Food for thought: The spy who sold out
Forgiving a pretty face
Facebook to agencies: how will people share your story?
Is “The Pitch” an accurate reflection of our industry?
Though 37 million people tuned in, last weekend’s Academy Awards saw a 10% decline in viewership since last year’s event. It certainly sparked a lot of buzz, but much of it was confined to 140 characters or less. Yep, I’m talking about Twitter. Could this have had a negative impact on this year’s less-than-impressive turnout?
Let’s face it, when it comes to large televised events like these, you don’t even have to watch anymore. Tired of the hokey announcers? Don’t feel like watching the ads? Show too long and drawn out for you? Get the play-by-play on Twitter just by searching #theoscars. And get it without the celebrity overdose, and often, with a healthy dose of wit.
These massive televised social events generate a whole new type of social event, and it’s happening on Twitter. Connecting with other members all over the world, users are watching, commenting, and tweeting predictions of what’s to come.
With about 200 million accounts out there, and over 1.2 million tweets during this year’s Oscars alone, could Twitter have stolen the show?
Moreover, why aren’t more brands taking advantage of these opportunities? As easily as you or I could join in, so can brands. There’s your target demographic, tweeting about some celebrity’s bad hair. So why can’t [insert hair care brand here] join the conversation?
In the Twitterverse, being relevant is easy. Just forget about selling for a minute, and let your brand’s personality come through. What would your brand say about the topic? What is the topic saying about your brand? With events like this, not only can you reach the same demographic as your TV spot, but you’re practically guaranteed a captive audience. All you have to do is #getinvolved.
Nikita
March 2, 2011 @ 10:43 am
Definitely agree! This year, the act of waiting for everyone’s tweets/comments on twitter after an award was announced was more intriguing at times than the actual act of viewing the Oscars show.
Indeed, for those simply interested in the end result -meaning the winners, Twitter was the hot spot to turn to for real time results!
Jacoub Bondre
March 2, 2011 @ 12:09 pm
Some brands have all the permission in the world to join social event conversations. The old spice guy, for example, could have been commenting on all the fine ladies and dashing men who smell like him.
Atash Khosrorad
March 2, 2011 @ 12:38 pm
Personally watching the show while surfing the internet, the surmountable attention, and not just on Twitter but also Facebook, really brought to sight how quickly people are expressing their opinions, especially when it’s something new. As Jacoub said, the idea of maintaining interaction is great but I think it would be a perfect opportunity for a brand to jump in and do something totally different to show more of their personality. Relative to the Oscars, as mentioned, it is an opportunity for the audience to catch a more personable insight of who, actor or brand, is speaking. So why not do something big?