Editor's note: The battle for the living room is not merely a fleeting idea of one or two companies. Google has already made its move by recently launching Chromecast, which has been well received in the industry. And as social giants, Facebook and Twitter are certainly not willing to fall behind. Below, we will explore what they are doing:
Data shows that this year, the global TV advertising market is expected to reach $205 billion, far exceeding the scale of online and mobile advertising markets. Both Facebook and Twitter are counting on this trend to help them enter a new phase of growth.
Facebook:
When many families are away on summer vacations, Facebook is also helping advertisers "track" their whereabouts and serve them ads.
Facebook sales representatives are implementing a "reach for the beach" strategy, conveying the following message to advertisers: even though people stop watching TV when they go on vacation, they carry their phones with them, checking Facebook's news feed anytime, anywhere.
This is just one of the strategies Facebook is using to compete with Twitter for the TV advertising market.
Facebook's Global Vice President of Marketing Solutions, Carolyn Everson, said, "I think the TV set is no longer the first screen; it’s been replaced by the phone."
Notably, Facebook is developing 15-second long TV/video ads, scheduled for release in October. Facebook is also laying the groundwork for launching real-time ads related to TV programs.
A study commissioned by Facebook from Nielsen showed that during the hours of 8 PM to 11 PM on Sunday nights, Facebook attracts more users aged 18-24 than any of the four major TV networks.
Everson said, "Facebook and TV are not mutually exclusive. I think TV and Facebook are converging."
Twitter:
In May, Twitter announced a partnership with media companies to "track" the tweets users post while watching TV and use the collected data to enhance ad targeting.
Twitter's Chief Revenue Officer Adam Bain said, "We used to think about 'Twitter + TV,' but now we're thinking about 'Twitter X TV'."
Twitter has also reached an exclusive agreement with market research company Nielsen to develop its own evaluation system to measure the impact of TV programs on Twitter. This system will be launched this autumn.
The Final Battle for the "Living Room"
Analysts believe that the strategies of Facebook and Twitter aim to mask their intentions to gradually take over the TV advertising market. However, advertisers believe that these two social networking giants will eventually converge in the TV advertising market.
The focal point of the competition will be the collision between Twitter's inclusiveness and Facebook's privacy orientation. Most conversations on Facebook are limited to small circles of friends, whereas by default, tweets on Twitter can be seen by all users.
Facebook's primary focus is encouraging users to make their messages "public" to strangers, further expanding its TV advertising business. Facebook has already started rolling out features aimed at achieving this goal, such as introducing Twitter-like hashtags in June. These hashtags can be used in messages related to TV shows like "Game of Thrones," Wimbledon, or the "Royal Baby," allowing advertisers in the future to target users based on these keywords. Last week, Facebook launched a feature that allows users to copy photos or posts marked as "public" to other blogs or websites.
Advertisers find this model of associating ads with the TV viewing experience very appealing, especially given the rapid growth of "second screens." People often use their phones, tablets, or laptops while watching TV programs.
However, Joe Mele, Senior Vice President of US Media at Razorfish, a digital marketing agency under Publicis Groupe, stated that there needs to be significant experimentation to determine the best tools and methods for utilizing "second screen" devices. "Just because someone is watching a certain TV show, does that mean they want to spread similar content across different devices? That's still a question," he said.