Social TV: Ins, Outs and Potential

Hashtags at the bottom of your favorite TV program, contest tie-ins with Facebook and Twitter, enhanced commercials…only a few of the ways TV has evolved into social TV. What are its benefits? Does it work? What’s next for social TV? All that and more after this commercial break……just kidding. Seriously though, before getting into the spirit of things it’s important to know what it’s all about and where it’s headed before you can decide if it’s right for you.

What is social TV? Social TV, also referred to as the “dual-screen” experience is a movement that engages TV viewers beyond the direct TV to viewer link. This involves adding in other elements, such as prompts to follow real-time conversations on Twitter and Facebook, take polls, answer trivia questions, access behind-the scenes experiences and check-in to the experience via location apps like Foursquare. While people are watching shows on TV they are interacting with the shows, and other people watching them, on their mobile phones, iPads or computers.

What are the benefits? According to Simon Dumenco, four benefits of social TV are that it can increase ratings, make TV more interesting, get consumers to engage with shows and brands beyond the broadcast and provide new hooks for marketers http://bit.ly/Ivj9QF. First, Dumenco cites Nielson’s analysis that a 9% to 14% rise in buzz volume correlates with a 1% increase in ratings among the 18-34 age group. Ratings are especially subject to social influence around season premieres and finales. His second point, that it can make TV more interesting, is based on a personal experience. While on the road for a conference Demunco engaged with the Oscars via Viggle, an app that rewards loyalty and engagement of TV viewers. Using the Viggle iPhone app he checked into the Oscars and began answering trivia questions asking viewers to guess who wins each award as it’s presented live. Point being? It kept him from turning the channel. Demunco notes it also gets consumers to engage beyond the broadcast, citing Burn Notice’s tablet comic book with Facebook and Twitter connections built into the storyline. Then there’s hooks for marketers, such as Watchwith’s data bubbles that display what the database knows about any given scene (such as a backpack brand from Big Bang Theory).

Who is it reaching? According to a Business Wire press release, an Accenture study found nearly 64% of  US consumers surveyed recalled seeing social media symbols on their TVs and 33% have interacted with social media after seeing them on their TV http://on.mktw.net/K3B7YO. Frederic Lardinois states the most common action for those who did was liking its Facebook page (20%), searching for a show’s hashtag on Twitter (7%), using Shazam (5%) and scanning a QR code (11%) http://tcrn.ch/ImpL5Q. He also notes the reasons why consumers interact are to get coupons (32%) and enter sweepstakes (26%).

Where is it headed? Obviously social TV will experience audience growth up to a certain saturation point, which is yet to be determined. Along the way it may even have to reinvent itself and get clever about disguising itself as something else. Both of these issues are what commercials faced as DVR grew in popularity. In fact, adding social media elements to TV has helped keep people tuned into commercials. As for its potential? I picture something along the lines of some kind of pay scale for placement of social media ads that differs from the media placement of traditional ads. This could help social media companies find another way to source their income from advertisers, adding to their bottom line.

Before social TV even begins to approach either of these routes, or a different route entirely, it is up to you to decide whether it is right for your brand and your company. Heidi Cohen’s article about the future of social media marketing and criteria for where to focus efforts in 2012, is very applicable here http://bit.ly/K3BD97. According to her you need to assess your business objectives, determine your target audience, integrate branding, create content that reflects that branding, and measure results. Essentially, like any other social media venture, social TV should be entered into only after you’ve determined your strategy calls for that kind of content. Social TV poses lots of interesting questions and opportunities for our time. Which of them will be answered by you? The future is yours to decide.

What Comes First, Strategy or Creative?

In the media world there’s an ongoing debate. That debate is which should come first, strategy or creative? It comes down to what’s more important. Although content is king, the vibe is shifting towards strategy first. Antony Young gives us six reasons why strategy should come before creative. The first is that advertising’s a numbers game http://bit.ly/HORihk. He states that one of the biggest factors for failure is not matching the right budget with the right goals or even having the right plan. His point? Figuring out elements like budget and channel distribution are key first steps in any campaign. Another reason why strategy should come first is that smartly placed, relative ideas are the new big idea. Young’s point is that today, customized messages in different media at the right time, location and environment spark the engagement. A universal message is a thing of the past. Speaking of the message, Young also believes that the right media determines the right message. As for the message, content is king but content can and should take on many forms. His idea is that the media plan comes first so that the right mix of content can be determined and developed. Adaptive marketing is another reason Young thinks strategy should come first. Adaptive marketing is defined as adapting and personalizing campaigns in real-time by responding to audience data collected from web behavior and social graphs. As TV is becoming more social, Young also notes the trend towards TV becoming more interactive and brands using social media to engage their real-time audience.

