We love binge-watching television shows as much as the next person – Mad Men, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Narcos, Breaking Bad, you name it, we’ve watched at least three episodes of it in a row.
 
But our daily binge conversations have got us wondering - what exactly is it about these shows and the rise of streaming services that has us watching entire seasons in one sitting? Binge-watching is a relatively recent phenomenon, after all, so is there any science behind why we do it?
 
A little light research and we’ve found that actually, yes, neuroscience provides a partial explanation, as does writing style. Psychology Today reports that some of our bingeing complusion comes down to empathy - we humans become glued to complex, emotionally-charged stories because of our ability to recognise the feelings of others and take on their psychological perspectives.
 
Neuroeconomist Paul Zak of Claremont Graduate University set out to examine the science of empathy in storytelling. He showed participants a video about a young boy with terminal cancer, seemingly joyful and completely unaware of his fate. We get the father's perspective too. Although he tries to enjoy his last months with his son, he finds it impossible to be happy.
 
Subjects commonly exhibited two emotions after viewing the video: distress and empathy, with blood samples showing increased levels of both cortisol (a stress hormone) and oxytocin (a hormone associated with human connection and caring). Zak concluded that these empathetic feelings are evidence of our compulsions as social beings - even when faced with a fictional narrative.
 
So we relate to the people in the stories we watch.  Seems fairly obvious. But why do we binge, watching episode after episode even when we know we should probably be in bed?
 
In a much-referenced 2008 study, Psychologist Uri Hasson of Princeton University and colleagues observed the brain images of participants via fMRI while showing them four video clips of: Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm; Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; Alfred Hitchcock's Bang! You're Dead; and a 10-minute, unedited, one-shot video of a Sunday morning concert in New York's Washington Square Park.
 
Hasson wanted to determine the intersubject correlation (ISC) across all viewers' brains to examine how they'd respond while watching these four different clips. The Washington Square Park video evoked a similar response in all viewers in only 5 per cent of the cortex, while Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly came in at 18 per cent and 45 per cent, respectively. The Alfred Hitchcock film, however, elicited an ISC of 65 per cent.
 
In other words, compared to the other clips, Bang! You're Dead was able to coordinate the responses of many different brain regions, resulting in simultaneous "on" and "off" responses across participants in 65 per cent of the brain. Hasson concluded that the more "controlling" the clip - in other words, showing the viewer exactly what they're supposed to pay attention to - the more focused the audience.
 
“Hitchcock was a master of orchestrating everything: what you're watching, what you're thinking, how you're feeling, and what you predict will come next,” Psychology Today reports. “In similar ways, modern-day TV writers and directors engage viewers worldwide with the flash-forwards of Lost; the gruesome action of Game of Thrones; and the eerie exchanges between Breaking Bad's Gus Fring and Walter White.”
 
So today’s TV writers are more controlling, which leads to bingeing. But there’s actually more to it than that, even. Cast your mind back a couple of decades to the kind of shows that were popular. No doubt Friends and The Simpsons spring to mind. These shows had very few long-running story arcs, each episode neatly wrapping itself up, meaning you could check in and out of a series and still follow what was going on. There is no need to see every episode of The Simpsons, when each episode essentially hits restart upon completion.
 
Now think about the plots and storylines in your favourite shows to binge-watch. Their narratives require sustained, sequential viewing, each episode building on the last. Miss one or two and no doubt you’d be completely confused as to what was happening.
 
“As bingeing becomes possible and commonplace, it’s only natural that shows should start to take it into account,” D.B. Weiss, a Game of Thrones writer, told Romano.
 
The result is a new golden era of television that, like pageturner novels, make us desperate to see what happens next.
 
“It’s like the people who make potato chips,” Carlton Cuse, a writer from Lost a forerunner of today’s must-watch TV, told Romano. “They know how to put the right chemicals in there to make you want to eat the next potato chip. Our goal is to make you want to watch that next episode.”
 
Writers ratchet up the action, intrigue and plot twists, and it works, as you’ve probably realised, bleary-eyed at 2.37am when you finally see Frank Underwood take the presidency.

