This past week we did two nights of Salesforce Live broadcast from Japan which is prime time for U.S. audience. Simultaneous live broadcasts in English and Japanese on Facebook was a first for our team, and posed challenges as well as great learnings. Its not easy coordinating content and video streams across two languages managed by two remote teams, not to mention adapting the interfaces and social streams to the Japanese language, but the two teams connected using tools such as Chatter, as well as Skype and instant messenger. As soon as the broadcast started, it was clear that this was something exciting.

Audiences in North America could tune in at prime time from their iPads or other mobile devices during their commute, and from their living room or at home. They watched a live keynote from Japan featuring Marc Benioff with fresh and new examples of Japanese innovators like Toyota and Japan Post. Customer stories showcased Salesforce used in a completely different cultural context, like the beautiful Jinya case study. And, those in Japan and the Asia time zones were able to see culturally relevant examples of the Social Enterprise, in a global spotlight.

Close to 35K unique viewers tuned into the broadcast over the 2-day event across desktops, mobile phones and tablets, in addition to the almost 10K in the room in Tokyo -- that's about 3.5 time greater attendance online than in person. The average viewers watched for an impresssive 13 minutes!

The online traffic was generated without an ad budget, but instead through our own channels and social media outreach on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. We also received a great boost in viewers when UStream decided to promote the event on their home page, showing us that having an innovative live broadcast can earn you editorial placements in channels to bolster viewership even further. 

Victor Haseman, Salesforce.com's Director of Video Strategy, comments:

"The fact that the Cloudforce Japan 2011 broadcasts are our second largest events on Facebook since Dreamforce '11 impresses me for two reasons. One, there’s a healthy curiosity in the Americas about Japanese industry and culture, and two, Salesforce’s Social Enterprise message is resonating within Japan. I couldn’t be more pleased with our results and look forward to our next live broadcast event in Japan."

Some online audience members shared their reactions on Twitter:

If you were one of those who viewed the broadcast, what did you find most interesting about the broadcast?

• The unique Japanese culture beamed into your living room?
• Neil Young talking about how today's social revolutions compare to those in the 60's?
 
• The customer videos and inspirational stories?
 
• The product demos and product announcements?
 
• The tour of the new Japan Data Center?

We invite you to share your thoughts by commenting on our blog below, or via Twitter using hash tag #cfj11.

If you missed the event, you can see the re-broadcast on our Facebook page, and stay tuned for video highlights from the keynotes coming soon to YouTube.