Engaging and connecting to customers with social TV and video

Everyone loves a good video. It could be about a bunch of extremely well-choreographed dogs barking to the tune of the Star Wars theme or it could be about a (frightening) world in which cats could have thumbs—as long as it is creative and alluring, one can rest assured that people will be talking about that particular bit of content for a long while after it is released.

But today, unlike the good old days when television was the only means to showcase such videos, people can now view content online on a number of different platforms, and companies need to make sure that their marketing both reaches and engages these folks who use these alternate devices to either watch content or use it at the same time as they watch traditional television fare.

With reports stating that the number of Americans who watch video content online is now about half the number of the traditional television viewing audience, companies are on the lookout for platforms and services that can not only promote and publicize, but also help connect and engage with people across the variety of devices that that they use today.

The Target Social Video and TV Challenge, one of the four challenges at ad:tech’s Startup Spotlight series, aims to find one such platform that’s a “gamechanger” in the field, for which it will be awarded the ad:tech Innovation Award and also be given the chance to see their pitch implemented at Target. While hundreds of startups entered this competition, only four reached the final round. This article will talk about two of the finalists: Idomoo and SecondScreen Networks.

Idomoo

When you know that your customers love video, why not use video to communicate with them? That is the premise behind Idomoo, a company that builds personalized videos that a customer can view on his or her computer, tablet or smartphone. Regardless of the number of customers you may have, Idomoo delivers high quality movies, complete with excellent visuals and helpful narration, to each and every one of your customers.

The noteworthy aspect about Idomoo’s videos is that they are all personalized—meaning, each customer gets a video that refers to him or her, with information that is specific to them. Applications of such personalized videos can range from utility bills that get sent out every month, promotion for a new product or service or even just a beautiful greeting to celebrate a customer’s birthday.

Udy Ravid, Product and Marketing Director at Idomoo, draws attention to the innovative nature of personalized videos, which allows big companies to not only engage with the customers better, but also use the visual element to better explain complex procedures and special schemes to their customers. “We are providing real value to companies,” says Ravid. “It’s not just a nice-to-have. It’s a real meaningful communication tool.”

With customer care and engagement one of the primary concerns of the Target enterprise, Idomoo’s model of customer communication is certainly going to be of particular interest to the brand. While Ravid wouldn’t divulge any details, he did promise that he’ll be showcasing a spectacular video to wow the judges at the Target Social Video and TV Challenge.

Check out the official site of Idomoo here: http://idomoo.com/

SecondScreen Networks

With more and more people using their computers, tablets, smartphones, etc. as they watch television, SecondScreen Networks aims to bring the marketing channeled on the large screens onto these smaller “second” screens as well. This New York-based company focuses on connecting brands with the social TV audience who are using mobile apps, chat rooms and other forms of social media while watching anything from live sports to the latest episode of their favorite sitcom.

The way it works is quite simple: when a brand is advertising their product on television, SecondScreen makes sure that a similar digital rich-media ad for the same brand is streamed across these social apps in sync with the television commercial. So while viewer focus may be divided across the different screens they are using, the SecondScreen ad platform makes sure that the brand’s marketing reaches its audience, regardless of how they watch it.

According to David Markowitz, Vice President, Marketing and Business Development at SecondScreen Networks, this complementary digital ad has two main advantages. “One is that brands get that second chance to engage with the viewer,” explains Markowitz. “In addition, so many of companies’ TV spots are designed to drive some kind of action. What we are doing, by using this digital channel, is providing a much better mechanism for interactivity and engagement with a brand.”

The application of this digital space can be to showcase anything from a special offer to a promotional game or even something as simple and effective as driving viewers to the company’s website. With TV networks like MTV and USA and advertisers like GoDaddy having already used their ad platform successfully, SecondScreen Networks promises to be a startup to watch at the ad:tech conference in November.

Check out the official site of SecondScreen Networks here: http://www.secondscreen.com/

This article is part of Allvoices’ series on ad:tech, the largest digital marketing and technology conferences and expositions. Check out allvoices.com/adtech for more of Allvoices’ ad:tech New York event coverage. This series is supported by ad:tech.