• by Mike Proulx , Op-Ed Contributor, March 31, 2015

Last week, Twitter launched Periscope — a live-streaming service it acquired and announced on March 13. Twitter is all about “now moments” and there’s nothing more now than instant live video. People turn to Twitter first in social media for real-time trends and breaking news which makes Periscope a smart move in Twitter’s evolution.

By now we all know that rival-app Meerkat beat Twitter to the punch to become the darling of SXSW. And while Meerkat has the early support of a vocal tech community, Twitter, as a company, has an inherent infrastructure and ecosystem already in place to ensure the blue bird trumps the yellow Meerkat bringing Periscope to the masses — from tech culture to pop culture.

In addition to national TV, big brand, and celebrity partnerships, Twitter’s real secret weapon is its recent Niche acquisition. As a result, Twitter now has over 10,000 content creators who will use Periscope and inspire their followings to use it, too. And these are no ordinary content creators; they are seen as more influential by teens and Millennials than Hollywood celebrities. 

Periscope is a big opportunity for brands to legitimately connect with consumers in meaningful ways. While instantly published text, photos, and produced video is one way for a brand to communicate in social media, there is nothing more human and more intimate in the digital space than live video. Micro-streaming services like Periscope (and Meerkat) give new meaning to “now moments” and make creating them approachable, easy, and instant.

Brands will use Periscope for their runway shows, product announcements, press events, demos, and peeks behind the scenes. Television networks will use Periscope to let viewers instantly connect with show talent adding a new dimension to social TV. And sports networks and leagues will use Periscope to bring players closer to fans. 

But the real opportunity for brands is in the social business space. Brands should be using Periscope to transform online customer service. In the micro-streaming era of social media, it will become that much easier to show versus tell — and that’s the real power behind Periscope.

Out of the gate, Periscope is already a richer and more polished experience than Meerkat. This, coupled with the credibility, stability, and reach of Twitter, plus Periscope’s ability to archive streams, will be why brands will ultimately choose Periscope and not Meerkat.