So what’s next in television? The steady rise of 360 degree film and immersive, virtual reality experiences has the potential to change things again. After all, you can’t get much more invested than sitting next to Mr Robot’s Elliot Alderson in his lounge as the action unfolds around you. But will that be as addictive? Guess we’ll just have to stay tuned...

We love what we do here at Platform Advertising. But even more than that, we love when you love what we do. We recently got some great feedback from the team at NZ Louvres. We're excited to continue helping NZ Louvres grow by meeting all their marketing and advertising needs.

"When our company looked to rebrand after 10 years in business, we looked to Platform Advertising for their guidance. At first glance they appeared modern, confident and in touch with the ever-changing world of marketing. However, it became apparent very quickly that there is more to Blanche McMath and her team than the aesthetics of their building and brochures. We have found them to be incredible to deal with, always listening to our needs and delivering amazing outcomes that exceed our expectations, time and time again.
 
Platform Advertising have been an integral part of our growth, providing advertising and marketing, from business cards and brochures to social media and website development, ensuring that NZ Louvres is at the top of its game online. The numerous projects that Platform Advertising has done for us is fantastic, always gaining positive results and giving our company further confidence to continue investing in marketing our business.
 
We look forward to continuing our relationship with Platform Advertising and have absolutely no reservations in recommending them to any organisation that is looking for an outstanding company to perform all of their advertising and marketing needs."

- Nadia Haua, Business Manager

​In today’s world most of us have a basic understanding of social media but understanding this invaluable tool at a deeper level gives marketers the opportunity to reach their target audience and build a strong brand in an incredibly saturated market. In this blog series we give you a breakdown of how social media can help and even transform your business in 2016 and tips on how to make the most of the platforms you’re using.  Remember social media takes time and commitment, it’s part of your entire business plan and with dedicated strategy and implementation your brand will reap the rewards.  Our first topic of this series highlights Facebook.  

FACEBOOK
 
Over 1.5 billion people use Facebook regularly, its given size is a pretty good reason to have your business on there to start with.  As sproutsocial notes “No other social site drives even close to as much referral traffic as Facebook.  It’s a unique platform because users are more than willing to click on links to visit content on outside websites”.
 
However, with such an active global audience it’s imperative to understand when and what to post on your page to maximize engagement with your key audience – the best time to post may not be when you think it is.  The organic reach of your posts is determined by different factors, the amount of engagement you get on your posts and how much competition there is from other posts are at the top of the list. 
 
Below is a graph by BuzzSumo that analysed engagement on Facebook and posts made – they tested this in both the U.S and France.  The findings of this pattern clearly show that posts get the most engagement when the total amount of posts is at its lowest.  During the day competition is at its peak because most of us are on Facebook which results in lower engagement with your posts.  The data concludes the best time to post is between 9 and 11pm in the timeline that most of your followers live in. 

​Investment is a key factor for social media in 2016.  With the continuous growth and competition on Facebook you should be prepared to invest some money in paid advertising to reach a much further audience than an otherwise organic reach.   Also be prepared to outsource your social media to an expert if you don’t have the time to do it.  At Platform we offer a range of social media packages for your business. 
 
Furthermore, BuzzSumo analysed what types of posts received the most engagement – this includes total numbers of likes, shares and comments.  Questions and images were at the top of the list with giveaways and coupons/discounts the less engaged posts by an audience. 
 
Integrating your social media together will also maximize engagement with your followers, i.e Linking your Facebook and Instagram posts together.  

​You'll soon be able to buy a lot more stuff on Facebook.

The social network is testing a shopping experience that allows users to buy items directly from business' Facebook pages. The new shopping feature, first reported by BuzzFeed, will allow retailers to turn their Facebook pages into mini storefronts outside of their main websites.

Facebook confirmed the new shopping features to Mashable Wednesday, saying it's currently being tested among a small number of users and a handful of retail and e-commerce companies.

