[a]live: Social Video’s State Of The Union

BY

From the infamous Chewbacca Mom to Buzzfeed‘s exploding watermelon, it’s clear that Facebook as a video platform is coming into its own. We’re now beginning to see what is working and what isn’t for Facebook Live, and publishers and brands are shifting quickly to create video that is native to Facebook—a largely silent, but highly visual viewing experience.

Snapchat, of course, is of increasing interest to brands as well. With reportedly 110 million daily active users and over 8 billion video views each day, it’s easy to see why.

This [a]live, host Andrew Volpe chats with Ayzenberg director of social media, Lindsey Buchanan, discuss  where it’s all heading and what’s working.

Facebook Video Sees High Engagement While Links Decline

BY

Facebook video has had tremendous growth over the last several months with the implementation of live streaming and other features. A new report from NewsWhip takes a deeper look at the social media platform, explaining how—as video has gotten bigger—links have fallen a bit by the wayside.

The report shows that the total monthly Facebook engagements for top ten publishers that have dropped over the past few months, going from 287 million in July 2015 to 162 million in April 2016. While it’s still a steady number, the drop-off in link engagements has been noticeable, mainly because of how well video has been doing in comparison.

It further noted that the decline wasn’t limited to a singular type of interaction. There was a 55 percent drop in Likes across the top ten sites over the same period, while Shares fell by 57 percent, and comments declined by 64 percent.

Meanwhile, video has picked up quite a bit. The report cited CNN’s interaction on Facebook. Back in July, the company only posted about 22 (2.1 percent) of native videos from its general posts, for a total of 97,330 engagements. However, by the time April 2016 rolled around, it saw significant improvement, with 22.6 percent of its overall posts being native videos, with 2.4 million engagements. That’s a tremendous amount of growth.

“If people are spending more time watching and interacting with videos from the publishers that are posting them, they’ll see more and more. That means there’s less chance of them coming across a link to a story that their friend has liked,” writes Liam Corcoran, Head of Communications at NewsWhip, and author of the report.

While the engagement rate for publishers continues to be on the high side, these numbers could indicate that using video is better at reaching audiences than just a basic link. “As media consumers’ habits change, publishers need to be aware of how their audience is finding their news,” Corcoran states. “Mass distribution in the news feed helps you to reach the right readers, but takes effort and informed insight to make a proper impact.

“Paying attention to your internal analytics and experimentation is key in maintaining a strong connection with the audience.”

Image Source

YouTube Presenting E3 Coverage With Event Hubs

BY

E3 may be officially partnered up with Twitch for its big show next month, but that doesn’t mean YouTube can’t get in on the action.

For the second year in a row, YouTube Gaming will play an integral part in streaming content from the convention, and is preparing for it by launching event hubs, including one specifically for E3.

These hubs will be home to YouTube shows that are specific to events like E3, so users can simply visit a hub and get all their coverage in one place.

YouTube has already promised to cover a number of events online, starting with both EA and Bethesda’s press conferences on June 12th. From there, it’ll host a 12-hour livestream on June 13th, co-sponsored by Samsung, in which a number of “Let’s Play” walkthroughs, reveals and “surprise guests” are expected. The show will be hosted by The Game Awards producer and former GameTrailers host, Geoff Keighley.

“We wanted to build coverage of E3 that blends together TV production values with the passion and fandom of the top influencers,” noted Keighley, speaking with GamesBeat. “It feels like we’re connecting together multiple generations of gamers, and YouTube really puts an unparalleled amount of promotion behind the game industry during E3. We’re not just talking to hardcore gamers–we’re reaching into the mainstream, too.”

It’s unknown if YouTube Gaming will have a presence at the show itself, or the public E3 Live event that was announced earlier this week. For now, it appears the focus is on the pre-E3 presentations.

Keighley was also quick to note the absence of certain companies from the show floor, including Electronic Arts, which is hosting its own EA Play event at the same time. “Even if they don’t have booths on the show floor, I know EA and Activision’s games will be well represented in and around the show,” said Keighley. “At the end of the day, E3–at least in the eyes of consumers–is really anchored by the press conferences, and all of those are still taking place as part of our global livestream.”

Twitch will have its own fair share of live coverage happening at the event, and various companies have broadcast partners lined up for its press conferences. Microsoft, for instance, will livestream its showcase through online sites and its consoles, as well as Spike TV.

Nintendo Building Steady Hype For The ‘Legend of Zelda’

BY

Nintendo certainly knows how to build up its games with blockbuster hype, and has proven it with two releases last year: Splatoon and Super Mario Maker. Both games have gone on to sell millions of copies on the Wii U console, and now it’s The Legend of Zelda‘s turn.

