Liberty842 took time out last week to attend Channel 4’s Fuel4 event in Brighton. Daisy was speaking on a panel of the great and the good in social TV. She talked about how @chattyman came about back in 2009 – and how it kick-started our company! She also talked about the issues around social media management, measurement and the value of providing qualitative feedback to programme makers, broadcasters and agencies.
It was a great day with plenty of sunshine, good food, networking opportunties and, of course, fascinating discourse. I loved the goodie bags, each with a complimentary book inside (ranging from The Cluetrain Manifesto to Clay Shirky’s Here Comes Everybody). Channel 4 Online created a Storify of the event:
Big up to Channel 4 and Jon Richardson for last week’s A Little Bit OCD, which was broadcast on Tuesday night. It’s part of their 4 Goes Mad season which aims to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination. The programme topped the Twitter trending topics as it aired and grabbed the top slot for 16-34s with 1.6m viewers on the night.
A Little Bit OCD, fronted by Jon Richardson, gave a fascinating, sympathetic and gentle insight into this condition which can be incredibly debilitating. As the show went out I followed the steady stream of tweets from those watching with me which offered a second narrative. Emotions ranged from shock, empathy and recognition. It seems that people came away profoundly moved by the stories of those living with the condition.
It was great to see the involvement of mental health charities – in particular, Time To Change – not only with advising the programme-makers, but actively tweeting on the night. They made the most of the hashtag, making it easy for viewers to find help, advice and information.
Channel 4 and the programme-makers deserve praise for making this series well researched, talked about (in the press as well as social media) and accessible.
Below is our Storify of tweets from the night.
The programme is available online for a few weeks, so watch it on 4oD if you missed it!
Last Tuesday, I went to the first of Pact’s Connected UK events. We heard from Rabin Mukerjea and Andrew Hill, from Grand Central Entertainment @GrandCentralEnt; Martin Trickey @chuffty from TwoFour; Simon Harris, Executive Producer at BBCWW @SJ_Harris and Gareth Capon from BSkyB @garethcapon.
It was a fascinating peek into the crossover between TV, gaming and social content and there was quite a bit of discussion around whether TV programmes are enhanced or interrupted by second screen content and whether, with the rapid rise of content consumed via smart phones and tablets, the TV is fast becoming the second screen.
Here’s the story told in tweets from the night:
Connected UK: Content
Connected UK is a series of five events that brings together leading figures from the worlds of TV, video games, digital media and advertising. Part 1: Content
Storified by LIBERTY842 Ltd · Tue, May 22 2012 06:36:29
Very interesting – a write up of the @IPA_Updates #connecteduk event – ‘Thinking inside the box’ http://infovisionipa.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/ipaconnecteduk-thinking-inside-box.htmlLizzie Smith
Talk I gave on Tuesday as part of #connecteduk love to hear feedback http://bit.ly/KSES76Simon Harris
Ditto MT @ConnectedUKLND Massive thanks to @nicolamen @garethcapon @GrandCentralEnt @Chuffty @SJ_Harris for great presentations #ConnectedUKLIBERTY842 Ltd
And it’s a wrap – to continue the conversation please use #ConnectedUK. Drinks and nibbles await…ConnectedUK
Rounding up: "Sometimes we forget about putting the consumer at the heart" – @nicolamen. Constant failing of brands IMO. #connectedukMark Hadfield
#connecteduk TwoFour Channel4 Mother & New Look #stylethenation great example of how brands and broadcasters CAN create compelling contentnatalie graeme
For content to go viral it needs authenticity #ConnectedUKConnectedUK
Your audience can smell it when you are trying to market something @chuffty says. So make it funny and don’t try to hard #connectedukTiffany St James
Lots of talk about live experiences w/ 2nd screen, but how can we use past social content as legacy data? Ppl share after too. #connectedukMark Hadfield
Heresy? Q from the floor asks if TV is the second screen – it’s what goes on in the background? #connectedukLIBERTY842 Ltd
Great point by @adamgraham: "The terminology is holding us back. For lots of people the TV is the second screen" #connectedukMark Hadfield
Q & A now with all speakers #ConnectedUKConnectedUK
#connecteduk seems to be implicit assumption that passive consumption = not ideal, and active interaction = better. I love being passive!trev
@garethcapon TV not about "i" its about "we" and "us" #ConnectedUKConnectedUK
"The conversation is transcending national barriers and it is happening in real time" #ConnectedUKSMG London
