Live TV Ads Could Return to Popularity, Create Tips for Streaming Brand Content
TV ads have found themselves at a similar crossroads as television itself. Segmented audiences, time-shifted viewers and OTT (among a host of other factors) mean looking everywhere and anywhere for new ways to break through the clutter.One resurgent method some brands are trying is the live ad format, once a staple of TV but long-dormant until very recently. Snickers tried it out during last year's Super Bowl with mixed reviews. But a whole lot more brands are giving it a shot as 2018 starts. It may not solve television's problems. However, it may not need to. The lift that brands see from live interactions is a net positive for those advertisers, and those chops honed producing live commercials can be translated to streaming just as easily (and for less money).This week's live video news round-up is included below. Did we miss anything? Feel free to drop us a line.An Age-Old TV Ad Format is Making a Resurgence, But it Won’t Help Solve TV’s Problems in the Long-Term [Business Insider]"A live ad is not overproduced and edited like other spots — it has an element of spontaneity and risk," said Jennifer Halloran, the head of brand, advertising, and community responsibility at MassMutual. "Viewers know that the brands cannot rescript and edit to get the perfect message, so there is an embedded assumption that it has to be a genuine message." There's evidence that such live ads stand out. When Garmin partnered with "The Tonight Show" for a live ad back in 2008, for instance, the effort boosted its brand recall 76% more than other commercials did, the company said.Twitch Streamers Find Hope From Communities During Darkest Moments [Polygon]“There’s a trend right now to be very transparent and not hide the raw and rugged, Gay said. “Part of it is the impact that comes with how we define community. Community has been changing and evolving over the years, but it’s still so different now. You can be intimate in a way that extends beyond hearing a voice; you can see the person, all your senses can be involved and be in a room with someone. You can join in these virtual communities that have a lot of the same sensory input that an in-person community has. It’s become a very real community.”Social Media: Not Your Best Friend, But Not Your Worst Enemy [Forbes]If you just can’t hold an in-person event or meeting, a live video is a reasonable alternative. Instead of producing the manufactured, overly on-brand vibe that many corporate videos have, streaming a live video has the power to make you much more likable. The vulnerable nature of a medium where you could mess up on camera at any moment can definitely give you a more sympathetic persona.NextVR is adding 6DoF tracking to its live-streaming VR service [TechCrunch]VR’s most popular live-streaming events service is giving you a little wiggle room. NextVR is bringing six-degree-of-freedom (6DoF) movement to its popular virtual reality app for live-streaming sporting events and concerts. This update brings an added sense of immersion for users, who will be able to move around a bit while watching events.Amazon Looks Beyond Football As It Targets More Live Sports [MediaPost]Technology giant Amazon is in talks to bid on UK rights to Premier League soccer games, a move that would ramp up the company's investment in live, ad-supported sporting events. In the UK, Amazon also last year won the rights to stream the U.S. Open tennis tournament, as well as some other tennis matches. The push for live sports also serves as a differentiator against competitor Netflix, which not only spurns advertising, but live programming in general.SKIM THISWhy Brands Will Go to Extremes -- Lengthwise -- With Digital Video in 2018 [Marketing Dive]Every Overwatch League Game Will be Streamed Live on Twitch for Next Two Years [TechCrunch]Bumble is Hiring an Editorial Director to Build Out its Media Brand [TechCrunch]NBC to Live-Stream 2018 Winter Olympics in VR to Pay-TV Subscribers [Variety]Fox Sports expands World Cup coverage to Twitter and Snapchat [Engadget]Tom Brady Starts His Own Facebook Video Series [Ad Age]
