The European market may be mildly interested in second screen media, but the American public is surely hooked, which means that soon enough everyone will be (yes, including Europe). Statistics show that 84% of American users of handheld devices are enjoying all sorts of second screen apps while watching TV. And that’s no wonder if you think about the bundle of TV shows and sitcoms that have a second screen “cousin” or how Twitter is practically monopolising the second screen industry, especially after partnering up with NFL. Second screen is without a doubt completely integrated inside the media landscape of any smartphone/tablet user who happens to watch TV or Netflix, even only from time to time.
Photo Source: branddigital.ro
Why Go Social When You’ve Got TV?
Five words: brand engagement and advertising reach. And that’s only to begin with. Second screen apps can be used as data points for contextual info about customers and, when it comes to brands, they can altogether increase their customer engagement by making the most of their clients’ “commercial break” experience (with, yes, more commercials).
It is also a question of loyalty towards a good product. People usually “submerge” into second screen because they look for something entertaining. This is the second screen promise and without it there would be no second screen. A positive example in this direction is given by Himanshu Sareen on ClickZ.com, stating that “women who used Twitter during the Oscars broadcast watched the program for 39% longer than women who didn’t tweet. The fact is that second-screen social experiences are great for driving engagement from a participatory audience. Although the Twitter experience is not exclusive, it serves to show how many audiences are seeking increased interaction and immersion with a program.”
Nowadays, audiences have so many means of expressing themselves and intaking information that, in order for something to work, it has to “collaborate” with other mediums as well. And, like Himanshu affirms “with eyeballs continuing to peer away from the TV screen”, things need to get real interesting for the consumers’ level of interest to stay afloat.
Think about how many devices you own, or how many devices are altogether in your home. Think about how much time you spend on each and on two of them altogether (your phone/tablet + TV). It happens and oftentimes you’re not even sure what you’re doing with your handheld device in all this time, but it seems to work because you just can’t let go of it and simply watch the show.
Now, by putting this into perspective, it comes naturally to assume that just like yourself there are millions of potential clients out there who do the same. And social media is a great medium to get their attention in the right place.