The newest chapter in the ongoing adventure series, which first debuted in 1985 on the original NES, was first revealed during Nintendo’s E3 Digital Event two years ago with game footage that showed the game’s scope and vision.

Nintendo has since taken its time with unveiling new details about the game. In fact, it stayed mum for several months before showcasing some early gameplay footage during The Game Awards 2014, where producers Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma discussed what players could expect.

This year, Nintendo is going all-in with The Legend of Zelda, as it announced the game, which will release for both the Wii U and the upcoming NX console next year, will be the sole focus of its booth at the E3 show next month. The company has already promised to transform its showfloor space into an “immerse fans in the world of the groundbreaking new Legend of Zelda game for the Wii U console.”  This is a surprising move, especially considering the other games that the company has lined up for the fall, including a new Paper Mario game for Wii U and a sequel to Yo-Kai Watch for 3DS. But it also indicates just how serious the company is with its forthcoming adventure.

Furthermore, the company also updated its official E3 site, featuring animated images from the new Legend of Zelda game. The site teases how Nintendo will “transform its booth at this year’s E3 to immerse fans” and notes how the livestream will include gameplay footage, developer interviews, and a look behind-the-scenes of the game. Viewers can interact with the site by scrolling or moving the mouse cursor the edges of the screen to tilt it slightly.

Screen Shot 2016-05-25 at 2.34.15 PM

Nintendo has already promised to host various Treehouse specials over the course of the show, with new Zelda gameplay to be revealed to those that can’t attend, set to kick off on Tuesday, June 24th, at 9 AM PDT. In addition, it has also announced a promotion where fans can visit the Nintendo World store in New York on June 11th for a chance to play the game before anyone else.

The Legend of Zelda‘s promotion has been a slow-going so far, but it is building up excitement, and it’s a strategy that has proven effective in the past–and not just Nintendo. For instance, Sony spent the last year or so slowly but surely revealing Naughty Dog’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. When the final product released earlier this month for PlayStation 4, it sold tremendously, with 2.7 million units bought within its first week.

The Legend of Zelda could see a very similar result, and its dual-platform release in mid-2017 may prove formidable in terms of Nintendo’s financial success. Plus, it gives the company its “killer app” to help launch its new NX console, while at the same time providing the Wii U with a proper send-off title, although the company has stated that the system won’t be discontinued right away.

How Facebook Live Is Exploding With Brands and Social

BY

Although some marketers believe that YouTube and Snapchat are the best means for advertising with certain brands, Facebook Live has become a more substantial option. Over the past few months, it has attracted millions of users, and more programming is regularly showing up, including those from influencers, creators and brands.

Accessibility remains one of Facebook Live’s strongest traits, as the company has been adding a number of features to enhance video experiences across the board, as well as support for everything from “puppycams” to DJI drones, enabling even greater (and more inventive) videos to be posted and shared. With the debut of Continuous Live Video, users can now add persistent streams that cover everything from nature feeds to other lifestyle-based videos with no interruption in streaming.

Facebook Live has also become a phenomenon with the simplest of videos. For instance, “Chewbacca Mom,” a woman who wore a roaring Star Wars mask following a recent shopping run, has managed to gain 140 million views over the course of five days, smashing previous Facebook Live records. In fact, she has become such a big phenomenon that James Corden invited her on to be interviewed on The Late Late Show, where she wore the mask around The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams, as well as getting an invite to speak with Chewbacca himself, Peter Mayhew.

Brands have begun adopting to Facebook Live as it would other video mediums, namely YouTube. For instance, Dunkin Donuts’ behind-the-scenes tour of its Test Kitchen turned out to be a big hit with fans, making them hungry for the chain’s delicious desserts.

A number of companies have taken advantage of the Facebook Live format. iHeart Radio utilized it to set up a live Facebook Q & A with singer Max Schneider, as well as Bebe Rexha taking part in a red carpet session for the iHeart Radio Music Awards.

However, it has also become a place for unconventional partners. The Metropolitan Museum of Art recently hosted a special Facebook Q & A with curator-in-charge Andrew Bolton, alongside Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, along with a pre-tour of its new exhibition, revolving around the ancient Hellenistic city of Pergamon.

Other brands have also experimented with Facebook Live, and there’s room for expansion, especially with live reveals from events like E3 or other trade shows. Some brands are still getting the hang of things, but more have come to realize just how effective formats like Live broadcasting can be. As a result, more companies are showing a preference to Facebook video, thanks to its ease of use and its built-in audience, which consists of millions of users.