#connecteduk @garethcapon when everyone can share a moment the true fans are the ones closest to the experience but sharing it with othersnatalie graeme
#connecteduk @garethcapon the conversation around connected content is global and creative content breeds contentMike Dicks
How many times will BSkyB name drop Zeebox? #ConnectedUKMartin Delamere
@garethcapon Content is the thread that holds conversations together #ConnectedUKConnectedUK
@garethcapon It’s content people want to share. Sky invest $2bn per year on content. #connectedukThe IPA
@garethcapon EPL cornerstone of SKy’s success. Brilliant content at heart of that. #ConnectedUKConnectedUK
#connecteduk final speaker is @garethcapon from Sky on fluid live content http://pic.twitter.com/VfImekA2Simon Harris
Shouldn’t we be providing brilliant content to enhance viewers exp rather than maxing #SocialTV for advtsg asks @sj_Harris #connectedukTiffany St James
#connecteduk how about an experience that moves from device to device? – @SJ_HarrisMike Dicks
#connecteduk is transmedia transmediocre at the moment ?@SJ_HarrisMike Dicks
I like the idea of 2nd screen app (vertical or horizontal) being extra layer of relevant content. Make the TV show interactive. #connectedukMark Hadfield
#connecteduk a lot of this second screen panic is TV realising it’s now not always sole focus of attention. Radio got over this decades ago.trev
86% of respondents to Nielsen survey would second screen. I’m one of them, currently first screening during talk at #connectedukAlex Trickett
#ConnectedUK 86% of people use a 2nd screen while watching tvnicola mendelsohn
RT @ConnectedUKLND: @SJ_Harris Investing in brands such as Doctor Who to extend content to 2nd screen #ConnectedUKThe IPA
Simon Harris @SJ_Harris from BBC Worldwide Games explains BBCWW’s strategy for gamers and brands at #connectedukPact
Got to move away from tv being about overnights. Should be about more than the TX slot – so says @chuffty at #connectedukLIBERTY842 Ltd
Good point. If the TV content is aesthetically awesome (Frozen Planet) then 2nd screen is unwelcome distraction. #connectedukMark Hadfield
@Chuffty Million £ drop obviously great example of play along TV show. Antiques Roadshow 2nd screen app on the way! #ConnectedUKConnectedUK
#connecteduk Upstaged for BBC 3 was "the creme de la creme of cock ups" – @Chuffty. Ha!trev
"It’s still just tv, what’s changed is how we watch it". Good session @chuffty w irreverent look at early tech attempts#connectedukSMG London
#comeandhaveagoifyouthinkyouresmartenough – @chuffty on TV cockups. Will tv show names soon be dictated by the hashtag? #connectedukLIBERTY842 Ltd
#connecteduk @Chuffty comparing Draw Something to a game he made for Catchphrase in 2000 (say what you see)trev
"This might be the point where we get to change television" – @chuffty #connectedukMark Hadfield
You can tell @Chuffty used to commission comedy. Loving his talk at #connecteduk about future of telly using black and white slides.trev
Does your tv still have rabbit ears? #connectedukKen Mulligan
Next up @Chuffty- TwoFour’s Martin Trickey on commissing vs producing #connectedukThe IPA
Benefit of familiarity over originality. If it works, do more of it #connecteduk But surely original and intuitive is even betterAlex Trickett
"If it works do more" – but for how many iterations? Until the interest graph/ sharing starts declining? #connectedukMark Hadfield
@GrandCentralEnt Lessons learned: If it works, do more. Benefit of familiarity #connectedukConnectedUK
Talk about a prize! Winner of Nissan GT comp won pro driver contract. Importance of incentive to social content #connecteduk #socialacademyAlex Trickett
GT Academy winner came 2nd at Le Mans 24hr. Amazing PR to change perceptions of the brand to the people who matter. #connectedukMark Hadfield
Rabin Mukerjea and Andrew Hill @grandCentralEnt insights into pulling together games, social media, TV and Le Mans 24hr racing #connectedukPact
"When you dream of racing cars… you don’t think of a [my brand]." What a great problem to try and crack. #connectedukMark Hadfield
@GrandCentralEnt "Fantastic problem" at heart of all good comms ideas #connectedukConnectedUK
@nicolamen: Together we need to build better connections and skills to succeed in converged media landscape #ConnectedUKConnectedUK
#connecteduk @GrandCentralEnt are first up tonight how they got a member of the public into the Le Mans through GT PS3 http://pic.twitter.com/FNyjyfaeSimon Harris
Not an intimidating lecture hall at all 🙂 #connecteduk http://pic.twitter.com/7ZHqtn6cSimon Harris
For the last 3 years we’ve worked closely with Alan Carr, Channel 4 and Open Mike Productions to create an entertaining online experience to accompany the show as it airs. Today @chattyman has well over 200,000 followers on Twitter and an extremely lively discussion around the show.
