Current live audience interactions scratch the surface of social media's potential. Measurement tools, data analysis and connected devices will transform the television business
One of our recent campaigns, –Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Fish Fight on Channel 4, is a good example of how producers are changing their approach to social media. In the ad-break bumpers, Hugh directly appealed to viewers to tweet the UK's biggest supermarkets about his sustainable fishing campaign. This caused a surge in Twitter activity to over 2,200 messages a minute from the show's norm of approximately 300 messages a minute, with total tweet volumes increasing to over 40,000 from the usual 3,000 an episode. The results were revealed in the show immediately after the ad break, providing the audience with continuity and instant live feedback. This type of quantifiable engagement is being integrated into the sales materials of TV ad sales executives everywhere, as a unique feature of how the combination of broadcast with digital activation can drive a unique advertiser opportunity.