So what’s next for Facebook Live? Evolution, of course. More users are starting to get more into its format, creating unique or fun videos (like the “Chewbacca Mom” clip) or taking advantage of its live format to showcase special events. This includes sports activities, as the Spanish Football League recently announced that it will broadcast its very first European soccer game on the channel, with a face-off between the At.Madrid Féminas and the Athletic Club. Obviously, that doesn’t mean every sports league is going to run to Facebook, but having the option to broadcast a live event is bound to be appealing to some partners.

Facebook Live is here to stay, and it’s making quite an impact against YouTube with its accessibility, features, and, most importantly, audience reach. That should make it a viable option for both brands and influencers for years to come.

Samsung’s CMO Says Company’s No. 1 Marketer Is The Content Creator

BY

Marc Mathieu was appointed as Samsung’s chief marketing officer in 2015 to oversee the company’s catalog of kitchen appliances, TVs, smartphones, and Samsung Gear VR—just to name a few.

So far in 2016—from to CES to Mobile World Congress to Sundance and SXSW—Samsung’s virtual reality train has been chugging along at the forefront of the Korean electronics conglomerate’s marketing campaigns.

Samsung has done a commendable job carrying the 2015 Q4 steam and sizzle that saw them introduce the Oculus-powered Gear VR at a $99 price-point. One way Samsung is trying to make VR mainstream and available to the masses is to leverage their line of products to an ecosystem filled with hungry content creators.

SAMSUNG_CMO20160311

“The marketer’s job in the digital age has become the easiest job in the world. You don’t need to do anything anymore. You just need to [put it in the hands of the people] and let them do it for you,” Mathieu told [a]listdaily. “People are dying to do marketing for you if you give them a 360 camera to create content. Why would we want to do marketing when we have the technology platform that a lot of people want to embrace, share and talk about?”

Samsung is redefining how creatives can use their smartphones by pairing the Galaxy S7 with the soon-to-be-released Gear 360 camera—making it mobile’s undisputed VR tag-team champions of sorts.

Tim Baxter, Samsung’s president and chief operating officer of Samsung Electronics America, previously told [a]listdaily that VR is ready for primetime. “We understand the responsibility of moving virtual reality forward, and it’s in our best interests,” Baxter said. “Virtual reality is poised for great, great growth.”

The same sentiment has previously been echoed by industry peers. Mark Cuban told [a]listdaily that he thinks the first step for VR to reach the masses is to adapt existing streaming apps to work in Gear VR goggles. The Samsung Milk VR store, released on the Google Play store last month, allows users to enjoy 360 video even without a Gear VR rig.

Mathieu, who previously was the vice president of global brand marketing for Coca-Cola and also a marketing executive at Unilever, joined [a]listdaily to discuss Samsung USA’s marketing pop.

How is Samsung positioning its marketing efforts for virtual reality?  

The way we think about our role in virtual reality, and because we have taken a leadership role on the hardware side, we really have an obligation and a self-interest to accelerate the democratization of both content creation and content experiences. My role as a marketer is to be an accelerator of the adoption at scale because the more people who create content, the more there is to experience. Marketing has this amazing role. The job is no longer about making advertising, but to put VR into the hands of the people like we do with the VR Coaster, and beyond. I’m a huge believer.

Samsung’s new Gear 360 camera enables YouTube influencers in an entirely new way. How are you tapping into influencer marketing?

It’s fantastic. You have more and more influencers becoming like celebrities. It’s not about giving people a phone so that they carry the phone. The beauty is that with the creation and experience platform like 360 and Gear VR, you’re able to actually look at influencers, and put [the technology] in their hands as tools to create and become a part of the acceleration that I was talking about. The influencers become the marketers with the 360 content and Gear VR experience. It becomes more than just a product placement—it’s really an empowerment. On top of it, when you talk about marketing VR in 360, our job is to equip people with the tools, knowledge, forums and the sharing so that they can actually become savvy.

Samsung has signed the world’s No. 1 basketball influencer in LeBron James. How is a star like him helping accelerate the mass adoption of VR?

He’s definitely a part of it. He wanted to do the Uninterrupted film in VR. We supported that. We helped with the whole Gear VR experience and marketed it. You’re absolutely right, but what’s interesting now is how we can play with the LeBron Jameses of the world, and influencers like Casey Neistat. And that’s what’s amazing. You have both the big celebrities, and celebrities that a lot of people don’t know, yet, people will line up to take a picture with him.