On mobile, the shopping features will appear in a new "shopping" section on the page, as pictured in the mockup image, below, while on desktop the shopping section will appear as a separate tab on the page in the same area where the Timeline, About, Photos and other tabs are currently located.

In the shopping section, companies will show off products in a format that appears to be similar to the way photos are laid out. If you want to buy one of the products, the retailers will be able to choose whether the actual transaction will take place within Facebook or whether you'll be redirected to the company's website.

For those that choose to keep the shopping experience inside Facebook, the checkout process will be very similar to the one already in place on Facebook ads that use the buy button.

Facebook spokesperson Mike Manning said it's too early to offer a timeline for when it will expand more broadly to include more retailers or be surfaced to more users. He declined to name the businesses participating in the initial test, but noted there are a range of different-sized retailers and e-commerce companies currently involved.

The news comes as other social platforms are looking to increase engagement — and, eventually, revenue — with native shopping experiences. Pinterest rolled out buyable pins earlier this year, and Google announced Wednesday it would be experimenting with a "buy" button in its search results.

Meanwhile Facebook has been increasingly experimenting with payments and shopping features. The company added peer-to-peer payments in Messenger earlier this year, and rolled out a business version of Facebook Messenger that allows customers to interact with businesses, including retailers. Recent reports have suggested the social network is also in the midst of testing a shopping assistant feature for Messenger.

It doesn't sound like Facebook plans to make money directly off shopping transactions for now, but all these new shopping and payment-related features fall in line with the company's larger goal of keeping users in its apps and website as long as possible.
​
Article sourced from: ​http://mashable.com/2015/07/15/facebook-tests-new-shopping/

WHERE AND WHEN
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce
Bay Central
65 Chapel Street
Tauranga, 3110

Start: Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at 9:00 AM
End: Tuesday, July 7, 2015 at 12:30 PM

DETAILS
Every business should be on LinkedIn and individuals should have a high quality LinkedIn profile that is optimised for their business. While producing and maintaining a business page is the next level of using LinkedIn, this workshop will focus on the basics for setting up and maintaining your personal LinkedIn profile.

We will cover:

• Understanding LinkedIn and its value in the business environment
• Setting up your LinkedIn profile page
• Growing and managing your connections
• Endorsing skills and being endorsed
• Joining groups and being part of group discussions
• Other tools relevant to your profile on LinkedIn.
  
  

The goal of this hands on workshop is to complete your optimised profile with the support of our social media expert facilitator, Blanche McMath.

WHERE AND WHEN
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce
Bay Central
65 Chapel Street
Tauranga, 3110

Start: Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 9:00 AM
End: Thursday, June 18, 2015 at 12:30 PM

DETAILS
Understanding social media is more than just knowing how to post family photos to your own Facebook page. There is a diverse range of social media platforms that should be selected and used based on the relevance to your target, as well as your business.

This workshop will provide a general overview of all social media platforms, how they operate and when to include them in your social media strategy.

We will cover:

• Understanding what is social media and why it matters to your business
• A review of all social media platforms - pros and cons, when to use and worthwhile combinations
• How to use social media for your business
• Setting up and managing your social media platforms
• Quick tips and tools.
  
  

The goal of this workshop is to get your business page started or running better.

WHERE AND WHEN
Tauranga Chamber of Commerce
Bay Central
65 Chapel Street
TAURANGA, 3110

Start: Tuesday, July 28, 2015 at 5:30 PM
End: Tuesday, July 28, 2015 at 7:30 PM
Time Zone: New Zealand Time

DETAILS
As a retailer communicating with your customers, you use social media in a totally different way to other business. You are more likely to use a wider variety of social media platforms to stay connected and relevant. There are quite clear techniques and proven processes which will ensure you stay engaged and appreciated in your online activities.

We will cover:

• Understanding social media for retailers and a look at how the big international retailers use these platforms
• A closer look at the top three platforms that retailers need to be using - Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest
• Setting up and managing your social media platforms
• Quick tips and tricks to help make this job as quick and easy as possible.

This workshop will help you create better engagement with your customers through your chosen social media platforms.