Other big brands such as GE and Spotify also quickly embraced Periscope, live streaming an interview with Neil de Grasse Tyson and Bill Nye and a behind-the-scenes look at indie rock band Villagers, respectively. The fast pace at which big brands are embracing Periscope and rival Meerkat, which was launched last month, underscores brands? growing recognition of the potential to drive excitement by experimenting with new technology platforms.

 

?What we love about micro live-streaming, is it is really a place for us to show our fans what we are doing,? said Christine Ngo, digital brand manager for Mountain Dew at PepsiCo.  ?We love that it is so authentic.

 

?With Periscope, you are live streaming, not texting,? she said. ?It is taking that engagement to another level.

 

?It is almost like lifting the veil on Mountain Dew.?

 

On March 26, Mountain Dew tweeted out a link to its live stream on Periscope, encouraging Twitter users to stop by. The three-minute stream showcased Mountain Dew swag such as hats and t-shirts.

 

Once the stream was over, the brand reached out to fans that watched to reward them for engaging with the brand in real time.

 

Mountain Dew expects to do more live streaming on Periscope going forward, with live events one possible scenario where this would make sense.

 

The brand partnered with Vaynermedia, its social media agency of record, on the Periscope effort.

 

?I think what is next for us is doing even more robust Periscope live streams at live events,? Ms. Ngo said.

 

GE is another brand that was quick out of the gate on Periscope, featuring an interview with Neil de Grasse Tyson and Bill Nye about the upcoming Jurassic Park movie, science and more. 

 

Spotify ran a stream on Periscope of a behind-the-scenes look at the Villagers. Thirty minutes after it posted, it had seen 382 live viewers and 1,534 Hearts on livestream.

 

After the stream ended, there were 99 replay viewers and 225 Hearts on replay.

 

Mountain Dew considers itself a digital leader and has been active on Twitter and other social media platforms for some time because this is where the brand?s target audience is spending time.

 

What is different with Periscope is that it enables the brand to have a more authentic voice since the stream is live.

 

The Periscope strategy is the latest example of how Mountain Dew continues to be a leader in mobile marketing.

 

Earlier this year, Mountain Dew jumpstarted excitement for two new flavors of Mtn Dew Kickstart by leveraging a real-time, consumer-driven Snapchat story (see story). 

The brand also has a burgeoning virtual reality program. It has a partnership with Samsung to create content for its Milk VR app, which streams 360-degree video to the Gear VR headset.

 

Video live streaming is quickly gaining traction with brands so far in 2015.

 

Meerkat arrived on the scene in February and has already attracted the attention of Red Bull, Starbucks and MasterCard, among others (see story). 

For brands, Periscope and Meerkat will involve getting comfortable with putting out content that is unrehearsed and tying this to an overarching goal.

 

?With TV, typically production is a lot of bigger,? Ms. Ngo said. ?With live streaming, there is no true way to rehearse it.

 

?We were already on Twitter but real-time video element is really new and exciting for us,? she said. ?It is something we will continue to experiment with.

 

?We are definitely still in the learning stage. It matches back to a larger goal, to take engagement to another level. We are always looking for ways to bring fans closer to us.?