With social media becoming an ever-important outlet to share content and engage fans, big brands in television are starting to take note. TV shows are syncing up with social media to create, share, and promote show-related content that will entertain fans and gain more viewers who want to get in on the action. Take a look at these two major TV brands that recently kicked up their social media efforts:
Good Morning America
Morning news and entertainment shows are pretty reliable about following their trusted format to deliver a good mix of news and entertainment. Good Morning America (GMA) decided to shake things up a bit and added an element to their daily show called “Social Square.” 
[image] Partnering with Google+, GMA aimed to create a “virtual Times Square” that will make at-home viewers feel like they can engage directly with the show. This Times Square studio expansion features a number of social media installations that allow GMA viewers to interact with the hosts and celebrities featured on the show through the most popular social media platforms. Social Square features a Twitter mirror, where celebrity guests can take photos to be posted on Twitter; an interactive photo wall that showcases pictures, videos, and flash polls from viewers; a “social slot machine” that playfully selects viewer questions from Twitter, Facebook, and Google+; and an Instagram video chat wall, where viewers can ask guests questions via video. On top of it all, Good Morning America’s Social Square also streams music from Spotify. Want a tour of GMA’s Social Square? Check out this video from Good Morning America.
MTV Movie Awards
This year’s MTV Movie Awards was designed to be the most socially engaged MTV Movie Awards to date. First, MTV made history by signing on Our2ndLife (O2L), a blogger boy band with over 1.7 million subscribers on YouTube, to make, share, and promote content for the movie awards, marking the first time a TV network has teamed up with a social influencer for an entire annual tentpole event. 
[image] The Movie Awards also featured an MTV Cut cam through MTV’s All Access Live feature on their website. The cut cam allowed viewers to make their own GIFs from the awards’ behind-the-scenes footage. MTV also utilized GIFs by bringing back Mr. GIF, an original GIF maker, to create live GIFs throughout the show. New to the MTV Movie Awards this year was the Tumblr War Room feature. MTV got well-known Tumblr artists to create interpretations of the show as it happened, all while they are in one room at the NYC Tumblr headquarters. 
[image] By partnering with social influencers and creatives, MTV further closed the gap between their brand and the social content that helps drive viewers their way. Instead of merely paying influencers for their content, MTV found a way to incorporate social influencers into the show, utilizing them to create content, fuel engagement, and direct more buzz to their event.
The Bottom Line
As major brands upgrade their social media strategies and tools to fit with the times, it’s clear that promotional efforts are changing. Now, brands are realizing that you can’t just throw content at your audience; you need to engage with them, to pave a way to connect with audiences through your content. These days, you’d be hard-pressed to find a TV show that isn’t accompanied by a hashtag in the bottom corner of the screen or a major event that doesn’t use social media platforms to promote and connect with viewers. As more shows adapt to make social media and engagement a prominent feature in their time slot, we can expect to see even more innovations and changes aimed at making social connections and engaging audiences in real-time. Sources: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2014/03/social-square-unveiled-on-gma/ http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/part-gma-social-square-22844119 http://lostremote.com/mtv-leverages-social-influencers-gifs-for-2014-movie-awards_b42569 http://www.cynopsis.com/story/mtv-unveils-social-initiatives-for-2014-mtv-movie-awards/