An influencer’s bread and butter comes from social media. How is Samsung using social?

More and more, it’s one of our objectives—to make sure that we contextualize and personalize the way we engage with people, at scale, but in a way that is relevant to the person, and not just to a brand. It’s very easy for us to talk ‘at you’ without knowing who you are. It depends on the stage of your relationship. We are re-introducing ourselves with the message without continuing the conversation we were having before. We’re really trying to build through data with the ability of being more contextual and personal when it comes to building social relationships. And that’s why I consistently bring in influencers like Casey. It’s also another great way to get more savvy into the social world with people whose job, passion and skill it is to be social in nature. I’m a huge believer in influencers. That’s the next frontier.

Follow Manouk Akopyan on Twitter @Manouk_Akopyan

E3 Opens To Public Audience With Special Event

BY

For several years, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) has been a trade-only event, made specifically for press, store managers and other people within the video game industry. However, the ESA has been making recent attempts to get the public involved, starting last year with its streaming E3 Takeover coverage, and now with a separate event that will take place at the same time as E3 2016 this year.

E3 Live was announced this morning, and will be held at the L.A. Live entertainment district, which is close to the L.A. Convention Center, where the main show is taking place. With it, fans can check out the latest from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Ubisoft, Alienware and other partners, with over 20,000 expected to attend. Tickets are already available, free of charge, on the official E3 Live page.

“The biggest event in video games is bringing gamers to the next level. We are excited to introduce E3 Live, a new, high-energy video game event that brings some of the best in video games directly to fans,” said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA, the trade association representing the U.S. video game industry and owns E3 and E3 Live. ”E3 Live will give gamers the chance to test-drive exciting games, interact with some of their favorite developers, and be among the first in the world to enjoy groundbreaking game experiences. For fans of video games, this will be an event like no other.”

Several partners are taking part in the promotion of the show, including Facebook, which will be on hand with several Oculus demos. “We’re excited to be back at E3 this year in new and exciting ways, and to be a part of the inaugural E3 Live event. Every day, Facebook connects people with the games and content they love, and give them the power to share. E3 enthusiasts and the gaming industry will be offered a front row seat into this experience by joining us at L.A. Live, and are invited to continue the conversation on Facebook and Instagram,” said Peter Jonas, director, North America Gaming at Facebook.

Twitch will also be live streaming the event for those that can’t make it, and is taking part in the show’s promotion a well. “As E3’s official live streaming partner, it’s great to see them continuing to evolve this tent pole event,” said Benjamin Vallat, vice president of business development at Twitch. “Since the heart of Twitch has always been our platform’s accessibility to all members of the gaming community, we love that everyone will now have the opportunity to check out the latest games and connect with each other at E3 Live.”

Companies taking part in the E3 Live event include The Pokémon Company, which is presenting a special Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions concert that will take place over the course of the event to celebrate the franchise’s 20th anniversary.

There were mild concerns about this year’s show, particularly when bigger game companies like Activision and Electronic Arts, both of whom had big booths in previous years, opting out to host their own events. But this will no doubt provide great exposure for the show again, and make it a hit with gamers.

‘Overwatch’ Promotion Becomes Larger Than Life

BY

Over 9.7 million players participated in the recent Overwatch open beta, showing how fans can’t get enough of Activision Blizzard’s multiplayer shooter, which launches for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC later today. The game officially goes live in a few hours, and the publisher is pulling out all the stops for its heavy promotional campaign.

In addition to a lavish advertising program, the publisher released a new “Hero” short over the weekend, which has already gotten nearly two million views and a hearty amount of support from the community. The entire series of shorts, with their movie-like quality, are proving to be big hits.

Blizzard teamed up with Coca-Cola to bring Overwatch to the big screen last night at various locations, showing all the shorts as one continuous movie to promote the game. Fans also picked up collectible items, including cups featuring characters like Tracer and Widowmaker, at these showings. In addition, a panel featuring various developers and animators behind the project was also featured.

But perhaps the most curious promotion was the debut of larger-than-life boxed figurines, which began appearing across the globe over the weekend. Fans in Hollywood, Paris and Busan saw various characters in packaging, and get pictures of them to share across social media.

https://twitter.com/mamytwink/status/733698073889755141/photo/1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

https://twitter.com/EscoBlades/status/733859784542289920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Overwatch is getting a tremendous amount of hype on social media, with thousands of fans eager to hop into multiplayer match-ups when the servers go live later today. In anticipation of the event, Blizzard has already released the game, so players can download and install the game now and be ready the moment the servers are switch on later today.

