The wildly popular UK boy band, One Direction, tried to run their first Google+ Hangout On Air today – and Hangouts entered the pop culture lexicon in a big way.
The band was apparently unable to start the Hangout application for the #1DFourHangout, and quickly switched to a YouTube live-stream which more than 1.2 million 1.6 million 1.9 million people watched (so far!)
Their plan was to use the Showcase app, which makes Hangouts shoppable, to allow viewers to buy their latest album release during the live Hangout or the YouTube replay. For reasons that may be announced in coming days, they were unable to start the Hangout and sent the 300,000 who were waiting for it to YouTube instead.
The live-stream was YouTube live-stream a one-way broadcast, rather than the planned interactive event. Nonetheless, fans found their way, and the video already has 350,000 comments three hours after the live event.
Singer/songwriter Daria Musk ascended to global fame when she began running live Hangouts on Air in the summer of 2011. Because live participation in Hangouts is limited to 10, Musk rotates fans in and out of the Hangout to give them front row seats and access to her.
Iconic Brands Joining Hangout Trend
Not only the entertainment industry but also many iconic institutions and brands have been in the forefront of Hangout adoption. These include NASA, The New York Times, The White House, The Cleveland Clinic, The Mayo Clinic, Tiffany, Diane vonFurstenburg, H&M, Cadbury, and many more.
Please contact me to arrange a consultation to discuss the business applications of Hangouts and explore ways to increase visibility, conversions and sales by integrating Hangouts into your organization’s digital communications strategy.
B.L. Ochman is CEO of Maximum-Plus.com – Events & Training for Google+ Success, serving leading brands, associations and agencies. As a digital strategist, GooglePlus Helpouts coach, YouTube Channel Creator, President of whatsnextonline.com, and publisher of What’s Next Blog, she’s been helping blue chip companies incorporate new media into their marketing mix since 1996. B.L. contributes to Ad Age Digital Next, Social Media Today and others and has spoken at more than 25 marketing conferences. Follow B.L. on Google+ or Twitter.
