Brands and Tumblr and Social TV. Things you should know.

This post started out as a bit of a rant about certain brands on Tumblr not using it very well, but on re-reading , I decided it might be more useful to talk about why Tumblr is great, what it’s great for (hint Social TV and fandoms), and why you should be using it.

Tumblr (when used properly) is a brilliant platform for the right brands to reach the right communities.

Tumblr themselves have made it so easy for us as marketing types. They update Fandometrics every single week, so you can always be up-to-date on what’s trending in your field. Imagine Facebook doing something as helpful!

According to a 2015 study by Global Web Index, 48% of Tumblr users say they follow their favourite brands on the platform, and when executed properly, it’s a great place for brands to distribute platform appropriate content to their fans. Take a look at the ‘Sponsored Posts’ Year in Review section for superb examples.

The Tumblr community understands fandom and nerdiness and ‘the internet’ in a way that other platforms of a similar size seem incapable of doing. Look back at Dennys and the advent of ‘foodom.’ If you’re interested in learning more about the platform and its key demographic, Elspeth Reeve just wrote a brilliant article for the New Republic.

Tumblr is – as far as I’m concerned – the undisputed home of social TV, (in the post-show sense, Twitter is still the go-to for real time viewing) Yet few networks/shows take advantage of the massive fandoms that keep the platform ticking over.

This is the place that the fans that ‘get’ the shows live.

Remember the Hannibal Tumblr? It was so great that people would write articles about how great it was. Tumblr was the place that the Fannibal community was born – it exploded onto Twitter and Instagram and the rest of the internet. Same with Supernatural, Doctor Who (the reboot), Sherlock, Teen Wolf – the list goes on and on.

Tumblr is where the things you’ll be reading about in two years time are getting started now.

Tumblr represents a massive (and currently woefully under-used) opportunity if you’re a UK publisher/TV production company/games developer/create anything that people get nerdy about.

One of the problems I have when trying to convince clients/agencies that we should be looking at Tumblr as a platform is ‘reach’ –  the idea that UK Tumblr numbers aren’t worth the investment.

According to 2016 data from Global Web Index –  11% of UK interenet users have used Tumblr in the last month. The number rises to 30% in the 16-24 demographic. But it’s when you look at behaviours, that the numbers become  even more attractive.tumblr

Alongside the 48% of users who follow their favourite brand, 70% of Tumblr users have bought a product online in the last month and an even more incredible 64% of users have reviewed a product online in the same time frame*.

The Tumblr community might not be as big as some of the other networks, but they’re early adopters who review online as a matter of course.

If you’re looking to talk to the ever elusive Snapchat audience, but you’d quite like content you can track, that lasts longer than a day, and you’re also big into metrics, then you should give Tumblr another look.

If you have any kind of an entertainment content and you’re looking to tap into the social TV audience, you should consider this platform.

Tumblr recently published their December 2015 numbers, and they’re impressive.

I’m not saying that Tumblr is for everybody – it’s definitely not. But if it is for you/your brand/tv show and you get your content and tone right, it’s one of the best (and certainly one of the most creative and fun platforms) that there is. Keep it in mind.

*All this data comes from the same GWI report