Sam got a bit of a shock yesterday morning when she woke to find she was in The Independent. Alan Carr has been voted the UK’s #2 most influential tweeter, jointly with Sarah Brown and second only to Sir Richard Branson.
Alan’s Twitter success is partly attributed to the fact that promotion of Alan’s TV show Chatty Man is ‘siphoned off to a separate Twitter account operated by a girl called Sam who “works from a cell”, according to Carr. This frees up the man himself to fill his timeline with… a Twitter output that is engaging, upbeat, funny and occasionally a bit crazy.’
@Alan Carr boasts an impressive PeerIndex of 92, Authority score of 95 and well over 2 million followers.
We always knew Alan was a natural at Twitter – the account was originally set up back in 2008 as a simple way for Alan to update his website on the move by text. His affinity with the medium has brought its own rewards. Alan’s talked about it being a great way to talk directly with his fans, and he’s also thanked his Twitter fans – from both @chattyman as well as @AlanCarr – for helping him win the National TV Award for Best Talk Show.
Here he is talking to Sam about Twitter last month – and below that, Alan spills the beans about who Sam really is…
If you’re interested in finding out more about how social media can work for you, get in touch.
It was great to see such a big turn out to our Social Media Week London events this week. A big thank you goes to our speakers, Syeda Irtizaali from Channel 4, Mark McCullum, Personal Assistant to Gok Wan, David Ellis from Station 10 and Lisa Logan and Steve Kuncewicz from Gateley LLP.
If you need any more information, or just want a chat about what we could do for you, get in touch!
Below are our presentations from both events plus Sam’s interview for Talking Telly with Alan Carr.
Talking Telly, by Tayler Cresswell
David Ellis, from Station 10, on how social media is changing the way we prove the value of TV
If you tried the lovely food, it was supplied by our sponsors, Tangerine Dream. Our Talking Telly event was also in partnership with Pact.
Join us on Wednesday 15th February at 6pm for an evening of Talking Telly. The event is part of Social Media Week London, and we’ll be talking about how the relationship between social and television has become inextricably linked.
Talking Telly gives you the opportunity to explore the social telly phenomenon. It looks at the value of the social TV audience, using Alan Carr: Chatty Man as a case study. Hear from Syeda Irtizaali, the show’s Commissioning Editor at Channel 4; Tayler Cresswell from Liberty842, who discusses managing @chattyman; measurement specialist David Ellis from Station 10, who seeks the holy grail of ROI; plus legal expert Lisa Logan from Gateley LLP who will talk about the legal framework and pitfalls involved in social media ownership and control. Plus we’ll be meeting the Chatty Man himself, Alan Carrvia Video Link.
I had the pleasure of working with Liberty842 for the week on a work placement and I definitely learnt a lot!
On the first day, Tayler gave me an introduction to the company and took me through the ins and outs of what they do. I started looking at the incredible websites they had created and also interviews with celebrities such as Alan Carr and Lee Evans. From this I went on to create my own questions I would like to ask them in forth coming interviews. (It is very difficult trying to come up with questions that haven’t already been asked!)
Ellie on the train to Brighton – preparing questions for the Spexy Beast himself!
I also went along to a meeting at Shoreditch House with measurement specialist David Ellis from Station 10 who spoke about Google analytics and techniques to help promote brands online which I found very interesting. It’s clear he inspires many people!
I have to say my highlight of the week was going to interview and film Alan Carr at the Brighton Centre which was so much fun! He is just as lovely in real life, and even funnier! To top it off I got to watch his ‘Spexy Beast’ stand up show which had me in stitches all night.
