How Brands Are Increasingly Utilizing Live-Streaming

What Happened
Mobile-first live-streaming platforms are on a hot streak of late. As SXSW-breakout Meerkat and Twitter-owned Periscope continue to duke it out for the top spot, formidable newcomers launched by Facebook and Samsung also look to capitalize on the live-streaming craze.

Unsurprisingly. some early-adopting brands have already started experimenting with this rising platform. For example, Coach and Taco Bell used Periscope for live announcements of new products and special offers. To better engage with fans in real time, Nissan and Target offered fans exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage, while Benefit Cosmetics hosted live Q&A sessions about their products. Meanwhile, brands like JCPenney are using it to host celebrity “takeover” sessions to appeal to a larger fanbase on social media.

What Brands Should Do
As the examples mentioned above demonstrate, there are a variety of ways that brands can utilize the live-streaming platform to connect with today’s mobile-first consumers. Producing live content may be a bit trickier for brands due to its “high-stakes” nature, so it is crucial that brands and agencies have a live-stream strategy in place and carefully choose the right ways to engage with a live audience.

To learn more about how your brand can utilize live-streaming to reach a wider audience, read our recent Fast Forward feature on live-streaming.

Source: Digiday