Insights

This awards season, win big on Twitter

Here’s why Twitter is the ultimate red carpet companion.

Sports fans have been turning to Twitter to replace the crowded sports bar. But while Twitter is the perfect companion for watching sports, the conversations don't stop there when the clock runs out. 

People on Twitter aren’t just cheering for touchdowns and home runs — they’re also celebrating everything entertainment, from the top TV show twists to the red carpet’s most memorable fashion moments. Plus, with the rise of watch parties, the always-on conversation about what people are currently binging has only gotten more lively. 

Regardless of what they’re viewing on Sunday night, fans use Twitter the same way: Twitter is a complement to TV watching, just like it is for sports. In fact, the entertainment conversation is 2.7X larger than sports-related chatter.1

Key TV moments give brands across industries, like financial services, the perfect opportunity to jump into the conversation through sponsorships. And with the 2021 awards season right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of everything that entertainment’s busiest time of year has to offer.

It’s still all about awards shows

Like many other events, awards shows look a little bit different this year, but people are still sharing all of the can’t-miss moments on Twitter. 

During the 2020 MTV @vmas, for example, the conversation about the show more than doubled, despite the fact that linear TV tune-in was down compared to the year before.2

While the linear story was down, the VMAs crushed it on social, especially on Twitter. Not only was conversation up +145% compared to 20193, but with 102M views, Twitter also had the most VMA-related video views out of any platform.4

In order for brands to own future entertainment events like they have in the past, investing in linear TV alone won’t be enough. The VMAs show that heading into the 2021 awards season, extending sponsorships to Twitter can help brands looking to win big.

The new entertainment landscape

With fewer theaters open and concert tours on pause, people are experiencing entertainment differently this year. That means it’s difficult to know what’s going to be up for nomination, opening up the possibility that fewer people will have seen the nominees and potentially changing their interest in tuning in. 

Additionally, with lockdown measures and social distancing in place in many areas, people are less likely to host in-person viewing parties and may look to connect with others virtually instead. Plus, with the rise of cord-cutting, we’ve seen people continue to watch awards shows across devices.

Get the most out of every event

Looking to connect to awards show season on Twitter? To own an event these days you need to take advantage of the full conversation window.

An awards show starts way before the first statuette is given out. The nominations, predictions, and red carpet fashion all offer the opportunity for engagement before the show even begins. 

During the event, the can’t-miss moments like performances and speeches dominate discussion on Twitter, and after, there are reactions and commentary to debate. By taking advantage of the full-flight window on Twitter, you can generate twice the number of engagements, better view-throughs, and better cost efficiency vs campaigns who limited their flights to just the event.5

Another reason why Twitter should be part of your winning awards show strategy? Brands can align with the premium video content of their choice through Twitter Amplify sponsorships, which has proven to drive strong results that complement a TV buy. For example, among persons aged 18-34, financial services brands saw a 14X more efficient reach and 5X more cost-efficient GRP when pairing a TV buy with a Twitter sponsorship.6

The 2021 awards season is shaping up to be a one-of-a-kind experience — and one that will rely on social media like never before. As the conversation heats up on Twitter, now is the time to join in.

Jeff Melei (@jmelei) leads Financial Services partnerships at Twitter in the US. In his role Jeff and his team help Fortune 500 companies achieve their business objectives by utilizing Twitter’s suite of full-funnel marketing solutions.

Sources:
1. Twitter Internal Data (Semantic Core). Jan. 1, 2020-Sept. 9, 2020. US Only. Data retrieved Sept. 10, 2020.
2. Variety, TV Ratings: 2020 VMAs Draw 6.4 Million Total Viewers, Score Big on Social.
3. Twitter Internal Data (Semantic Core). Comparing Tweet volume from 2020 event vs. 2019 event. Data retrieved Sept. 1, 2020. Global.
4. Tubular Video Insights, videos from Aug. 30-31, 2020, Global.
5. Twitter Internal, Jan. 2018-March 2019, US campaigns $50K+
6. Nielsen Total Ad Ratings Meta Analysis commissioned by Twitter, 6 measured Twitter + TV Financial Service campaigns run from 2/1/2017-2/31/2019, P18-34. Reach Efficiency is the proportion of campaign impressions that were successfully delivered to the P18-34 target.

December 16, 2020
Tags
  • Insights
  • Video on Twitter
  • North America
  • Media & Entertainment
  • Financial Services

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