Fresh ways for brands to unleash the creative potential of live video streaming

• Updated on: 2023-03-09
• Read original article here

The live events industry has evolved rapidly since pre-pandemic days. Until Covid-related lockdowns put a stop to social gatherings, event planners had the luxury of knowing that most of the action was onsite in the physical world. As a result, any digital and streaming components were often an afterthought and lacked creativity, and consequently risked ineffective audience engagement.

That's all changed. Not only did the pandemic create a surge in the popularity of live streaming of esports, music and other entertainment events, but it also inspired brands to take a closer look at the potential of live video. Close to three-quarters (74%) of marketers say that the impact of Covid-19 has made them more likely to use video in their advertising activity, according to research from Wyzowl, the animated video creator.

This is a positive step forward because advertisers are also looking at live video in a more creative light. Jordan Liebman, Head of Global Demand Generation for BlueJeans by Verizon, says, "The pandemic forced brands to flex their creative muscles, and offer virtual components to reach their audience. They learned video was very effective at broadening engagement worldwide, rather than just focusing on in-person events."

It's clear that advertisers are looking for innovation to leverage the full range of the virtual components available to build the impact of their events. With endless possibilities, a few brands, including Adobe, HBO, and Virgin, have created some compelling virtual content that unleashed the power of video to better connect with audiences in new and exciting ways.

Virgin Hyperloop, the revolutionary transportation system, required high levels of audio-visual agility and technical event management for its first passenger test. Rather than hosting a virtual-only or in-person-only presentations for employees, investors, and media, Virgin Hyperloop executed a hybrid event by combining the video livestream with a drive-in movie theater.

To manage the livestream, Virgin Hyperloop turned to the BlueJeans Events platform. Using several fixed and mobile cameras for filming, the IT team deployed BlueJeans Events’ video pinning and layout features to pre-configure the live test, allowing the team to switch seamlessly between video feed displays during the video broadcast

Dawn Armstrong, Virgin Hyperloop’s vice-president, information technology, says: "[BlueJeans] gave us confidence to run our event well. I can’t even imagine, frankly, the expense if we’d had a production company come in and do the same sort of livestreamed event.”

To get people talking about its series The Flight Attendant, HBO Max surprised online audiences by flipping what they'd come to expect from digital video experiences during Covid. Created by the agency Tool, this virtual event seemed like a standard invite-only engagement experience for press, influencers and superfans to learn how to make three caffeinated drinks online together.

But then came the twist - the host was murdered- and the audience was pulled into the world of The Flight Attendant. The experience also played out live in the physical world, with participants receiving knocks on their door, as though someone was trying to get into their apartment. What they found outside was a gift for taking part in the experience, together with a personal message from the executive producer and star, Kaley Cuoco.

Following the spread of Covid, Adobe needed a virtual event platform to provide attendees with a unified experience for its first all-digital Adobe MAX Creativity Conference.

The software company used BlueJeans Events and BlueJeans Meetings to host parts of the MAX experience, delivering interactive digital activities to ensure a seamless and engaging virtual event. Adobe was able to make the experience much more immersive thanks to BlueJeans features that enabled product teams around the world to interact with solutions such as Photoshop and Illustrator.

Adobe Max showed the potential to deliver immersive video experiences at scale - the event attracted 21 million views globally, and Adobe drew in 30,000 participants to its "Meet the Team" sessions and 4,000 attendees to "Birds of a Feather" chatroom sessions — all held on BlueJeans.

The New York Islanders hockey team is enhancing its video-enabled "watch parties" for fans to join as a second-screen experience during live games.

Using the BlueJeans software developer kit and BlueJeans Meetings capability, Islanders' is simulating the in-arena experience through face-to-face fan engagement. Fans now have the option to choose to share the Islanders game experience over BlueJeans with others in the main chat room, or break off into separate chats.

Ryan Halkett, SVP, event presentation, content experiences and operations at New York Islanders, says: “We have over 55 supporter groups globally that follow the Islanders and have created fan group chapters around the world, and our partnerships with companies like BlueJeans allow us to engage them in a more personalized and inclusive way that gives them that exclusive, in-arena content and community feeling they wouldn’t necessarily have otherwise.”

These are just four routes available to advertisers as they continue to include live video in their mix. One thing's for sure - the live streaming element of events will never again be an afterthought for those building experiences for brands.

BlueJeans is hosting a session as part of The Drum's Cannes-Do festival. Click here to watch.