Even with stiff competition from Bethesda’s Doom reboot and Sony’s Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (which managed to sell 2.7 million copies in its first week) Overwatch should have no trouble becoming a huge success.

What Brands Are Buying Into Snapchat?

BY

There’s no question that Snapchat’s popularity is surging with eight billion video views on a daily basis. Many brands have been taking advantage of this with short-form video and other promotions, but up until this point, it’s been unknown what kind of services they’ve been investing in. However, a new study from research group L2 (via AdWeek) lifts some of the mystery, including what kind of brands invest in Snapchat. While the research is from earlier this year, many of the trends are still relevant.

Snapchat

Activewear has a very healthy lead with 21 percent, with companies like Nike leading the charge. Close behind are consumer packaged goods (CPG), with Little Debbie factoring in with seven percent of the overall 19 percent reported. Consumer electronics takes a close third, with GE Appliances holding 14 percent in a number one position. Also included on the list are beverages (16 percent, with PepsiCo as the number one company), beauty (13 percent, with TRESemme as the top draw) and financial services (six percent).

Three main sectors—activewear, CPGs and consumer electronics—account for more than half of Snapchat’s overall branding business, indicating that millennials and other users show great interest in these areas.

L2 also made note of special events having huge tie-ins with Snapchat, like its previous Super Bowl promotion. Even though it didn’t actually run an advertisement for the “big game,” it still drew in a number of big names to help create buzz through its application.

This included the debut of a Gameday Grub Match, co-sponsored by PepsiCo’s Doritos and Pepsi products, where three YouTube celebrity chefs competed to make ideal snacks for the Super Bowl. As a result, it managed to attain 18 percent of overall advertising through Snapchat, based on the 30-day period around the Super Bowl.

“Regarding PepsiCo’s significant advertising, I don’t think it should be surprising,” noted Garett Levy, research analyst for L2. “Currently, Snapchat still has a high barrier to entry with expensive upfront costs, allowing the platform to remain relatively uncrowded and reward brands with deeper pockets.”

Snapchat Media

One other chart put together by L2 breaks down the various media opportunities available to brands, through various services including Live, Discover and Geofilters & Lenses. There’s quite a high cost, especially using the third option, but there are a number of channels are available to advertise across, and each guarantees a high amount of views. Snapchat’s Discover option seems to have the lowest amount, but still accounts for between 500,000 to a million views a day. Meanwhile, Geofilters & Lenses can deliver as much as 220 million views a day.

Snapchat continues to work on ways to become a more viable marketing platform. It’s just a matter of how these features come into play, such as the new algorithm that it announced earlier this week.

Wibbitz Reveals How Viewers Prefer Video Advertising

BY

Marketers spend a good amount of time studying video advertising trends, looking to attract more viewers. And to help with that is a new report from Wibbitz that may shed some lights on what’s most vital to consumers. The report, titled Personalized, Silent and Mobile: The Video Advertising Trifecta, is based on studies conducted back in March, but features some interesting trends that should be worth noting.

DigiDay previously reported that 85 percent of Facebook video is watched without sound, and Wibbitz confirmed that to some degree, with 45 percent of participants noting that it is the “most tolerable” form of video advertising. Meanwhile, only six percent said they like advertisements that they can interact with.

Wibbitz

Wibbitz also addressed key video length, and it seems that the shorter options are more preferred. 70 percent of those polled noted that they would not watch an ad for longer than 10 seconds. As for long-form, 49 percent of respondents said they don’t care for it at all.

Wibbitz 2

The report also produced a number of other findings:

  • 15 percent of users who prefer watching video on Facebook are watching on desktops —more than those who prefer to watch via Snapchat (four percent) and Instagram (seven percent) combined. 26 percent of those polled who are infrequent video watchers are usually watching on their desktops.
  • Frequent video watchers are more amenable to autoplay than less frequent watchers.
  • 34 percent of consumers report that mid-roll ads are much more annoying than both pre-roll ads and ads that play at the conclusion of a video.
  • 45 percent of consumers said muted video ads are the most tolerable form of video advertisements, more than any other type. Targeted ads were the second most tolerable type of video ads, at 39 percent.
  • Respondents in the more mature age group (45-60+) aren’t as likely to skip over video ads than respondents who are in the 18-29 age group or the 30-44 group.
  • People who reported they would be willing to spend 30-60 seconds watching ad videos are more likely to spend that time watching via mobile (60 percent) over desktop (40 percent).