An essential consideration for brands and content owners is ‘Where is your audience and what are they doing?’ There are serious questions to be asked about whether broadcast is still the de-facto platform of choice for a new show launch, or whether the target audience has already moved on to a new, more relevant (to them) destination?
Live streaming platforms like Meercat and Periscope are two primary disruptive platforms undercutting traditional media. There’s a fantastic chance at a special conference session to hear all about this from Europe’s number one Periscoper Alex Pettitt (9 September, 10:30, Room E102, as part of the conference stream Platform Futures). He live broadcasts at Alex.Live and will show IBC delegates why millions are tuning into people like him, live, every week on this blossoming new platform.
In 10 months, on Twitter’s App he gained almost 250,000 followers and over 100 million Hearts/Likes. He’s consulted on live interactive streaming for the BBC, Sky and NBCU, on Periscope’s importance for news gathering, original programming and content creation. He also provides insight to brands and media agencies on integrating Facebook Live and Periscope within powerful social media strategies.
“Using live streaming achieves real time engagement which, for a brand, is like nothing ever achieved before,” Pettitt told the Festival of Marketing in London.
The credibility of the influencers on live streaming sites is also important to provide a level of authenticity. Of the many brands that have approached Pettitt to collaborate he claimed he has said no to about 90 per cent of them because they did not fit in with his technology background.
He said: “It should be a 50/50 split of the leg work between brands and broadcaster.
The broadcaster shouldn’t work with anyone that doesn’t fit their users and equally the brand shouldn’t work with someone just because they have a high following.”
Also speaking at this session about the migration of audiences, and how this is driving decisions to place content online is Fran Cassidy, founder, Cassidy Media Partnership and former marketing director at the Carlton TV group. She is joined by founder and creative director of multi-platform production and audience development agency Spirit Media, Matt Campion; and Charlie Palmer, managing editor, All4.
Delegates may also want to check in to the complementary session ‘Harnessing the Power of Influencers’ on 10 September (11:30, Forum) to hear Ben Spea, YouTube’s Content Solutions lead and Brittany Bagnall, commercial director and founder Cherry Pick Talent, give tips on how vloggers can benefit your brands.
