Dear iTV Doctor:
I don't get it. All we ever talk about is how much money we'll make from interactive television commerce. But every time I ask our engineers when we'll be ready, I get a thousand reasons why it can't be done--yet. We can do the front end, but not the back end. We can send the application without a problem, but we can't get the return path to handle the necessary commerce detail. All of which means we can sell tons of stuff, as long as the customer doesn't actually want to buy anything...Yige! There's gotta be a better way.
Frustrated in Frisco
Dear Frustrated:
You echo a comment heard throughout the industry. Programmers, advertisers and distributors just can't wait to fire up the tcommerce revenue stream. Well, maybe they don't have to wait. We saw a terrific iTV-to-Mobile solution at the TVOT show in March: Zap On Demand has developed a solution that uses the power of television to sell a product, and mobile phones to complete the order. It looks like an easy and intuitive process to deliver coupons, recipes, tickets and even sales orders on cell phones when consumers enter their cell phone number into a standard RFI application. Let's hear what Zap On Demand CEO, Clayton Banks, has to say (note: Clayton's Ember Media was an early sponsor of The iTV Doctor).
At this exact moment, about a zillion times more people have a cell phone in their hands than have a remote control in their hands. In point of fact, for an ever-increasing segment of the population (the segment that is, by the way, most attractive to advertisers and retailers), the cell phone is a permanent appendage. So it just made sense to develop a way to connect the cell phone to interactive advertising.
That's where Zap On Demand comes in. We enable the consumers to key in their cell phone number with the numeric keypad on the remote control, or select it from a menu (if already entered). They can then receive a text or multimedia message on that cell phone. The only thing the iTV return path needs to handle is a very small packet of data.
For example, an advertiser wants to distribute BOGO (Buy One Get One) coupons for a new, heavily advertised fast food sandwich. The viewer keys in his phone number, gets the coupon on the cell phone, and uses it next time he and a friend are out for lunch. The bar code on the cell phone coupon can be programmed for a single use, or multiple uses over a limited period of time. Easy, neat, clean, and we know who got the coupon and who used it!
Or let's say a cooking show wants to quickly distribute a recipe, perhaps along with a shopping list and a coupon for sponsored ingredients. Same deal. We'll even point you to a local retailer that sells that product.
Maybe a movie studio is a bit nervous about a new release, and wants to sell tickets right now. Zap On Demand sends a link to a site to get tickets. The consumer uses the cell phone to go to the site, buy the ticket, and have the electronic ticket image sent back to his phone. I don't know about you, but my 17-year-old can do that with his eyes closed.
Or maybe your corporate legal department is nervous about viewers typing in credit card numbers on the iTV application. No problem--send out a Web link to their cell phone, and let them complete the transaction on the phone. Easier to call an 800 number, you say? Sure, for some folks. But this target audience has cell phone welded to the palms of their hands. They don't talk. They text.
Zap On Demand can integrate with all cable, satellite and telco platforms. And we'll be on display in the itaas booth at the NCTA conference. You don't have to wait. Zap On Demand can do it. Today.
===
The iTV Doctor is *Rick Howe*, who provides interactive television consulting services to programmers and advertisers. He is the recipient of a CTAM Tami Award for retention marketing and this year was nominated to Cable Pioneers. He is also the co-author of a patent for the use of multiscreen mosaics in EPG's. Endorsed by top cable and satellite distributors, "Dr" Howe still makes house calls, and the first visit is always free. His services include product development, distribution strategy and the development of low-cost interactive applications for rapid deployment across all platforms. Have a question for the iTV Doctor? Email him at itvdoctor@itvt.com