A real-life example of why strategy should come first is the success of Columbia Sportswear’s “Great Moments In Trying Stuff” videos. Larry Dobrow notes the genius of their campaign in building upon a past concept and hitting the right balance of humor, while showing off what their products can do http://bit.ly/J8ipnK. Past ads involved Ma Boyle testing their coats in comical, extreme weather conditions. Current ads apply this concept to other products and scenarios. One of which involves draining a five-bean salad in a Columbia shoe. The strategy obviously came first, because their viral videos actually promote their products rather than bury them under special effects and humor. In order to be successful you have to know your audience, know where they are, and know how to reach them. It’s obvious that Columbia knows all of these things and developed a media plan and strategy that receive the right kind of response. Bottom line, the creative speaks because the strategy does.

Ok, so we know that strategy is important to determining creative and that it’s often tied to real-time events, especially in the case of social media, which is a strategy in itself. With that said, John Squire points out that April is the time when plans for the days and weeks leading up to and including Black Friday, and continuing on through Cyber Monday, should be developed http://bit.ly/HRnoJX. Why? Well, just this last year more stores emerged with midnight deals, moving the event up by a day. Every year it seems as though the holiday push comes earlier and earlier, and last year’s move makes an early game plan even more essential. Squire points to QR codes, social media and mobile as key focal points for strategy this year. QR code use is growing as more mobile shoppers catch on to its presence and use. Social media is important as social shopping is on the uptick, as are social channels. Evaluating your social channels, your social media and how to reach your audience with QR codes could be the key to unlocking big sales gains this holiday season. It’s similar to selling a car in that you assess its impact on the audience and how that can be improved before you start sprucing up the car. In advertising, strategy gets the ball rolling and delivers the right creative and the best scenario for your clients. That old joke about which came first, the chicken or the egg? That applies right here and now, and the answer is strategy.

Trayvon Skittles Crisis Signals Sticky Situation

Recently Skittles has seen a huge jump in profits, all because it happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Trayvon Martin, the teenager killed by a crime watch volunteer in Sanford, FL, had on a hoody and only a bag of Skittles and a can of ice tea on him at the time he was shot. As a result, those protesting his death have attached new meanings to these items, elevating his hoody and Skittles to the level of symbols. These symbols have become part of Trayvon’s identity and the identity of the movement used to protest the injustice of his death. Especially Skittles, which have been stuffed into T-shirt orders, resold to raise money for the family, handed out at rallies and sent and piled up as symbols of protest. Brands elevated to the status of symbols can take two paths. Either they receive positive brand equity, elevating them to iconic brand status, or negative brand equity because of negative press attention, recalls, etc. In this case, the circumstances surrounding Trayvon’s death have brought negative brand equity on Skittles. Kim Severson notes that on Twitter, people suggest that Wrigley is profiting greatly and should donate money made since his death to the family or causes helping with racial reconciliation in underprivileged communities http://nyti.ms/HzOrbC. Others say that people should boycott the candy until the company gets more involved.

Whenever a brand takes on an identity that is larger than itself it becomes a sticky situation and a good lesson in crisis management. Stephanie Childs, former crisis manager for ConAgra Foods, and others say the company stands to take a hit however it responds. If Wrigley donates, others will claim they did not donate enough money. If they speak publicly, they will be criticized for capitalizing on it. For now, Wrigley has taken a neutral response. Their statement mentions they are sorry for the family’s loss, respect the family’s privacy, and decline to get involved or comment further as they would never wish their actions to be seen as an attempt of commercial gain following this tragedy. A smart move considering that a crisis in today’s media fares much better than in the days of traditional media. Today, fiascos like these are merely a flash in the pan.

