Up Periscope: The live-streaming video app’s earliest retail adopters

By Hilary Milnes • March 27, 2015 •

Sorry, Meerkat. Periscope hit the iTunes store on Thursday morning and puts up some weighted competition in the world of video live-streaming: Twitter purchased the app for $100 million before it hit the public, and its release immediately generated major buzz.

Celebrities, publishers and brands have already signed on to Periscope; Jimmy Fallon used the app Thursday afternoon to live-stream his monologue rehearsal. Periscope is similar in function to Meerkat, but a few of its features set it apart (along with its overall snazzier user interface): The ability to watch or re-watch a video that had streamed live, comments, and “likes” and little hearts that pop up live and float away on the side of the screen when you tap on a video.

Meerkat fans, don’t fret. The erstwhile darling isn’t totally over yet (it raised $14 million the same day as Periscope’s release), but retailers are already hopping on the Periscope bandwagon. Here’s who joined fast and how they’re framing (or might frame) their view from Periscope.

DKNY
It’s not a surprise DKNY, whose DKNY PR Girl Twitter account brings a savvy personal brand to its social, would be an early Periscope adopter.

Obvs I’m on @periscopeco. Check it out… — DKNY PR GIRL® (@dkny) March 26, 2015

Not long after that announcement, Periscopers were greeted with a live video from the DKNY account that took viewers on a walk-through of the DKNY closet, providing a coveted behind-the-scenes (if shoddily filmed) peek into the world of a fashion company.

A screengrab of DKNY’s first Periscope video.

Marc Jacobs
The Marc Jacobs (as in, the man himself) recently joined Instagram separately from Marc Jacobs the brand’s photo feed. Now, the brand has popped up on Periscope, too. The account has yet to stream any videos, but one can only anticipate what the social media-oriented design house has in store. A summer line sneak peek, perhaps?

H&M Canada
H&M is on Periscope, too – but only its Canadian leg. H&M Canada has 69,000 Twitter followers compared to H&M’s 5 million, so it could be a valuable testing ground. If Periscope falls flat, the retailer can duck out less visibly.

Puma
Puma, having jumped on Periscope with a quickness, is living up to its current #ForeverFaster Twitter campaign. Hopefully we’ll get a glimpse inside the Puma closets for a dose of shoe envy via its live videos, or maybe a behind-the-scenes look at one of its colorful footwear photoshoots.

Amplify your power. Put your fast on turbo. #evoPOWER #evoSPEED pic.twitter.com/7K3IrxvLlB — PUMA (@PUMA) March 26, 2015

Urban Outfitters
If you’ve ever asked yourself “What’s Urban Outfitters thinking?” — which, let’s face it many of us have — the retailer’s Periscope account could get you some answers. Or maybe you’ll just find videos of haughty-cool models trying a little too hard in their hipster chic.