Super Bowl Sunday highlighted a number of effective advertising campaigns with its big-budget commercials and on-the-fly social posts, but it also saw the introduction of a new advertising medium — GetGlue promoted entries. GetGlue — the app that allows TV viewers and movie-goers to check-in and “unlock” unique, branded stickers — launched the feature during the Super Bowl in partnership with Pepsi, and has now opened it up to more brands and shows.
What do these promoted entries look like?
The look of the GetGlue’s promoted entries is very similar to Twitter’s promoted tweets and Facebook’s sponsored stories. They appear at the top of users’ feeds and encourage users to check-in and receive special stickers for doing so. The content of the post can consist of just about anything. The return of the NBC comedy “Community” resulted in a number of entries inviting fans to check-in, including a video preview of the episode and photos.
A number of animated gifs also appeared in GetGlue feeds last night during the Grammys, highlighting some of the night’s memorable moments.
What advantage do they have?
As the GetGlue blog describes it, “Promoted Entries allow advertisers to reach a specific audience and to spark engagement from fans. Any type of content can be promoted by a brand or a show and is placed at the top of the GetGlue feed for the entire sponsored campaign. Additionally, Promoted Entries can go viral because when users like and comment on the entries, they hop into their friends’ feeds.”
What could this mean for brands?
The placement of these promoted entries can help brands and shows stay top-of-mind for users, in addition to serving as a visual reminder to tune in and check-in. This partnership between brand/show and app could help boost engagement across second screen devices. A glance at the check-ins for the Grammys shows active viewers engaging in a number of conversations and taking time to comment on each of the entries. Although the number of conversations happening doesn’t really compare to, say, the number of Grammys-related tweets, the value of these conversations is actually higher. For a brand looking for sincere fan engagement and feedback, rather than 140-character one-liners, GetGlue presents a better option than Twitter. We already know that social media drives TV engagement, so it wouldn’t be surprising if more brands and shows use this as an opportunity to partner with GetGlue.
