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The Oscars are a big event for fans as well as for those in the industry. Many of them look forward to all sorts of aspects surrounding the event, ranging from fashion to film analysis.
The show’s website, Oscars.com also has a large presence, making it one of the most popular entertainment sites leading up the the event. I had an opportunity to speak with Alexis Rapo, who oversees Oscars.com about the various digital initiatives used by the site for the 2010 Academy Awards.
How does the site keep fans interested between the nominations and the live event?
The site has done a couple of things in 2010, including introducing new content and features during this time period.
- Top 10: A week after the nominations were announced, Oscars.com rolled out its ‘Top 10′ list feature, which allows users to create their own lists, that not only relate to the current awards, but across different themes surrounding the event. Examples include: Favorite Chase Scenes, Favorite Red Carpet Dresses, Favorite All-Time Comedy, etc.
- Twitter: This year, Oscars.com is leveraging Twitter in a number of different ways. Many people involved with the show are posting Tweets from a variety of different perspectives, including views from the producers and those that have backstage access. These status updates are not only limited to during the event, but are being posted leading up to the event.
- Oscar Play Along: This interactive game allows users to predict winners. As the winners are announced live, the site will also unveil a dynamic leader board. For 2010, this feature has been expanded by introducing “social share” features.
- Oscars Designer Challenge: Going live on February 23rd, fans will have a chance to vote on a dress that will be worn by one of the female presenters on the show. These dresses are designed by local designers.
- Interactive video series: Oscars.com will launch an original video show on February 26th, titled ‘The Road to the Oscars.’ These videos will feature special events, backstage access, and numerous events.
How much content is produced for Oscars.com?
With over 10 interactive features prior to the event and more during the event, thousands of hours go into building Oscars.com. The conversations for the site begin as early as 10 months before the nominations.
How is Facebook and Twitter used for Oscars.com?
For Facebook, there was a live-stream of the nominations announcement via the event’s fan page. This widget could also embedded on any site. There was another Facebook event on February 15th for the nominee luncheon, which included Q&A.
The site has also introduced various social share features on Oscars.com, which allows users to share their lists or produced content via a number of different ways.
Briefly describe the user interaction on Oscars.com:
Given the attention that the Oscars command, it is essential for the site to have good user interactivity, and the sharable Top 10 lists allow the users to be part of the process. The share features introduced in 2010 also allow for more frequent and deeper engagement opportunities than previous events.
The 3 biggest days for the site are:
- Day after the event.
- Day of the event.
- Nominations day.
How do you keep the momentum alive between the various shows?
The primary goal of Oscars.com is to drive people to watch the show. However, the goal of Oscars.org is keep fans informed and up-to-date about the Academy. Oscars.com sees a steep drop-off 7 days after the event.
Intimacy online:
During the awards show, Oscars.com streams multiple videos from different sources. 2 of them include the:
- Thank-you cam: Allows winners to say an extended ‘thank you.’
- Backstage cam: A roving camera that goes behind the scenes of the awards.
Personal favorite feature?
- For last year, the favorite feature was the backstage camera.
- This year, it’s the sharable lists feature.
Oscars.com on mobile devices:
The company has a mobile WAP site, as well as an iPhone app for the event. Both sites have the ability to view nominations and include interactive features, such as polls.
Looking at next year:
Based on the share functionality introduced in 2010, Oscars.com will analyze statistics to see how they can increase engagement across various features on the site.
Special thanks to Karen Hobson from Disney for arranging this interview.
