Social Media & Television

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Adam

Maybe Television isn’t dead.

Maybe Liz Murdoch was 110% spot on when she said at NATPE at the top of the year that social media is the key to TV’s success.

There are so many examples reflecting how these two mediums are converging and quite frankly – I LOVE IT!!!

There’s MTV’s first ever TJ – Twitter Jockey which was a show on MTV were @gabifresh won the new job and $100,000.00 salary. $100,000 to Tweet? Anyways.

Then there’s Comedy Central’s success of Tosh 2.0 where comedian Daniel Tosh stands in front of a green screen and deconstructs the latest nuttiness videos on the Internet. This is a hit for Comedy Central because it’s uber cheap to shoot (I mean – uber cheap) and is perfectly suited for the male 18-34 demo. The show is most watched program on Wednesday nights within that age group.

The online media-tv hybrid model has been such a success for Comedy Central that they are going to take a crack at it with Dwyanebook – a show that is entirely about social media and adopts the same programming model as Tosh 2.0.

What I find the most fascinating is how computer usage goes up during certain TV programs – especially major hit shows and tentpole specials such as the Super Bowl and Academy Awards. Data shows people are going on to their computers to chat and engage with other content while watching these programs. There was an increase in computer usage from 2009 in 2010 during both the Super Bowl and Academy Awards. Thus, this is creating a different type of water cooler effect – one that doesn’t have to wait until the next day at the office but happens live – on the moment – as the program is happening.

This presents such an interesting opportunity for marketers. As this 360i blog posting mentioned:

This means marketers can reach consumers through two separate media simultaneously, creating a richer and deeper single brand experience. Brands like MTV, Bravo and MLB are leading the way in this new era of television – and you can be sure others will soon follow suit should the opportunities be right for their programming.

Interesting times indeed. Endless opportunities to change the TV format model and make the television experience that more engaging, creative and quite frankly – new.

@MitchKapler

Interesting Things – 8.2

Posted on August 2, 2010 by Adam

Mobile Fish Farms

A new generation of fishers and scientists has been developing a new era of sustainable green fish farming with the mobile fish farms. These massive spherical cages contain the fish in the open ocean but what makes them unique is they’re designed to flow with the ocean currents, keeping them from causing damage by stagnating in one area. The cages also have computer controlled propellers to help direct the cage if it gets too near reefs, or currents are not enough.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCz1KNBI60I

Robin Rhode

There is something irresistibly playful and mischievous about Robin Rhode’s artwork due to this youthful interactions with each piece. By becoming part of his art, the South African artist brings it to a whole new level. Based in Berlin, Germany, Robin Rhode pushes the boundaries of stationary art, bringing life to an otherwise static creation.

http://www.perryrubenstein.com/artists/robin-rhode/

Tattoo Crowdsourcing

Caisa Ederyd crowdsourced her first tattoo, and allowed complete strangers to design and vote on a tattoo to cover the left side of her rib cage. The Wellcome Collection provided sponsorship as part of their Skin exhibition. She put a lot of energy into describing what she wanted from the design on Facebook, Twitter and on her own blog. In the end, she got a “reworked” version of a design that she chose herself. The design chosen by the community was totally different, and didn’t feature any pigs.

http://www.newscientist.com

Aston Martin Resort

MVRDV plans to build a luxury holiday resort that seems to have pulled up a lush green hilltop like a blanket and hidden itself under it. To be located in Montenegro and designed for Aston Martin, the grass-clad hotel seems to blend in seamlessly with its surroundings. Dubbed “Galije” and located on a parcel of untouched coastline land, the resort is envisioned as a way to combine exclusivity with a responsible, sustainable embedding of the structure in its surrounding landscape.

http://inhabitat.com/2010/07/20/aston-martin-resort-disguised-as-a-giant-mountain-of-lush-green/

Ready, Set, Market!

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Adam

A documentary leverages emerging digital tools and marketing techniques to get people’s butts into the seats

Ready, Set, Bag! is a new documentary that has leveraged social media to promote the film’s release in local theaters as well as take advantage of cause marketing. The digital savvy filmmakers partnered up with Groupon, a website that enables businesses to offer great deals to people in their communities. Through Groupon the filmmakers made pacts with local theaters, $1 of each ticket sold will go to food banks near the theater to help feed the community. So far 100% of theaters have agreed to carry the film. Furthermore, the filmmakers are playing the trailer on Blip.tv (see below) and all advertising revenue is going to support the charity of Feeding America.

This recent project highlights various trends happening in filmmaking and in business in general. Filmmakers are getting savvier when it comes to leveraging online to support their projects. For example, Kickstarter, an online site that enables you to raise funds for projects is turning into a go-to for filmmakers who need to raise money to fund their films.

Furthermore, filmmakers keep exploring new means of distribution, for example this year Sundance enabled filmmakers to distribute the film through VOD services and the internet.

Lastly, the trend of embedding the pay-it-forward element into you’re your business model is really hot right now. Expert calls this cause marketing and it looks to be a win-win for everyone involved.

In an era of change, new distribution models and business plans are emerging. Sure, Ready, Set, Bag! might not win an Academy Award but you have to tip your hat to the producers for leveraging all the tools available in order to, as they like to say in Hollywood, get people’s butts into the seats.

@MitchKapler