Those little icons are everywhere?

By: Scott Stein, VP of Client Services, Leonard & Finco Public Relations, Inc.

As I sat and watched the NHL playoffs last night I noticed a Twitter Hashtag in the corner of the screen (#StanleyCup) and decided to check it out. I was treated to tweets from hundreds of other hockey fans, some with similar thoughts on how the games were going, many with differing opinions.

The timing was perfect as I came to work the next day and came across a news story about a survey showing “U.S. Consumers Receptive to Social Media Appearing on Their TV Screens.” The survey of 1,000 U.S. television viewers was conducted by Accenture.

The survey, conducted in March, found that:

• 64 percent for viewers recalled seeing social media symbols (Facebook, Twitter, QR codes, etc…) while watching TV 
• 33 percent indicated they had actually interacted with social media after seeing one of the symbols on their television screen
• 20 percent said they’d interacted by “liking” the TV program on Facebook
• 11 percent responded that they had scanned a QR code
• 7 percent said they searched for a Hashtag on Twitter

Digging a bit deeper, the survey also found that the biggest motivation in going to social media during a television show was to get more information about a show, product or service (43 percent). Another 32 percent said they did so to get coupons or promotional codes, while 31 percent said they did so to enter a contest. Other reasons listed included, watching another video (26 percent), interacting about the show or product (26 percent) and connecting with others with similar interests (21 percent).

The survey also found that nearly three out of every four respondents (74 percent) who went to social media after seeing one of the symbols on TV said it “met expectations.”

I’ll admit that I’ve reached the point where I’m often using my phone and checking social media sites while watching TV – particularly sporting events. And with survey results like this, there’s no doubt that we’ll be seeing more and more social media symbols as we watch our favorite TV programs in the future.

Do you pay attention to Facebook, Twitter or other social media symbols on your TV screen? Have you gone to a social media site after seeing a symbol on TV?