Social TV is the hot topic in marketing circles this days, and there is a good reason for all the hype. Social TV is the next step in the evolution of broadcast and online marketing.
First, what is social TV?
In simplest terms, social TV is the marriage of television and digital communications. Research shows that more and more people watch TV while simultaneously using their mobile devices. TV becomes social when people publish updates and discuss a program on Twitter, Facebook, and other social sites as they’re watching that program on television.
For example, have you watched television shows and noticed a Twitter hashtag in the lower right-hand corner of your TV screen? That hashtag invites people to tweet about the program as they’re watching it. People don’t have to be in the same room to communicate about what appears on their television screens anymore. They can follow hashtags on Twitter and converse with people around the world.
Social TV is most often found during live programming, but there is growing interest in integrating social elements into recorded programs as well. For example, Simon Dumenco of Advertising Age spoke with Zane Vella, CEO of Watchwith, who explained, “We’re creating a world where every frame of TV is rich in possibilities.”
Zane’s company creates data bubbles each second, which display what its backend database “knows” about each scene. For example, during “The Big Bang Theory” a character could walk into a room with a backpack and the Watchwith database instantly feeds information about that specific product to social TV apps. Consumers who like that backpack can search for it, get more information, discuss it, and purchase it as they’re watching the show.
Social TV is the next big opportunity for brands and marketers, but finding ways to integrate social TV without annoying consumers will be a challenging balancing act. I’ll be at Mashable Connect 2012 in May, and social TV is the hot ticket at this year’s conference. Everyone wants to learn more about it and strategize new ways to effectively integrate it into their marketing plans. If you’re not already thinking about social TV, then you’re missing a significant opportunity!
Image: Nicholas J. Briscoe
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc. and Founder & Editor in Chief of an award-winning blog, WomenOnBusiness.com. She is a 25-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored 10 books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing.
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