Social Media is rapidly becoming an important part of TV commercials, and the combination doesn’t appear to be turning away viewers. In a recent survey of U.S. television viewers by Accenture, 64% said they recognized social media symbols and calls to action in various commercial advertisements. Among those who were familiar with how to interact with social media while watching TV, 42% recognized the Facebook “Like” symbol, 28% recognized QR codes and 18% noticed Twitter Hashtags.
Additionally, the results showed 33% of viewers had interacted via social media while watching a broadcast. 20% “liked” the TV program on Facebook, 11% scanned the QR code and 7% went on Twitter and searched for the Hashtag.
What was the motivation for connecting on social media after seeing the TV ad? The most common reasons were coupons or promotions at 32%, contests or sweepstakes at 31% and exclusive videos at 26%. Additionally, 74% of those who received content over social media channels while watching a TV program said it met their expectations, while only 10% said it did not meet their expectations.
“Social media and social networking are exploding across television screens as networks use social media to enable audiences to interact directly with related content for a richer viewing experience,” said Robin Murdoch, global Internet segment managing director for Accenture. “This has huge revenue growth potential as social media applications build program viewer loyalty and drive online advertising opportunities.“