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IAB UK Digital Upfronts: Twitter push video in a big way

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Twitter showcased a selection of exciting new mobile video applications and tools during their lunchtime session at the IAB UK Digital Upfronts last Thursday (October 22), while guests enjoyed cocktails and canapés at the BEAT nightclub in central London, a venue that first opened as The Speakeasy Club back in the sixties.

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Bruce Daisley

Bruce Daisley, Twitter’s European vice president, introduced the aptly hash-tagged session “#VideoNow,” by pointing to Twitter’s ability to provide a running side commentary of events, harnessing the power of real-time commentary in the process. Pointing to the growth of mobile video (a common thread between this year's Upfronts), Daisley shared that users have told Twitter they prefer auto-play to CTP (click-to-play) formats. He also discussed the potential for advertisers to harness the emotional power and personal relevance of video as a channel. Theo Luke, the heads honcho at Twitter’s Amplify video advertising offering for Europe, followed Daisley, and said that he felt video has the power to humanise big issues. He also discussed the success of the Amplify platform, which he said was down to its speed, and announced “OpenAmplify,” a new tool designed to enable brands to sponsor video across publishers, and publishers to monetise at scale. It will be coming to the UK soon, but is currently in beta in the US.

Twitter’s ability to provide a running side commentary of events, harnessing the power of real-time commentary in the process, was highlighted at the event

Georgina Parnell, head of entertainment partnerships, then showcased the power of its Periscope app, which launched back in March. The idea behind the app was to (in her own words) create “The closest thing to teleportation.” The app, which enables interactivity alongside live video (so users can comment and send emoticons through their mobile devices whilst viewing live video content), now has over 10 million users, and is set to introduce a couple of new features soon, such as web profiles and an “On Air” widget that turns red to signal when a user has gone live. Parnell also hinted that the app developers would be working on deeper integration with television, and recommended that brands think about offering “Something completely different” on the platform, with an emphasis on Intimacy, Interaction, Expertise and Exclusivity. As an example, she used tennis star Roger Federer, who used the app to show fans around Wimbledon earlier this year. She said: “Live video can get you so close to people’s passions. It’s about being able to see the world through someone else’s eyes.”

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Using the #TwitterNow talk to explain Persiscope. How very meta

Joining Parnell on the stage, Eimear Lamb, head of business strategy at Twitter UK admitted that one potential roadblock brands find when trying to leverage Twitter is effective content creation. She added, however, that Twitter is finally ready to solve that problem through its acquisition of tech platform, Niche, which links agencies, brands and content creators. Some 18,000 content creators have signed up already, and by working across platforms such as Vine, Snapchat and Instagram, they have (between them) around 2.7 billion followers. “They know their audience and the content which resonates,” she said, declaring that the pressure is on the UK to catch up with the US in this space.

Twitter's “Moments,” is a simple, but potentially quite powerful system allows users to scroll through stories with ease, curating content and bringing it to life

Finally, Joanna Geary, editorial Lead for the EMEA region, announced what she described as “One of the most exciting consumer launches in the history of the company.” Introducing “Moments,” which is live in the US but still only days old, she described it as a powerful way to showcase stories on the social network. The simple, but potentially quite powerful system allows users to scroll through stories (dubbed as “Moments”) with ease, curating content and bringing it to life. The new feature appears as a “Lightning bolt” tab within the Twitter app and makes it easy for users to browse the biggest stories on the network, regardless of whom they follow. It genuinely has the potential to change Twitter for the better, making it a less insular, and more approachable social network.

Header: BRYAN THOMAS/THE NEW YORK TIMES/ REDUX

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Joanna Geary

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