5 MINUTES WITH… Predictable.ly’s Amy Vernon
As we head into the final stretch before the Cynopsis Digital Business Summit in New York City on Thursday, April 23, we spoke with panelist and Predictable.ly Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer Amy Vernon about social TV, Twitter and social media strategy in general. To hear more from Vernon, join us at our conference and at the Top Women in Digital Awards by registering here.
Why is it so critical to have a social TV strategy?
Fans expect it now. It’s one of the few cases where having a branded hashtag makes a big difference – fans want to be a part of the “official” conversation about their favorite TV shows. And from a purely monetary standpoint, getting people involved in your show, watching it in real time means that the chance they’re actually seeing the commercials you’re airing is far, far greater than if they’re time-shifting.
How does data intersect with social TV?
Data has everything to do with social TV. It has helped save shows that might have been on the bubble, due to massive user engagement in real time. All those interactions are little dots of data – data that show-runners can use to adjust plotlines, fight for renewal and do all sorts of things – they weren’t able to do with just weekly statistical sampling.
What platform is best for social TV?
Hands down, Twitter. I believe that Twitter has single-handedly saved real-time TV watching, because of the conversations that go on around it. The speed of the flow, the ability to use platforms such as TweetChat, TweetDeck or Twubs to follow just your hashtag makes it so simple. In addition, many shows have actors, directors, writers and producers live-tweeting along and interacting with the fans.
Why are there more failures than successes with social TV platforms?
There are only so many ways to skin a cat – and many people who are engaging socially while watching don’t want to have to go to a separate platform to do it. TVTag (which started out as GetGlue) did it for a little while, but the ubiquity of Twitter and Facebook simply made those redundant.
Who’s the one speaker you’re looking forward to hearing at the summit?
I’m a pretty big data nerd, so I’m looking forward to “Making Sense of All that Data: What Matters and What Doesn’t.” There’s a great lineup there. Plus, I’ve been teaching Applying Social Media Analytics at NYU, so I need to stay on top of the best practices in many industries. I’m also really looking forward to the Top Women In Digital awards. I’m a presenter and I love seeing other women in the field recognized.