PR experts have three reasons for this, and according to Francesco Guerrera they are “the shiny object,” “the loyalty issue,” and “the lack of choice” http://on.wsj.com/HyZfr2. The first has to do with shorter attention spans that prevail today. Investing and consumer publics move on faster than traditional media so there is little impact on the brand’s bottom line. Next, customer loyalty helps dispel negative attitudes about the brand and restore positive brand equity. The last, lack of choice, is about a lack of alternatives. Other related companies are usually facing similar issues, so often there is no better choice out there. If it were a bigger crisis, this would be where a rebranding along the lines of Burberry’s would come into play. Burberry softened and lessened their iconic pattern when it became trendy among gangs. Granted, that’s a more serious crisis and a worse comparison to be made than what Skittles faces in this case. Profits and reputation may take a hit, but it will be quite minimal and Skittles should bounce back fast. After a while, Skittles’ brand identity association with this event will not be its primary identifying factor. In some cases it’s better to do nothing at all. Skittles has played it smart from the start and, because of that, they will reach the pot of gold at the end of their rainbow and come out alright on the other side.

Media Metamorphosis

As winter turns to spring, media forms morph into hybrids and evolve. Change is everywhere, and 10 and 20 years from now media and the ways we consume it will reach new levels. Take the evolution of music. First there were records, then there were tapes, then 8-tracks, cd’s and now iTunes and iPods and storing music on a cloud…things have changed a lot. Every type of media is experiencing  its own metamorphosis, and there are always a few more on the horizon.

Hamish McKenzie came up with a method that could transform the way magazines are digitally consumed http://bit.ly/Hcnxpc. Currently digital versions are an exact copy of the print version and each magazine has a different app, some issues come in at 500 MB. McKenzie’s version turns magazines into an a la carte offering, with issues broken up into stories. His model follows the Spotify model and uses a ’Mag Reader’ app. When it opens you are met with a list of latest works from your favorite publications and stories that align with your interests. Each story has a relevancy rating, clicking on it gives you a preview, shows recommendations, provides links to similar stories and lists other stories by the publisher. Additionally, this app has a social media element. Users have profiles displaying their recently read and recommended stories along with their favorite magazines, writers and interests. Readers can follow other readers and discover news stories through those connections. Each writer has a profile too, so readers can see new stories and make contributions to future suggested stories. Publishers have brand pages, similar to Facebook, where you can view content and subscribe to bundled content. ‘Mag Reader’ would host third-party apps with curated reading lists and the reading experience would be Kindle-style. Readers can highlight passages and look up words, authors can update their works and readers can post comments. Ads would be placed in individual stories for more targeted approaches, and magazines would make money from $10-a-month buffet-style subscription models where revenue is split between platform owner and publisher. An interesting concept, but what portion of the money from each story would the writer get? Would there be specialty groups and forums based on readers with common interests?

Another hybrid focuses on the Facebook newsfeed emerging as a personalized newspaper http://dthin.gs/HQR1EO. Interest lists are soon to be the newest thing to hit Facebook. Similar to Twitter Lists, where users can organize their feeds to follow other users based on select criteria, Facebook appears to be following and pushing it up a notch. Facebook recently streamlined its Friends list, which determines newsfeed content, and has made it easy to subscribe to someone’s feed without friending them, unsubscribe from their feed and even unfriend them. Facebook’s interest lists are more focused on organizing newsfeed content related to a user’s interests at the top of the page. It also appears to be another way to find out what users are interested in without seeing their liked content. This allows for more targeted approaches, while allowing users to customize their newsfeed into more than just a friends feed. A model like this would be highly competitive with newspapers, as print editions are far less flexible and broad than an individual user’s newsfeed. Facebook’s interest lists build on the transformation of news from a stagnant fixed copy to a constantly shifting, evolving medium. With this concept, even the way we define news becomes highly individualized. If news shifts to this format, would reporters and news organizations see any profits other than viewership? Also, its broad scope heightens the risk of incomplete and incorrect information. How will companies and brands protect themselves?

Both of these models offer up unique hybrids to familiar media formats.  Media metamorphosis has the potential to save outdated, dying mediums and breathe life into them. However, it does not come without a price. Each faces the challenge of merging the old and new into a revamp that adds new fans while keeping old ones. A delicate balance for anyone to achieve. Striking that balance is like finding gold. Yet, as gold seekers abound, media metamorphosis will continue.