The Overlooked Joy of Live
Though a distant element of Entertainment in our now on-demand content landscape, the Super Bowl is a yearly reminder for marketers of the power of live. With TikTok’s future uncertain at the moment, now is the time to consider alternative social platform campaign mixes, or underutilized social features, in the event of a ban. Among them, we are increasingly fascinated by the livestream-ification of the world. Among regular social users -- not just influencers -- there is a growing amount of livestreaming the minutia of daily routines. This behavior arguably stems from a generation raised on Gaming and Twitch. Remember those articles years back about “Slow TV”, when the BBC aired the Making Of A Wooden Chair? Or, in case you missed that one, maybe you remember the Minnesota livecam of the bald eagle nest? A more recent adoption of livestreaming is akin to these moments.
As Gen Z ages into the target demographic for so many campaigns, this unique social behavior presents a creative opportunity. “I love the one with the girl working the bingo counter at her family’s bingo hall”, says one online user in a Reddit forum about livestreams. “I like the one with the guy working at Taco Bell”, says another. “How about the one with the lady who does the Lotto scratchers”, added another user. Research shows that nearly a third of Gen Z livestream their favorite game being played on Twitch, so it makes sense that we would see a growing cultural curiosity around livestreaming the rest of the world beyond gaming. Below are five examples showcasing the range of everyday livestreaming in culture, which can serve as points of creative inspiration. Consider the potential for this type of slow-burn yet intriging livestreaming in an Entertainment campaign, such as livestreaming a set’s craft services, the inside of a production truck, or a set being built or taken down.
Note: Some links are of “highlights” rather than live feeds because certain platforms do not save previous livestreams to channels.