The reaction to Oscars 2015 on social media in India was an interesting trend to map, one that clearly demonstrates the second screen phenomenon present amongst the online population in India. The social buzz during the live telecast, which started at 5:30 am IST, was five times more than was generated during the repeat telecast 8:30 pm IST. While it might not be possible to quantify the distribution of those who viewed and commented — versus those who picked up from other sources and added to online conversations — there are some insights on how the online audience behaves.

If the volume of tweets is compared, the international awards Oscars 2015, created more buzz than that for the Filmfare awards held in February 2015 did for the Indian film fraternity. From the perspective of audience segmentation, the online audience is more vocal across social media platforms when talking about the Oscars rather than the Filmfare awards. This, in itself, opens up ample opportunity for engagement with award ceremonies for the Indian audience by marketers.

Owing to the time difference between the locations where international award ceremonies such as the Oscars, Golden Globes and Grammys are held, and India, it is usually the crack of dawn when the telecast starts. And as the recent social media statistics showed, there was no dearth of enthusiasts who made it a point to view these shows as they happen.

A live opportunity By a process of deduction when it comes to the Oscars 2015, we can surmise that this group consists of die-hard movie fans. They keep track of international trends and are primarily from metros and tier-1 cities. An astute marketer could make full use of an international event of this scale and ensure he engages with this audience during the time they are viewing these live. While there are traditional marketing tie-ups with the broadcaster from on-air rights to advertisers with prime time slots, it would be of advantage to connect brands with the audience on social media as well.

The other advantage is that one doesn’t necessarily need an official sponsorship or tie-up to create buzz about an event of public import.

The other important factor is that only 10 per cent viewed the evening recorded telecast of the Oscars in India. This may be due to the fact that as all the suspense was revealed in the first few hours of the morning, and online coverage after that on the winners, trends and the host, it would have satisfied any remaining curiosity — hence not many fans would have taken to social media to express their thoughts.

Marketers have the opportunity to react in real time to events that have been scheduled for live telecast. As with any live event, there will be spontaneous reactions, opinions and captive audience for brands to engage with. And as the second screen phenomenon picks up speed, the aim should be to create an immediate connect with the brand.

(Prashant Singh is managing director, Nielsen India)

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