Whether it's aligning with a show premiere or award show, social-savvy marketers know that television and Twitter can make for a powerful combination. As more brands create social campaigns around programming on the small screen, Twitter has been busy building on their TV targeting capabilities in a big way.
A 'New Season' In Targeting Television
When TV targeting was first launched, brands were only able to hone in on conversations around shows. Audiences who were engaged in these conversations by tweeting, retweeting and favoriting could be reached either during an airing or on an ongoing, 24/7 basis. Starting Nov 1st, 2014 "The Bird" will beef up their capabilities for marketers by offering two additional options:
CRITERIA | AUDIENCE | TIMING |
---|---|---|
Show | Users talking about a specific TV program | Target only when the show is airing or on an ongoing basis |
Genre New! | Users engaged with multiple show within a genre (e.g. comedies, dramas, sports, etc.) | Ongoing basis |
Network New! | Users creating conversations around a specific network's programming (e.g. HGTV, TBS, etc.) | Ongoing basis |
The Upside For Marketers
More sophisticated targeting allows for more flexibility when building campaigns, without worrying about restrictions such as meeting minimum spends, providing TV buy schedules, buying commercial airtime during a show or retargeting time constraints. Brands can get creative by posting content related to a specific show, genre or network to take advantage of a wider, more engaged audience. For example, companies that are able to afford to buy commercials can run complimentary video ads on Twitter to leverage a show's massive online reach. Alternatively companies who cannot afford to advertise on a television network can still create their own "digital commercial" related to chatter about a program.