It has been lovely working with Tayler and Daisy who made me feel very welcome the entire time and I look forward to hopefully working with them in the future! Thank you for the great experience x
Our friends over at Channel 4 have got together with Zeebox to trial the Zeebox app in conjunction with Desperate Scousewives (DSW) on E4. Over the course of the broadcast, users would be fed specially commissioned content and see what cast and viewers were saying about the show as-it-happened.
So last night I settled down to watch, iPad in hand. In a nutshell, it was like Bad Movie Club (which I loved!) on steroids. All the answers to “What’s that track?” Who’s that?” “Where’s that place?” were answered. I could also read reactions to the show from hundreds of programme-related tweets from viewers, participants and the official Scousewives stream.
The app is well designed (not surprising seeing as Anthony “BBC iPlayer” Rose is behind it), and really easy to navigate.
The content feed was nicely timed. During the ad breaks, ‘Zeetags’ popped up on the left, giving viewers the chance to access richer content, namely short videos from the cast. Whilst the generic Zeetags were a bit tenuous (pulling up Wikipedia entries on football and Jesus Christ!), those created specifically for DSW were well produced and included intros to cast members, a handy Scouse glossary and links to iTunes where you could download music from the programme. If you’re that engrossed that you can’t tear your eyes from the telly during broadcast, you can scroll back through the Zeetags in the ad breaks or after the show
I only had a couple of minor niggles using it:
I thought you’d have to leave the app completely to jump to your own Twitter stream – I did manage to access it via related links to the official Scousewives twitter account, but it would be great to have easier access.
The generic Zeetags seem a tad pointless. I know what football is! The real value of this app will be in tailored content around a programme.
I signed in to both Facebook and Twitter with the app, but clicking on the link to join DSW on Facebook, I was prompted to sign in.
Clicking on one of the programmes means I’m showing up as watching it (I wasn’t watching Assault on Precinct 13 last night, if you were wondering, just looking at the page on the app).
All in all, I really liked Zeebox, for the same reason I love Twitter. It’s instant and a really simple set up. Desperate Scousewives isn’t my cup of tea, so I’m not sure I’ll be watching again, but I liked the addition of the app with its tailored content. I think it could be used for more serious programming (thinking back to my blog post about Channel 4’s The Promise back in April).
Incidentally, it’s a great way to access TV listings – and I think one of its big selling points will be that (once more of my friends are using it) I may be swayed by their viewing choices and joining a conversation online with them. It’s an extension of audience behaviour which is why it should work long term.
The history of my own experience as a viewer/listener goes like this…
If the phone rang straight after The Archers or Coronation Street, I’d know it was my mum calling to talk about the programme.
I sometimes spend a lot of time during a programme texting– one to one – with friends and family talking about a programme we’re watching on TV.
The Bad movie club experience – It’s only happened the once, but I watched in awe as a torrent of tweets about The Happening whizzed across my screen in Tweet Chat
Twitter interaction between friends and family has more recently extended to a wider network, for example an enjoyable late night discussion with people I’ve only “met” on Twitter about Ian Dury during a programme about him on TV – everyone else in my house had gone to bed!
The big difference with a conversation online is that broadcasters and programme makers can listen in to our conversations and get to know us a little better. They can also use this knowledge to inform future programming.
Congrats to Jodie Morris and her team at Channel 4!
It’s no surprise to us that social media buzz influences people’s viewing habits. We see evidence of it every day – trending topics that have people switching over to see what everyone’s talking about, and recommendations from friends and social media acquaintances encouraging viewers to switch on and join the conversation.
But it seems that, for the first time, research from Nielsen has found a correlation between the volume of social media chatter and a show’s ratings.
As TV ratings measurement gets more sophisticated – as surely it has to – and as online interaction continues to rise, there is a growing opportunity for production houses and broadcasters to encourage high levels of conversation and, of course, higher ratings.
It’s worth mentioning that radio is also benefiting from listeners spreading the word via social channels. One example is #thearchers tweet-along on a Sunday morning, with listeners regularly joining the conversation from their bed, kitchen, car or garden. Nielsen’s findings saw the highest levels of social media activity among “the 18-34 generation”, but they are by no means the only audiences with a voice online.
If you want to find out more about what we do, and how to engage with audiences through social media, get in touch.
