Advertising and the Second Screen; How Mobile Apps are changing the TV Experience

The migration of technologies from one platform to another is being increasingly used more and more as dynamic technologies are being both innovated and applied in new and interesting ways. Social apps carry over the power of social media from the desktop and laptop to mobile devices. Search apps do the same as SEO and marketing experts leverage both the similar and divergent search behaviors between the different platforms. The similar behavior in this case is web searching itself, and the divergent behavior is that local searches are more popular on mobile devices. However, the utilization of the second screen to the television-viewing experience and the application of apps in this process to engage viewers further and drive traffic is proving exciting ground for advertisers.

SEO companies and internet marketers are addressing how they can capitalize on the use of mobile apps in television advertising. Although the landscape is evolving, it appears folding app-television interaction into social media campaigns and larger multifaceted SEO and paid search campaigns is the best way to leverage their offerings with the second screen advertising movement.

As such, here are five apps that are being utilized for second screen advertising, each offering something different that internet marketing experts can use to fold into their related social media campaigns:

• GetGlue allows check-in similar to Foursquare but for television shows, movies, and books. It is primary applied to television where it holds great potential for its repetitive, weekly nature check-in opportunity.
• Miso is a company that is creating a platform similar to WordPress where users can create unique content that caters specifically to second-screen viewers enhancing their experience.
• Zeebox is essentially a digital television guide that gives viewers more information regarding what they are watching complete with web and social media tools so they can see whats trending, see what friend think and are saying, and to search and buy things they see on TV, for example.
• IntoNow is able to detect exactly where a viewer is in a given program by capturing sound input. This helps to establish what the viewer is experiencing and deliver pertinent content synched to certain parts of a show, for example.
• Shazam is the current leader allowing users to have songs playing live captured and identified. Now, Shazam is being used by companies to capture commercial and event content to direct users to sites where they can be engaged further.

Reach out to me directly at rbuddenhagen@webimax.com if you need have questions regarding second screen advertising and how your business can pair apps with TV viewing and existing social media campaigns to drive more directed traffic.