How does a brand become a broadcaster?
Abi Hemingway, JACKSHOOT’s joint MD, recently provided a keynote with the International Broadcasting Convention at ISE that answered this question.
Here’s what she said:
To explore what it means for a brand to become a broadcaster, let’s first consider what is a broadcaster?
Here’s a dictionary definition I like from Merriam-Webster:
‘To send out or transmit (something, such as a program) by means of radio or television or by streaming over the Internet.’
The Internet, as I think we all know by now, is the single biggest possible audience imaginable, not just limited to regional television networks or national television.
Brands already ‘own’ or can access ‘broadcast’ channels via social media, directly with their customers or potential customers, or leveraging partners, influencers or internal networks.
I also see very few brands getting the most out of their broadcast ‘channels’.
Emergence of Live Platforms
The most common way for brands to broadcast is with a social media channel.
These are the key brand platforms: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook Live, LinkedIn Live, Periscope and Twitch if that suits your brand.
YouTube are the OG of live for the Internet. From when they launched in 2011, they did it right.
Then we had the Periscope phenomenon driving social live video like never before.
But it wasn’t until Facebook joined the party in 2016 with their addictive live red button flicking through your feed to pull people in that the big change happened.
I remember watching the impact happen in real-time with the live content we produced from London Fashion Week.
Adding Facebook pulled in almost ten times the viewers from them sharing on their social media channels; we were growing the live audience the longer we streamed, and it created a fabulous online buzz around their event.
What are the 3 main benefits for a brand when they broadcast?
1. Interact with your audience in real-time
Get instant feedback and create a sense of community and loyalty.
If you have a host, they can greet viewers by name, acknowledge their comments and questions, ask for their opinions and feedback, and thank them for their support.
It’s like having your name read out on the radio; people love it!
You can also use polls, quizzes, games, or giveaways to increase participation and fun.
The most incredible communities we’ve seen include ballet, opera and gaming: super passionate communities, which also happen to be sectors early to embrace live broadcasting on the internet.
2. Increase sales
Video has a strong influence on consumer activity. According to Retail Info Systems, Marks & Spencer found that consumers who watched videos showed 25% uplift in basket size.
You spend on an in-person event to launch a product to extract the maximum value. Consider how an online audience could add to the reach and impact of the launch.
If you have in-house video production facilities or an existing video supplier, upscaling to enable your team to live broadcast is not as expensive as you might think.
3. Reflect the innovative aspect of your brand
If you are in any way linked with innovation, then you need a broadcasting strategy.
Our clients at Harrods could NOT lose their reputation as retail innovators and were early to explore the power of live broadcast.
Their in-store events and product launches are leveraged to hit an audience beyond those that make it to the store on a given day, harnessing the power of the growing influencer communities on social media.
Harrods wanted to cement their reputation as the leading luxury beauty retailer across their social channels and commissioned a state-of-the-art studio from us to be built in the heart of their world-beating Beauty Hall (you might not want or need to build your own studio. That’s fine too!).
This enables Harrods to create high-quality content without the hassle.
Can you justify not creating a brand broadcast strategy?
How should and could you go about leading your brand to broadcast?
You may have existing video crew and facilities, you may not.
The key is working flexibly around your existing team, facilities or infrastructure; just as there are limitless ways to distribute content, there are limitless ways to create it.
Our friends at the Royal Opera House are lucky to have incredible in-house facilities and crew, but they still need to sprinkle a little help from third parties on top as and when they need it.
Their online events include Insights, special events and educational events.
Initially, they created online broadcasts to extend the reach beyond the traditional opera community, but as their YouTube channel grew, they saw an increase in ticket sales.
The more content ROH served up, the more demand it created.
This led to the creation of their Royal Opera House Stream, where fans can enjoy opera anytime and anywhere.
Broadcast live, or otherwise, is not for the faint of heart
As well as being a very exciting way of earning a living, the buzz of a live broadcast is something you grow to love!
I must sound a note of caution.
As with any broadcast, there is an element of risk, and sometimes, when things go wrong and you haven’t got a plan, i.e. the broadcast workflow is flawed, this can have a serious viewer and then a brand impact.
Get it right, and you can enjoy the buzz of great feedback from your audience.
The next 3 big things for brands in broadcast
1. Remote production
You may have considered remote production already, but perhaps it wasn’t quite right?
If so, I encourage you to take a fresh look. There is a slew of benefits, including inclusivity, accessibility and localisation.
2. 1st party data capture
With the cookie’s demise, it makes sense to use live broadcasts to capture data from your audience, perhaps to enable a future sale.
This won’t be possible on a social platform; you will need to host broadcasts on your own media.
3. Increased sustainability
Creating in-house studios and facilities reduces the carbon impact every time you go live. The kit is in place.
We can also operate remotely, which is no longer just a fantasy for brands and events and not just the preserve of the Premier League and F1 (much of which is now produced remotely).
Studios in corporate headquarters, flagship stores and existing venue production infrastructures can now be operated remotely.
Remote production means you shrink crew travel and costs (you won’t necessarily need the crew all day as you would if they were onsite).
It also gives you endless flexibility to hit as many platforms as you like. The more, the better!
At a recent event, remote production saved 100 flights, 1,400 hotel nights and at least 20 tonnes in CO2 emissions.
The 6 essentials brands need to get right when broadcasting
- Produce high quality content – no bedroom broadcasting techniques or equipment when you have a brand involved
- Consistency – commit to multiple events, the learnings are exponential and the audience will respond with loyalty
- ROI – think of that before you tackle a broadcast; it may come from where you least expect it
- Hope is not a plan – put all contingencies in place
- Promote it – your audience needs to know about it
- Distribute it as many places as possible – get creative, use partner channels, influencers, multiple platforms.
Broadcast for a brand can be a simple yet effective way to grab the attention of potential customers, entertaining, engaging and perhaps transactional, such as securing data or sales. Do it right and create a strong impression that builds value for your brand. Every time.