TV is alive & kicking – you just need to join the conversation
Elliot Parkus, media director at AdConnection, explains why for his clients it is vital to harness the power of major TV franchises but continue the conversation with consumers through social media…
There has been much talk recently about what the future of TV holds. Many interesting moves by what we are still supposed to be calling ‘new media’ powerhouses such as Facebook and YouTube have had commentators declaring that linear TV is dead. It isn’t. It is true to say that the way that consumers are using and interacting with linear TV has changed.
To summarise some of the recent changes – the BBC has launched a video-on-demand app for Facebook that allows users to rent a limited number of Top Gear episodes in return for Facebook Credits. This builds on activity last month where a similar deal to allow fans to watch classic episodes of Doctor Who was unveiled.
The BBC is not alone in using Facebook to distribute content. Miramax have launched a movie streaming service through Facebook and FA Cup sponsor Budweiser did a deal with non-league teams Ascot United and Wembley FC to stream the opening game of the FA Cup live.
Google launched their UK YouTube film rental service by announcing a number of deals with film giants including Warner Bros, Universal, Lionsgate and Sony Pictures.
ITV’s Fru Hazlett actually mounted a spirited defence of linear TV at the AOP Digital Publishing Summit last week. She said: “There is a huge difference between a viewer glued to The X Factor and one watching a bit of user generated content for a few seconds. If you’re glued to The X Factor then you want to see those five gorgeous farmers brought back by Yeo Valley, because actually its part of the experience isn’t it? They’re in that space, they’re in that place. It’s not the same as being in the middle of something that is less than finished.”
Well, yes and no. Last year’s ‘Yeo Valley’ ad gathered over two million viewers on YouTube. Those are in addition to the many millions received from using ITV’s flagship show. But these viewers are different. They have actively chosen to view the ad, to interact with the brand. They are the very definition of the engaged consumer. Could these views have been achieved without using expensive spots on ITV? Probably not, but that is the point. The best advertisers (and agencies) understand the value of using traditional media channels in tandem with a social media strategy.
More controversially, she went on to claim that “UGC is a fallacy, most people are boring and no-one wants to read their stuff”.
That one is a bit harder to stand up. Let’s leave aside the fact that the sponsorship bumpers to this year’s X Factor are user generated. YouTube currently attracts around 48 hours of video every minute. That doesn’t seem like much of a fallacy to me.
In addition, The Times‘ TV critic Caitlin Moran wrote this week that watching The X Factor without Twitter would be like ‘going to watch a football match in an empty stadium’. I agree. A huge part of mine and many others’ enjoyment of these ‘appointment to view’ shows is the running commentary available from Twitter and Facebook. It’s like the directors commentary extra on a DVD, if the director was your most sarcastic friend and they had fallen out with the cast and crew.
A recent YouGov report on social TV trends found that almost 70% of 18-24s are using computers or mobile phones to comment while watching TV shows.
Occasions where the whole country is united around TV are rarer these days, thanks mainly to the proliferation of other routes to content. ITV at its best does these occasions brilliantly. For our clients the answer is to harness the power of major TV franchises but continue the conversation with consumers through social media.