With Dual-screen viewing on the rise, brands need to tap in to increasing consumer demand for interacting on computers, tablets and mobile devices while watching TV.
Thinkbox, the marketing body for commercial TV in the UK, recently conducted a survey of 3,000 consumers and found that:
- 60% of people concurrently watch TV and go online at least two or three times a week.
- 37% go online while watching TV every day.
- 44% use social networks, like Facebook and Twitter, while watching TV.
- 37% have chatted online about TV content.
- 19% have shared TV content on a social network.
Heineken has already rolled out a global initiative to enable people to interact wih each other online while watching Champions League football. And with brands like Expedia looking to invest in multi-screen marketing (according to EMEA Senior Marketing Director Andrew Warner), there is a need for brands to become less siloed in their thinking and start moving from traditional media models to multi-screen, multi-platform marketing.
So how can brands take the first step into the dual screen arena?
It doesn’t have to be as extravagant or wide-reaching as Heineken. Developing a social media strategy that ties in with other forms of advertising will help engage an audience across multiple channels and across multiple mediums. Keeping ideas simple – depending on your brand, a forum or a basic game could be enough to encourage engagement.
Whatever your marketing and advertising plans, with the rise of smartphone and tablet users, brands need to consider how they will create a more social experience to TV viewing.