite audience participation. Some
live shows now run social media tickers during programs. Other live events
feature tweets and also live statistics based on social media analytics. Some
programs are integrating community participation into content. Others are using
social media to tell supporting stories between seasons or airing special
webisodes to keep interest and anticipation high between on air programs. Apps
are also emerging to open new windows between programs and mobile audiences.
So what? What we need to
do for any of these initiatives to work is to align them with a higher purpose
and a vision for what the new relationship looks like between viewer and the
program, the viewer and the program’s elements, storyline and characters/roles,
between the viewer and the screen, and between viewers and other viewers.
You must first answer questions.
What is the objective and the
purpose of your social TV initiative? What kind of relationship are you
striving for and how will you enliven it through each channel in a way that’s
not only engaging, but also relevant? What would the “Tweet
heard around the world” look like and what is the social spark that would
trigger activity? What does the experience look like on a mobile phone, tablet,
PC, and a TV? Meaning, what does the second and third screen experience look
like? Design it and also design it back into the first screen programming. Programming
is just the beginning. Advertising also has a new opportunity to engage in a
more meaningful way.
Rather than simply buying
seconds and using spots to promote social media campaigns, visits to Facebook
pages or rallies to Tweet a branded hashtag (brandtag), think about it as a way
to tell a story that can live beyond the spot or beyond the campaign. Old Spice
learned that its commercials were too successful to treat as traditional
campaigns that would start and stop. Viewers don’t “turn off” so why wouldn’t a
great story continue to live on across distributed platforms where consumers
are more than willing to engage? Now, Old Spice hosts an ongoing experience
where its campaign has become a transmedia experience that perseveres across
online, broadcast and social channels. The story, the product, the series keeps
viewers engaged. The series also strives to make consumers part of the story
where custom videos are created based on input and participation.
Product placement is also
open for reinvention. By making products or brands part of the story, advertisers
have new opportunities for contextualized storytelling across multiple
platforms and the ability to host new interactions, build communities or drive
desired outcomes. Everything of course is based on the story advertisers wish
to tell and the experience they wish to delivery. The point is that advertising
doesn’t just have to end nor does it have to be limited to a finite engagement
in new networks and platforms. Storytelling and consumer engagement are
infinite if they’re compelling, delightful and shareable. But then again, it
takes a different vision supported by an irresistible purpose or intention.
Through experimentation,
we are seeing what’s possible. However, networks, advertisers, and producers,
must think beyond technology and rethink experiences. By not focusing on the
experience or defining the nature of relationships, we fall to mediumalism
a condition where we place inordinate weight on the technology of any medium
rather than amplifying platform strengths to deliver desired experiences,
activity, and outcomes.
The future of Social TV is
not yet written nor has it been broadcast. It takes vision. It takes creativity
and imagination. It takes innovation. Most importantly, it takes the
architecture of experiences to engage, enchant and activate viewers across
multiple screens. A hashtag is not a second or third screen experience. Right
now, viewers are taking to multiple screens without any cues or direction. What
it is you want them to do or say explicit design for each screen. Doing so will
inspire more informed and creative ideas through the entire broadcast
ecosystem, including the original programming on the main screen.
Have other great examples
of Social Media enhancing the TV viewing experience? Please share on Goodbuzz
or simply email to us. Need some help prototyping a dynamic, relevant,
participatory second-screen experience?
We’re here to help.
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