New York - In grading TV brands' efforts using Facebook to
market their shows, Howard T. Stein, head of entertainment and global
partnerships at Facebook, gives the industry a "B-B+."
"It's getting better. I think that a lot of the cable
providers and cable networks are using Facebook because we've got reach," Stein
said at the Next TV Summit held here Thursday in partnership with B&C/Multichannel
News. "I think there's room to grow. I think it's all about deciding how
you want to leverage the platform, about putting out good content that people
want to engage with to tell them that your show is on-air."
In a keynote interview moderated by Multichannel News
editor-in-chief Mark Robichaux, Stein said that every TV format deserves its
own social strategy, but pointed to a successful Facebook campaign for the
first season of TNT's Dallas that created a fan page in the voice of the
iconic character J.R. Ewing, which was successful both in engaging fans of the
original 1980s series and acquiring new ones.
While television's marketing efforts with Facebook have room
for improvement, Stein says TV producers and networks have a disproportionate
advantage over consumer products, for example, because "you guys are the best
storytellers in the world."
"People are rabidly passionate about your content," he said,
noting the huge number of hours that people still spend watching television each
week. "I don't think we believe we're going to outpace television over time but
we do believe Facebook is a place where people will engage and discover that
content first and ultimately drive to your show on air."
Stein also stressed the importance of building relationships
over time; that viewers are more likely to tune into a show or download an app
if they've had an extended experience with the brand.
"Facebook is a platform where a bunch of interactions over
time grow trust," he said.
