Social TV has somewhat dethroned traditional television viewing, and according to Nielsen, 84% of U.S. smartphone and tablet owners today watch television with a second screen in hand.
It’s funny (or not) but brands today have to be more than just brands, more than just inanimate names that represent and offer products or services to people. In fact, brands today must become social to the core if they want to have a long lasting relationship with customers. Because most customers today are social. They’re present on social media platforms and no longer passive during television viewing. Even when people are alone in their living room watching TV, they’re not actually alone. They’re either tweeting away or engaging in some form of social media conversation. And when it comes to brands and social TV, viewers have a say in this.
Photo source: Huffington Post
How viewers tell you what’s working and what’s not and what you can do with that
By looking into what stirs conversations on social media related to programs airing on TV you can start to know more about what’s trending and what’s not. How is the audience responding to the release of that new TV series? What are their thoughts on this year’s X award show or competition? Who’s their favorite “masterchef”? Which TV show is more popular, when do people watch more television etc.? Brands and advertisers can use information like this to measure the impact of television engagement and affinities. Demographics are in this case relevant, when you want to know which TV public (what age group, gender group etc.) has a greater impact on extending the reach of television programs.
Networks can leverage statistics and connect specific TV audiences with specific brands. For example, a viewer might be interested in buying a certain item after they’ve heard about it from a competitor in a cooking show; other viewers might want to purchase items related to a TV series. Through social TV, advertisers can gather information that allows them to place commercials for customers who are actually interested in them, maximizing earned media around television.
Social TV can tell you about the TV audiences that are more likely to want to know and share brand messages. This is also valid for sponsorships or integration of brands within TV content. For example, when a certain brand associates itself with a program on TV, this can generate new brand-related audience interest. Advertisers and brands can measure and then act based on these brand-related social media conversations to convert.
To answer our question, is there a happily ever after story between brands and social TV: yes and no. These stories can only be as happy as the viewers are because viewers are those who write them.
