January 7th, 2016: On January 6th, 2016, live streaming history was made when twenty thousand people tuned in to watch an extra large-puddle in Newcastle, England, a viewing experience only slightly more entertaining than watching paint dry on a wall.
LIVE on #Periscope: #DrummondPuddleWatch https://t.co/9DeBzSIws3
— Drummond Central (@drummondcentral) January 6, 2016
Drummond Central, a marketing agency with windows overlooking the puddle, cleverly (?) decided to point their iPhones at the oversized puddle after watching many a pedestrian attempt to circumnavigate it. By Wednesday afternoon, the stream had exploded into full-blown Periscope success. Twenty thousand viewers watched as pedestrians walked around, jumped over, and trudged through the depths of the rainwater.
As the success of the stream grew, nearby stream-watchers eager to claim their 10 seconds of internet fame started showing up at the stream. One anonymous man placed a “slippery when wet” sign near the puddle, one goofball brought a surfboard, and Dominoes even delivered a pizza to the location.
#DrummondPuddleWatch pic.twitter.com/IQtIEtKKh0
— Sean Hood (@SeanHood) January 6, 2016
On social media, multiple brands jumped in on the action, pushing #DrummondPuddleWatch to the top trending hashtags worldwide. Seventeen thousand viewers remained watching when the stream ended around 5:15 pm. If interested, you can even buy your own piece of the Drummond Puddle on ebay.
Why did this silly live stream see so much success? It’s really hard to say. Periscope is still finding its way as a social network, but seems to have carved out a role for itself as the perfect place to have some fun with your brand’s voice and culture. The pull of content such as Drummond Puddle Watch demonstrates that Periscope’s viewers don’t necessary flock to substance, but rather to the comments and actions of their fellow viewers and community.
#DrummondPuddleWatch woooo pic.twitter.com/3a5kZSOMhO
— Anthony Kane (@anthonykane) January 6, 2016
This wet little tribal experiment from Drummond Central proves that testing even the most seemingly bizarre ideas can sometimes pay off. Look at our list of 2015 memes; the internet loves outlandish, unpredictable humor.
I’d bet that some agency is pitching Sherwin-Williams about a live paint-drying stream at this very moment (but no, it’s not us).
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