Social Buzz Increases Chances for a TV Show to Become a Hit
Communication devices get smaller and more powerful with each version, allowing owners to perform more and more actions with just an few clicks. Smartphone users can now communicate, login to various social media networks, write emails, browse the internet, watch TV channels and more. TV networks should however keep in mind the results of the latest Red Bee Media survey which shows that if a TV program benefits from social media buzz, viewers are more likely to watch it.
One in three smartphone users out of the 2000 surveyed said that they are more likely to watch a show live rather than on-demand if such a buzz exists. And it is easy to think about how this buzz could be generated: Twitter hashtags, constantly updated Facebook Fan page, etc. Many TV shows already use these ways to generate buzz and engagement when new seasons are broadcast. Twitter hashtags started by many USA TV productions related hasthags, as well as by those promoting shows from other countries, including Romania, are quite popular these days. So are TV series Facebook fan pages, used release snippets of new episode before and during the time they are being aired.
Media consumers are already known to use two screens at the same time, e.g. watching a show and posting about it on social networks. 24% of people use such a second screen while watching TV, as a 2,000 UK respondents survey by Deloitte reveals.
Different types of TV programs generate different online behaviours, as Econsultancy’s recent report, The Multi-Screen Marketer, shows. Independent dramas (53% of the mentions), followed by recorded reality TV (51%) and life-feel reality TV (47%) are the types of programs that drive the most commerce related activities. Recorded reality TV (71%), life-feel reality TV (69%), sporting events (68%), comedies (60%), independent dramas and how-to/food related (each with 55%) are the programs that lead to the most non-commerce related activities.
Marketers that work for TV stations or production companies should thus take these findings into consideration and use the results in creating great promotional campaigns for the shows they are promoting.
