Dick Clark Productions & Samsung Mobile US

How can brands drive conversation by creating combustible moments during live TV events?

Key result #1

+388% increase in engagement rate over the Twitter Amplify entertainment benchmark

Key result #2

39% decrease in eCPE compared to the Twitter Amplify entertainment benchmark

Key result #3

+225% increase in engagement rate over Samsung Promoted Tweets during the Billboard Music Awards
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The opportunity

Dick Clark Productions (DCP) produces perennial hits such as the American Music Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Billboard Music Awards as well as popular weekly television programming like ‘So You Think You Can Dance.’ For the 2014 Billboard Music Awards, DCP wanted to complement the TV broadcast with a social and mobile extension that would provide viewers with exclusive content surrounding the live event.

DCP and @SamsungMobileUS partnered together to cover the Billboard Music Awards. At an event where the moments are being captured from all angles, @SamsungMobileUS is a natural fit given its products and messaging. “We wanted the content to feel organic. When the content is organic it’s more combustible with more chances of being shared,” says Ariel Elazer, SVP, Digital Distribution & Brand Licensing at Dick Clark Productions.

The strategy

To engage viewers on the second screen, DCP and @SamsungMobileUS teamed up for a Twitter Amplify program. Together, DCP and @SamsungMobileUS would share exclusive, brand-sponsored video or photo highlights during the awards show.

“We wanted to give audiences a 360 degree view of the awards, and do it in a unique way that was true to each of our brands,” says Mr. Elazer.

DCP and @SamsungMobileUS crafted a program that included high-value touchpoints at the event where high quality, diverse content was produced for distribution via Twitter Amplify. With Twitter Ads, @SamsungMobileUS could own the conversation around the event while providing value to its followers and other users interested in the awards show.

“The program offered numerous ways to integrate Samsung Galaxy products naturally through the show from start to finish. These integrations were then pulled into the content we amplified across Twitter,” says Amber Mayo, Director of Media and Partnerships at Samsung Telecommunications America.

Three steps to success

  1. Create live, combustible moments.

    DCP created what they call “hot spots” all around the Billboard Music Awards venue in order to capture unrehearsed moments that spark conversations. These targeted locations included the arrival area (where celebrities emerged from their limos), the red carpet, the live audience and backstage. In each “hot spot,” there was a DCP producer armed with a Samsung device prepared to capture the action in real-time.

    DCP and @SamsungMobileUS set up a live studio with representatives from each company who reviewed the content that emerged from the “hot spots” and distributed it on Twitter. This enabled quick execution of organic and Promoted Tweets, which gave users a live, exclusive behind-the-scenes look at all the action. As the event unfolded, the Twitter team was also on call to provide real-time optimizations.

  2. Engage audiences with fresh content types.

    Most Twitter Amplify programs include either video or photo components, but DCP and @SamsungMobileUS went above and beyond with their content to capture and retain audiences’ attention. The program included video clips with celebrity interviews, Vine videos, pictures and GIFs. This content strategy ensured a visually exciting experience for everyone.

    Samsung devices and Twitter products (Twitter Mirror and Vine 360° booth) powered by Samsung Galaxy were used to capture each live moment. Each provided users a rich experience and the exclusive opportunity to see all sides of the red carpet and awards show, including backstage action.

  3. Use a multi-pronged approach to owning the conversation on Twitter.

    @SamsungMobileUS focused on owning the entire conversation around the Billboard Music Awards. At the same time, it wanted to promote Milk Music™, a radio app powered by Slacker™, with curated music exclusively available to Galaxy owners.

    On the day of the awards show, @SamsungMobileUS launched the Promoted Trend #MilkMusic to drive mass awareness about the app and to connect to the Billboard Music Awards in a relevant way. Throughout the day, @SamsungMobileUS sent both organic and Promoted Tweets with commentary about the show and calls to action to download Milk Music™.

    “Layering on our Promoted Trend to support Milk Music™ worked as the perfect complement to this type of Twitter Amplify package. We saw a dramatic lift in daily Milk Music™ conversation that continued days after the Billboard Music Awards,” says Ms. Mayo.

Through Twitter Amplify, @SamsungMobileUS sponsored Promoted Tweets from @OfficialBBMAs, which included all of the rich media being captured on the ground via Samsung devices.

@SamsungMobileUS’s branding and physical presence at the awards show was also very strong. Red Carpet host Lance Bass was wearing a Samsung Galaxy Gear smart watch (video Tweet above) as was @2chainz as seen in this Tweet:

A combination of TV conversation targeting, keyword targeting and interest targeting enabled @SamsungMobileUS to reach people engaged with the TV broadcast as well as other relevant audiences. TV conversation targeting produced the highest performance (67% higher engagement rate than keyword targeting) at the most efficient price.

The success

The DCP and @SamsungMobileUS Twitter Amplify program for the Billboard Music Awards was a great success. Promoted Tweets received a +388% increase in engagement rate and a 39% decrease in eCPE, compared to the Twitter Amplify entertainment benchmarks. There was also a +225% increase in engagement rate over Samsung Promoted Tweets during the Billboard Music Awards.

According to ABC, the Billboard Music Awards scored its most-watched telecast in 13 years and equaled an 11-year high in Adults 18-49 – since 2001 and 2003, respectively.

View from the business

“Before Twitter Amplify, there wasn’t an orchestrated way to cover content creation, production, media and distribution. Now we’re able to offer our partners a suite of tools to make marketing moments come to life.”

Ariel ElazerSVP, Digital Distribution & Brand Licensing at Dick Clark Productions

 

“What made this Amplify program a big success was the collaboration between our brand and Dick Clark Productions. Together we customized a package to truly magnify the second screen experience. We captured behind-the-scenes celebrity content with Samsung Galaxy products and amplified it to users tweeting about the broadcast in real-time. We also reached unaware users who could have tuned in as a result of seeing our sponsored Tweets.”

Amber MayoDirector of Media and Partnerships at Samsung Telecommunications America