C4 scores with its #areyouseeingthis live Twitter ad for Prometheus

by @gordonmacmillan, posted on 3 May, 2012 at 9:46 am, filed under Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.

Channel's Prometheus ad that used live tweets to gauge viewer reaction #areyouseeingthisIf you were watching post 9/11 drama Homeland on Channel 4 on Sunday night you might also have been glued to the new trailer for Ridley Scott’s hotly anticipated film ‘Prometheus’, which aired during the show’s first ad break.

It wasn’t any ordinary ad. It was part of live experiment as Channel 4 invited viewers to share their thoughts about the teaser on Twitter, under the #areyouseeingthis hashtag, and then featured a selection of live tweets in the following ad break. The results were impressive with thousands sharing their thoughts.The ad was a worldwide first and marked the first time a broadcaster had created a tailored TV spot, which featured live tweets that were sent only minutes before.

According to Twitter on Sunday alone, there were 24,921 Tweets that mentioned #areyouseeingthis or Prometheus. And the promoted Tweet was retweeted more than 750 times.

According to a spokeswoman for Twitter:  “We love how they included Tweets in the creation of the TV content… using Twitter to impact the ending or content of a programme or ad is a huge opportunity that is just starting to be explored.”

It was a great use of social media and it again highlights how TV can harness the power of Twitter bringing the two screens together to create significant online buzz.

Channel's Prometheus ad that used live tweets to gauge viewer reaction #areyouseeingthis

Jonathan Allan, Channel 4 sales director, said: “We are delighted to have created a bespoke partnership with 20th Century Fox and Vizeum to launch the worldwide exclusive trailer of Prometheus. Channel 4’s ambition for genuine innovation and integration, plus our in-house technical expertise, meant we were perfectly placed to offer this media first. The response to activity from our viewers was fantastic and proved that genuine engagement can be achieved through a powerful combination of TV and social thinking.”

The deal was brokered by Channel 4 partnerships account manager Amy Jenkins and Eray Galip from 20th Century Fox’s media agency Vizeum.

Prometheus  is due to be released on June 1st and stars Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace and Charlize Theron. It tells the story of a team of explorers who discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth. It leads them to the stars and into a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.