A First Look at Second Screens

Tweeting with the Next Iron Chef

In addition to targeted and synchronized advertising, some brands are using social media as another vehicle to connect multitasking viewers with their television programs. To generate excitement last fall for the upcoming season of The Next Iron Chef: Redemption and keep the energy going throughout the season, the Food Network launched an app on IntoNow by Yahoo!'s mobile app platform that included recipes for the dishes that chefs were making at that moment, behind-the-scenes photos, and facts about the chefs and judges. The Food Network also introduced a social media hub dubbed "Fan Feed," designed specifically for The Next Iron Chef viewers.

Powered by Mass Relevance, a provider of social media engagement technology, Fan Feed enabled viewers to tweet about the chef they were rooting for, and interact with the chefs themselves, as well as other fans. A Mass counter displayed trending results of the most-talked-about chef and showcased tweets for added social context.

Even though fans can communicate with celebrities at any time through social media, that they were more likely to get a response from the chefs—who were encouraged to tweet with viewers during each episode—provided another incentive to watch the show, says Katie Ilch, vice president of on- and off-air media strategy at the Food Network. "Not only were we saying, 'Watch the premiere of Iron Chef on November 4,' but we could also say 'Watch the episode on November 4 and tweet live with Alton Brown.' It creates another reason for viewers to want to tune in. It's another hook, another layer for why you would want to watch it at that time," Ilch notes. The Food Network declined to quantify the success rate of its second- screen efforts for The Next Iron Chef, but Kate Gold, director of social media for the Food Network, maintains that it "was a useful learning experience that we will apply to other shows in the future."

The Future of Second Screens

There are several areas where companies could stumble in their use of second-screen ads. In addition to trying to squeeze the same television commercial onto a second screen (big mistake), another error would be delivering content obtrusively. Just as advertisers needed to be weaned off online pop-up ads, they should also avoid videos or ads that interrupt consumers, especially on a mobile device, McGuire says. "A smartphone in particular is a very personal device that's with the person all the time," he remarks, "and the last thing a marketer should do is annoy consumers on their phone."

Another potential obstacle would be a lack of investment in the technology needed to gather and analyze consumer data for creating relevant ads. "If we don't see investments in the type of systems that can analyze profile information, that could be a major challenge for marketers," McGuire adds.

In terms of analytics, advertisers can benefit from the added insight into viewer preferences and behavior that was previously unavailable for television ads, Forrester's Cooperstein observes. "One of the most useful [types of] data is something advertisers have clamored for for a long time, which is the ability to get real-time insight into what type of people are watching a commercial by matching the ad they clicked to [aggregated] profiles or social media impressions," Cooperstein notes.

As advertisers explore the concept of offering dual screen interactivity between a tablet and consumers' television sets, it remains to be seen how many people brands can truly reach with this approach. How many people are actually going to use the app or respond to the ad?

Even though it is too early to tell how much of an impact second-screen advertising will have on television advertising, marketers are optimistic. The percentage of marketers who feel that TV advertisements have become more effective due to new innovations in advertising, according to Forrester, went up threefold, from 7 percent in 2010 to 21 percent in 2012. As White notes, "This is an exciting time to be in advertising."

By the Numbers

Media fragmentation is rising faster than ever. Here's a snapshot of how viewers consume content these days.

More than 50 percent of mobile users own a smartphone, and nearly 20 percent of U.S. households own a tablet, according to Nielsen.
A Nielsen report shows nearly half of 18- to 24-year-olds use their smartphones while watching TV at least once per day, and 29 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds shop on their smartphones while watching TV.
Thirty-six percent of people ages 35 to 54 and 44 percent of people ages 55 to 64 use their tablets to dive deeper into the TV program they are currently watching, Nielsen says.
About 38 percent of U.S. smartphone owners used their phones as a second screen during or after sporting events last year, according to comScore.

Associate Editor Judith Aquino can be reached at jaquino@infotoday.com.