According to Lost Remote, social media was en fuego during the Super Bowl this year. Bluefin Labs contributed to these stats, and found over 12 million “social media comments” during the game. Another element Lost Remote tracked were the plurality of Social TV Second Screen Apps in play:
The best second-screen experience: To start things off, we checked into the game on GetGlue, Miso,IntoNow, Shazam, ConnecTV, Umami, Foursquare and Viggle. Ok, that’s overkill, but we wanted to give them a spin on the biggest social TV event of the year. For starters, GetGlue sailed passed its all-time check-in, counting over 100,000 before halftime and 150,000 total for the game, 3X its all-time record (the company doubled its servers for the Super Bowl.) We’re let you know of other second-screen stats when we get them.
Now that doesn’t include the “official” Super Bowl app, NBC Sports, or a few other options. But overall, I’m see a glass is half empty scenario myself.
The problem was in the experiences. I tweeted a couple of times during the game, by using the Twitter app, which was native and easy to do. The thought of launching another app, just to get something that would enable be to tweet never even crossed my mind. In reality, most of these apps actually got in the way of the experience. And yes, while there was tons of tweeting and updates occurring, I’d lay down a strong bet most of this was about people posting, not reading what others were posting.
I also found the Super Bowl ads highlighted two major flaws in the ad experience. Shazam got a lot of pre-game buzz for all their ad partners. Sounds cool in theory, but the experience is just plain lousy. First, the commerical starts airing. Then, at some point in the middle of the ad a little Shazam logo appears somewhere on the screen (I only noticed it a handful of times personally). At this moment, the viewer must grab their phone, turn it on, unlock it, switch to the Shazam app, and then – and this is important – get everyone in the room to be quiet for 7-10 seconds. Great in theory, but this is not a good experience for any user.
The second was a QR code which displayed on screen. This in my eyes was even worse than Shazam, since QR codes require the user to have a QR app, which is just too obtuse for the average viewer.
worst. crossword. ever.
Compare either the Shazam or QR experience to having a simple URL onscreen. Is it really easier to go through all the hassle and end up on the Honda website, or just tell the user to go to honda.com? Plus, by obfuscating the simple methods, advertisers lose brand reinforcement AND are busy handing over the experience to a third party. Similarly, when it comes to social experiences, is it to a consumers’ advantage to launch an app just to get an update into Twitter or Facebook, or to just use the native ones?
These experiences have come a long way, and are offering exciting potential for the future of TV and second screens. But so far, we’re clearly at the infancy of what the consumer can use to really “enhance” a TV offering. I hope some or many of these offerings will improve over the years, and really create a better experience, not one that makes us work harder just to watch TV.
The hazard of emerging media tech tools is that in the wrong hands, they perpetually come across as gimmicks.
I noticed the GoDaddy issued a press release this morning about how successful (massively) their QR code on their naked-body-painting spot was — Except — Guess what? No actual numbers (and nothing to say if it was QR scans or people typing in the URL that was emblazoned on some model’s taut stomach and alluring belly button.
One inherent problem of mixing/matching screens has to do with the Creative Team charged with the effort. Mobile, if they arose out of the ashes of Online/digital/interactive, are typically click-obsessed and clueless when it comes to “story.” But, television Creatives are charged with focusing on story and emotion (as well as some cheap tricks). But, the twain has not met when it comes to multi-screen ad/content engagement.
Now, if someone wanted to be clever, they would put the two teams into a room and not let them out ’til they came up with something REALLY NEW AND DIFFERENT – A new way to extend story off of the big screen and move it to the small…plus add interactivity…
Let’ see:
What if that GoDaddy commercial bridged to a mobile web experience where you could do your own body painting on the model? Better yet, if you could suggest words to be painted; then, in real time, someone selected one of the million suggestions and painted it on the model on TV? (I’m not opposed to using nakedness to sell a fairly dull product; and to make everyone forget SOPA).
In some respect I’m not serious at the example level, but I am dead serious at the conceptional level. Let me chat and connect with that on-screen character on my mobile device…I don’t care if it’s a bot, or one in a million will get the “real person,” give me a mobile experience that extends the story to the smaller screen and MAKES IT PERSONAL.
Maybe next year?
/rant
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Sounds like you would have enjoyed the Superbowl experience at tweetTV. tweetTV is a real-time social TV guide and Twitter-based second screen platform. Our unique ‘tweet’ rooms turn TV tweets into TV conversations, filterable by everyone/friends/cast etc. Plus we have multi-user video chat for public or private face-forward communication among people watching what you are. tweetTV will soon integrate live sports stats for sporting events.
actually i don’t really think so – i maintain that apps like this make the “organic” process of using twitter/facebook undeniably more work…
I have to agree with this article. It makes no sense to make users move from the Twitter/Facebook apps that they are used to and enjoy and work well, to offer a different experience that really, isn’t THAT different.
If I had a product to sell, I’d probably be using more ‘continue the storyt’ methods in 2012 such as cliffhanger endings to my commercial(see the end at http://www.honda.com) or HOW WAS THAT MADE(see online at…) There’s room as well for celebs who are used in the ad, to be giving their opinions on the game, online, and continue the user experience there. Flow is so important when thinking about how users will ‘interact’ with the show.
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