Social TV Is Getting Down to Business

Check-ins, likes, tweets and clicks? Those are so 2011. There's something new coming to the emerging field of so-called "social TV": business.

For months, dabblers in this new medium, which attempts to yoke good old-fashioned TV-watching to the brave new world of consumers communicating with each other via digital methods such as Twitter, has focused largely on convincing fans of select TV shows to talk about the programs. Now advertisers like American Express and Target are wading into these waters with an intriguing idea in mind. Generating chatter is nice, but not nearly as attractive as generating revenue, influencing purchase intent and selling product.

Forget about the clicks and check-ins so commonly associated with what many marketers call the "second screen" experience, which typically involves use of a tablet or smartphone while the user watches anything from "The Voice" to "Hoarders." Marketers are starting to use the medium with more in mind than just sparking idle talk.

"This, to me, is the maturation of what the 'second screen' is about," said Tim Hanlon, CEO at Vetere Group, an emerging-media consultant.

One reason behind the more serious focus on this new-tech activity is its growing perch in the mainstream. According to a recent study from Nielsen, smartphones are now in 50% of the general U.S. market, while tablets are already in nearly 20% of U.S. TV homes. What's more, Nielsen said, nearly 40% of Americans now use tablets or smartphones while watching TV at least once a day; 62% do it multiple times each week; and 84% do it at least once a month.

"We're really thinking that this is a bigger cultural shift," said Lou Paskalis, VP-global media content development and mobile marketing at American Express, who said the company envisions consumers using mobile devices not only to chat and communicate, but also to look for product details and make purchases. And while TV viewers may not love intrusive ads being placed in the way of their comedies and dramas, he added, they may be less upset about marketing messages being placed properly on new screens when they accompany something that benefits the fan.