Marketing on Periscope: Lessons from early adopters
This summer was filled with unique brand campaigns across social platforms, including many that have dominated Twitter's live video streaming app, Periscope.
Dunkin' Donuts used seven social platforms -- including Periscope -- to promote its DD Summer Soundtrack, which showed iced coffee through videos from five concerts in five cities. General Electric took social media and invented #DRONEWEEK, a project on Periscope that looked to raise awareness to its technology and facilities through video by a GE-reengineered drone.
Periscope has been a part of the social media arena -- and thus a part of some companies' marketing strategies -- for over six months now. Along with other social apps, it has changed the way marketers think about reaching their intended consumers. With over 10 million downloads to date, Periscope has encouraged marketers to think far beyond producing polished, measured campaigns and instead to tap into raw, unfiltered, and often unrehearsed moments to capture attention.
FOMO
According to Twitter, Periscope helps brands to "forge a more personal relationship with consumers." In order for brands to reach millennials, companies needs to engage with viewers authentically. Millennials are largely digital natives, and for brands to be heard they need to meet the audience in the digital sphere.
In particular, Periscope has been successful because it encourages the kind of authentic interaction Millennials crave and it is effortless for consumers to access. Periscope taps into the want of the Millennial generation to stay connected. Twitter recommended on their blog that marketers create a sense of fear of missing out -- FOMO -- when using Periscope to encourage people to tune in, as the platform's live broadcasting format provides a perfect way to foster that uncomfortable fear of missing out.
A new era
In a study from my company Whistle Sports, it was found that Millennials say that they are more apt to watch and enjoy something if it's funny, original, and unexpected. We also found that 13-17 year olds would be most interested in watching their favorite YouTube star, after only LeBron James and Tom Brady. Generally, millennials are more interested in emulating bloggers and others "non-traditional" celebrities than the professional athletes admired by previous generations.
This shift in marketing campaign tactics has altered future campaigns. If the classic marketing campaign from the California Milk Processor Board -- "Got Milk" -- had been fashioned for a launch in 2015, I imagine it would be more YouTube stars with milk mustaches instead of Beyonce or Britney Spears. This attention shift does not imply that big-name celebrities are no longer relevant, but simply what captures the interest of this generation is different than before.
Early successful campaigns
Many brands have embraced Periscope and the ever-growing and diverse talent pool and are creating content that is receiving high-engagement rates from key audiences. Following are some of the success stories that stand out.
Mountain Dew was one of the first brands to experiment with Periscope, showcasing virtual reality skateboarding and backcountry snowboarding experiences. Select fans won Mountain Dew swag shown in the videos by interacting with the content. Christine Ngo, digital brand manager for the soda company, told Adweek's Social Times in April that the brand considers itself a digital innovator, and it was natural for it to want to jump right into the new platform. Adidas also didn't hesitate to get on Periscope, covering Columbian soccer star James Rodriquez's deal with the brand through the app in March.
Digiday also cited some successful examples about brands using Periscope early, which included Nissan's unveiling of its 2016 Maxima at the New York Auto Show, as well as Target's use of the platform to draw attention to its Lilly Pulitzer line. Target fueled such high consumer demand that 90 percent of the line sold out within a few days, according to reports.
As for the platform's earliest innovators, Nestlé's Drumstick was the first brand to run an ad campaign on the platform. Its sponsored Periscope stream coincided with the summer solstice, depicting what people were doing to celebrate the first day of summer. Influencers posted stories on their own streams including the hashtag #ad, which were boosted by promoted Tweets from Drumstick. Meredith Saxe, Drumstick's brand manager, told Twitter blog SocialBro that they were excited to see what these creators would come up with for their brand.
Doritos was the first brand to run a contest on Periscope to complement its #DoritosRoulette campaign. The game chose contestants randomly from its Periscope audience, and participants won prizes depending on where a spinning wheel landed.
Challenges
Despite these success stories, Periscope hasn't been received with a warm welcome by everyone. It has presented issues for major sporting leagues which caught media attention in May, as fans were live broadcasting from games in person. The NFL and NBA, which were in season, responded by reiterating their existing policies that prohibit live broadcasting from any of their games, as well as the unauthorized use of game footage. The stakes are high -- according to Vrooman Sports Economics, $6.58 billion were spent in annual broadcast fees last year for the NFL, followed by $2.6 billion for the NBA and $1.55 billion for MLB. However, the leagues aren't overly concerned because the app doesn't have the picture quality or game commentary that their broadcasts do.
Overall, brands are being faced with challenges in the rapidly evolving media landscape, but are being afforded new opportunities presented by fresh mediums, such as Periscope, to reach their customers. The live-streaming app has broken down barriers and let consumers see inside the companies that make their favorite foods, clothing lines, and other goods and services. Now it's up to brands to create original, captivating, and stimulating live content to keep fans coming back for more.
Brian Selander is executive vice president at Whistle Sports Network.
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"Periscope app log in screen on a mobile smartphone." image via Shutterstock.
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