Dubai: In the Middle East, the Holy Month of Ramadan has always been a special time of the year and punctuated by a plethora of activities — some traditional, others newly-emerging.

Ramadan rituals also tend to seep into every aspect of our lives, altering eating habits, sleep patterns and — unsurprisingly — our TV viewing experiences. After all, throughout the month, marathon television watching becomes a popular indulgence. We are all guilty of it.

Operators across the Middle East know that TV consumption tends to reach new heights and so tailor their programming accordingly by offering a new line-up of shows that reflect traditional values associated with the period.

Thrilling drama series each have a dedicated fan base who have emotionally invested in the characters; these audiences are typically appalled by shocking plot twists, delighted with unlikely love stories and puzzled by cliffhanger endings.

Needless to say, feelings generally run high among TV show enthusiasts. Today, however, with the rise of the second — and third — screen, TV watching consumers can actually rely on social media platforms to vocalise their opinions, channel their frustrations and share their thoughts on new episodes or storylines. More importantly, they can be part of a wider ‘social living room’ — a virtual space which serves as an interactive discussion board.

In marketing, such social media chatter can yield in-depth insights into consumer behaviour. It is therefore imperative for brands to carefully listen, understand and analyse social media conversations centring on TV shows. This, in turn, will help them to devise an agile marketing strategy and build creative, multi-screen content in real-time.

Marketers can leverage real-time data from social media channels and, subsequently, gauge consumer sentiments or market needs. Similarly, they can pinpoint key influencers that suit their brand message and use audience-centric social media metrics to optimise their TV planning strategy.

It is in line with this vision that VivaKi inaugurated Social TV — a proprietary tool designed to help marketers identify the most trending TV topics across social media in real-time. Social TV looks at a new dimension beyond ratings and establishes show buzz and popularity as an additional planning currency. In essence, it helps to measure the impact of word-of-mouth (WoM) across social media so marketers can utilise this information to raise brand awareness.

For example, based on a study of the shows that dominated the Ramadan 2014 TV schedule, Social TV found viewers were keen on assessing the performance of singers-turned-actresses — Myriam Fares on ‘Ettiham’ and Haifa Wehbe on ‘Kalam Ala Warak’ — and comparing their acting abilities on social media. They also enjoyed discussing the elaborate set pieces and costumes on ‘Saray Abdeen’.

In addition, our findings revealed that, this year, returning series ‘WiFi 3’ and ‘Khawater’ had become must-see TV shows in the eyes of social media users. In parallel, viewers felt an incredibly strong connection to the characters in ‘Bab El Hara’.

With such pertinent information on hand, brands can effectively evaluate what viewers believe is worth discussing on social media, and, as a result, become part of the conversation.

— The writer is Product Development Manager at VivaKi.