Commentary

TV Can Drive Social Media Activity, Accenture Finds

Symbols and messages associated with social media are proliferating on TV, and they’re getting through to TV viewers, according to a new survey of 1,000 U.S. adult TV viewers by Accenture, which revealed high levels of recall for social media messaging, as well as high rates of social media activity in response to this kind of messaging.

Overall 64% of those surveyed said they could recall seeing symbols and images associated with social media, including for example the Facebook “Like” button, while watching TV.  In terms of specific symbols, 42% said they remembered seeing -- and understood how to interact with -- the Facebook “Like” symbol, while 18% said the same for Twitter hashtags appearing on TV, and 9% said the same for Shazam symbols. 28% said they recognized and new how to use QR codes that appeared on TV.

What’s more, 33% of those surveyed reported actually responding to social media messaging on TV by, for example, “liking” a TV program, at 20%; scanning a QR code, at 11%; searching for a specific Twitter hashtag, at 7%; or scanning the Shazam symbol, at 5%. Among those who interacted with social media while watching TV, 43% said the did it to get more information about a show, product, or service; 32% used social media to get coupons or promotional codes; 31% to enter a contest or sweepstakes; 26% to watch more video; 26% to interact with others about a show or product; 21% to connect with others with similar interests; 20% to share or recommend a video or program; and 16% to make a purchase.

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Unsurprisingly, younger adults are more likely to respond to social media symbols and messages on TV. Among adults ages 18-24, 63% said they’d interacted with social media symbols while watching TV. That number dropped to 46% of 25-34 year olds, 44% of 35-44 year olds, 19% of 45-54 year olds, 25% of 55-64 year olds, and just 11% of respondents ages 65+.

Meanwhile motivations varied by gender. Thus 39% of men and 48% of women who interacted with social media sites said they wanted more information about the show. Among women who interacted, 40% wanted coupons or promotion codes, and 34% went on social media to register or sign up for something. Among men who interacted, by contrast, 35% said they want to see more video, and 34% said they entered a contest or sweepstakes.

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