Analysis: How will Periscope’s direct broadcasts impact brands?

This is a smart move by Twitter. At a stroke they have increased the reach of anyone broadcasting using Periscope’s livestreaming service and have created a richer, more seamless user experience for people on Twitter.

From a broader perspective it is clear that, as consumers, we gravitate towards richer, interactive experiences wherever these are available. This is going to increasingly be in some sort of video format as technology improves and consumers’ expectations are raised. So for Twitter to develop in a way that means our timelines will be populated with more video content makes good sense.

The livestreaming service also fuels the increasing consumer desire for immediacy. And it is only natural that we will want to see, as well as read about, events in real time.

From a marketing perspective, this further emphasises how advertisers need to adjust their approach to developing and deploying content. We are now entering an era where it may be that developing three adequate pieces of video content a day is more important than developing three perfect pieces of video content a year.

At Media iQ, we have also seen a huge demand from advertisers wanting to synchronise their advertising to events occurring in real time. This has led to us developing a suite of products that allows advertisers to react to a batter hitting a home run, snow falling to a certain depth on a ski resort or a change in currency exchange rates.

So it is a natural extension of this that advertisers will also start reacting to what their customers are livestreaming.

As mobile, video, live experiences and real time moments are increasingly important for consumers, the market is fast innovating and integrating to stay relevant.

This is true for platforms as well as publishers. The on demand economy with instant access to previously unavailable content has further widened to provide access to shareable live experiences. Facebook Live, Meerkat, Periscope and Snapchat have done well to build market share.

What was required for Twitter to stay relevant was to integrate Periscope more seamlessly into its stream. It will also help Twitter capture a higher share of user time on its platform (Facebook is 40 mins, Twitter is 17 mins).

The move is great news for consumers as the experience has improved not requiring opening content in a different app, or having to wait for the content to load upon click. It’s great for Periscope allowing its content to reach a much bigger social audience. It’s great for Twitter as its formats become richer and it’s able to remain a relevant platform competing against Facebook Live and Snapchat.

Creators of content such as news publishers, celebrities and brand advertisers will benefit from harnessing their Twitter followers and enriching the experiences they are able to provide to its audiences: richer, live, in the moment experiences allowing for deeper brand engagement and ensuring continued brand relevance.

Overall, a good and expected first step in the collaboration between Twitter and Periscope.

Watching the live streaming app Periscope whilst on Twitter opens up a huge potential for brands to reach a wider audience and immerse consumers in a live, first-hand experience.

Consumers are given another way to connect with a brand through a seamless process whilst they are already using Twitter. They can then share that experience in their community of followers without the process being interrupted by changing application.

Periscope’s partnership with Twitter reflects the explosion of live and experiential, as well as the continued popularity in video, which is only set to increase this year. It’s a really exciting moment and presents a big opportunity for brands.