MEDIA SCOOP | Presented by DML Media Group
Social TV…It’s Scandalous
Each Thursday night, I prepare my “cyber-living-room” for a special visit from Olivia Pope, the lead character played by Kerry Washington on ABC’s hit series Scandal. I make sure that my Twitter and Facebook feeds are up and running to follow the funny status updates, hashtags like #WhatTheHuck and comments from Olivia’s loyal gladiators. For me, the on-screen drama becomes even more salacious with the social exchange online. In fact, the show’s January 31 episode received 2,200 tweets per minute and five worldwide trending topics, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
2013 Haiti Carnival in Cap-Haitien. Photo credit: PleziKanaval.com
I’m not alone in interacting with friends across social networking services while watching TV. Second-screen viewing — the use of smartphones, laptops and tablets while viewing television — is on the rise. Much research is being conducted to track viewer habits, television-related social behavior and insights on how brands are performing in social media. Forty percent of Americans use their smartphones or tablets while watching TV at least once a day, according to a December 2012 Nielsen report.
Digital Water Cooler
The consumer phenomenon known as Social TV is taking the industry by storm, and Social TV apps are becoming popular second-screen destinations. The online digital news site Mashable, describes Social TV as “technologies surrounding television that promote communication and social interaction related to program content.” In other words, the proverbial morning “water cooler” chatter is forever changed; it’s become virtual and constant.
The impact of social media on live TV telecasts and cultural events is stronger than ever. I’ll share four recent examples: Carnival/Mardi Gras, Super Bowl, US State of the Union Address and MTV’s Video Music Awards.
Milk and Cookies
The power of the hashtag was prevalent in many ads during the 2013 Super Bowl telecast on CBS. Like many of you, I turned to Twitter during the 35-minute blackout in the New Orleans Superdome. A brilliant tweet by cookie brand Oreo caught my attention, as well as thousands of others. Oreo and its agency 360i scored big by quickly posting the tweet “Power out? No problem.” with an ad that featured a simple shot of the iconic cookie and catchy message: “You Can Still Dunk In The Dark.” The ad was hailed by the advertising industry and became one of the most shared, retweeted and favorited Super Bowl moments on Twitter. Oreos, anyone?
Stay Thirsty, My Friends
The recent State of the Union Republican response by Florida Senator Marco Rubio lit a fire across social media with one awkward sip from a small bottle of Poland Spring. The memes, pics and videos were hilarious. Unlike Oreo’s quick and clever connection to consumers on Twitter during the Super Bowl blackout, Poland Spring demonstrated a lack of social media savvy by taking more than half a day to respond on its Facebook page with an image of the water bottle and the message: “Reflecting on our cameo. What a night!” It still tastes like a dry spell.
Beyoncé’s Baby Bump
How can we forget watching the MTV’s Video Music Awards in 2011 when Beyoncé unveiled her baby bump at the end of her performance? Well, that on-air moment during the East Coast airing produced 8,868 tweets per second as reported by the Twitter global PR account. That’s right, per second. And with 5.5 million tweets generated from her Super Bowl half-time show, according to Mashable, Queen Bey still reigns supreme in the world of social media.
2013 Haiti Carnival in Cap-Haitien. Photo credit: PleziKanaval.com
It’s Carnival Time!
Although I could not be in my parents’ beloved hometown of Cap-Haitien for this year’s Carnival celebration in Haiti, I was able to experience it on the Internet in real-time through live webcasts, tweets, Facebook posts and Instagram pics. Thanks to the Haitian media outlets, I was transported from my Brooklyn apartment to the Carnival route while sipping on cremas. From Haiti and Trinidad & Tobago to Brazil and New Orleans, Carnival and Mardi Gras have attracted a massive online community. So if you can’t make it to Port-au-Prince or Port-of-Spain next year, you can still jump up in the air on the web and wave your virtual flag.
Without a doubt, the emergence of Social TV and multi-screen media usage as leading tech trends are hot topics for brands, TV operators and content producers, especially since social buzz affects ratings and consumer engagement.
What is your favorite TV program to watch while interacting with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers? Let us know what you think in the comments. You can also join the Media Scoop conversation on Twitter with hashtag #HTMediaScoop.
Daphne Leroy is a marketing and media strategist who is the founder and President of DML Media Group, LLC. Follow her on Twitter.
DML Media Group, LLC is a boutique consulting firm that specializes in personalized strategic marketing, communications and public relations services across multi-media platforms. Visit DMLmediagroup.com and follow them on Twitter.
The views expressed in this blog are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of Haitian Times.
Wonderful commentary! I am one of those folks that is on FB & Twitter during award shows like the most recent Grammys. I like others find myself commenting on the fashion, performances, hi-jinks, and more. Gone are the “water-cooler” days when you waited until the next day to discuss programs. You can watch and comment in real-time social media. It’s a new day. Oh…and the Oreo cookie ad campaign situation is amazing. Folks wonder how you can apply social media and make money. Well here you go. Oreo got it right. Kudos Daphne.
Great topic ms Leroy. You have one more follower on twiter.