Littlewoods ramps up Facebook TV

Littlewoods is preparing a number of live interactive Facebook TV shows in the run up to Christmas following a successful trial earlier this year.

littlewoods

The next live Facebook show will air on 24 October at 9pm hosted by TV presenter Suzi Perry, who has previously fronted The Gadget Show. It aims to showcase Littlewoods range of tech gadgets for Christmas as gifts.

Perry will also be joined by a panel of Littlewoods mums who will review and test drive the products.

It will be followed later this year with a programme co-hosted by Laurence Llewellyn Bowen – who fronted the first trial in June – and fellow Littlewoods brand ambassador Myleene Klass who willgive advice on hoe and fashion preparation for Christmas.

The shows will be live streamed via Facebook as well as on the Littlewoods website, and fans will be able to interact live with the hosts by posting questions and entering competitions via the social network.

Littlewoods is also ramping up pre-show marketing to drive audience traffic through press ads in Northern & Shell titles and The Daily Mail as well as online and Facebook ads.

Broadcasts will also include four ad breaks funded by suppliers of products within the Littlewoods range.

The online and catalogue retailer launched the first live Facebook TV show in June, featuring celebrity interior designer and Littlewoods brand ambassador Laurence Llewellyn Bowen launching his latest interiors range.

Gary Kibble, brand director at Littlewoods could not give details of the financial return or sales uplift that Littlewoods recorded following the show, but says Littlewoods added 15,000 Facebook Likes before or during the live show – an increase of around 10 per cent.

He adds, however, that it’s not the “vanity” of the number of likes but “engagement” that is important.

“We’re responding to a customer need – demystifying technology – and would expect it to have a really positive effect on the brand. For all the while it it works well for ROI and social engagement we’ll keep doing it,” he says.

More than 4,000 people watched the first live streamed show, and Kibble expects a marked increase in viewers for the subsequent shows. Almost a quarter (22 per cent) of viewers watched the interactive programme via mobile devices.

Littlewoods claims that it increased its reach by 5,700 per cent from 70,000 to more than four million people through the first live show as each time someone logged on to watch the show, it would automatically post on their Facebook wall creating exposure to their friends.

Recommended

Opera di Peroni

SABMiller to take tips from Silicon Valley

Lara O'Reilly

Peroni and Grolsch brewer SABMiller is taking 15 of its top executives on a trip to Silicon Valley to immerse them in technology in a bid to put digital “at the top of the agenda” across all divisions within the company.