SeenON! CEO Mike Fitzsimmons started his path to retail e-commerce with Circuit City, where he helped launch the company's catalog and direct-mail operations. He moved on to SomethingNow, which promotes consumer electronics online in real time for e-commerce sales.
In 2002, Mr. Fitzsimmons founded Delivery Agent, the parent company of SeenON!. SeenON! connects viewers with products from television shows, movies, sports and music videos. SeenON! partners include ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and E!. Mr. Fitzsimmons talked about the convergence of TV and retail e-commerce and how fans help brands.
eMarketer: It seems as if there are a lot of places fans can buy what they see on TV shows. What's special about the SeenON! service?
Mr. Fitzsimmons: We have been at it the longest, so we have the deepest relations with studios. That means we have the largest selection of products seen in various media.
The idea has been around for a while but clicking on the remote control to order a product seen on a character hasn't happened. Other firms have tried with interactive TV. We decided to focus on the Internet instead.
eMarketer: Who uses the SeenON! service? Do you try to target a particular demographic?
Mr. Fitzsimmons: We aim for viewers age 18 to 49 in the upper-income bracket.
eMarketer: How do you use online video on the site?
Mr. Fitzsimmons: Shopisode is a proprietary video player which details product information while it shows media clips. We find that half of the site's visitors watch video. Conversion also increases when we use partner assets such as video.
We can feed product information into partner videos through white-labeling. We power 48 white-labeled SeenON! sites such as SeenON! MTV.
eMarketer: Do you have full episodes of shows or only clips?
Mr. Fitzsimmons: We have full episodes, but the focus is on product information "reveals" or other segments which show off products. A great example is in home-improvement shows, where someone sees their completely remodeled house. That short segment shows off all the products that were used in an effective way.
We're still experimenting with optimal length. Clips on the site run anywhere from 15 seconds to five minutes. We also have movie trailers and full music videos. Rights issues are getting better as the SeenON! brand builds. We have 100 Shopisodes now.
eMarketer: How do you capture all the products mentioned in a show?
Mr. Fitzsimmons: It's a data challenge. You need to know product metadata. So we created a program called Production Agent. It lets a costume designer or propmaster digitally catalog the show. There are 200 to 250 product mentions per "Desperate Housewives," for instance. The program makes it easier to capture all that detail.
eMarketer: Fans used to indicate their allegiance by hunting down things from their favorite shows on their own. Is there a danger of products losing their cool when they're so easy to get?
Mr. Fitzsimmons: We make sure we have engaging tools that fans will want to use. We also let superfans name products they see on shows. That gets them involved in the site and turns them into allies.
eMarketer: What are you offering advertisers? Or are all the deals for product sales with the shows themselves?
Mr. Fitzsimmons: We do offer ad sales for brands that aren't trying to sell products directly. Benjamin Moore paint was our biggest sponsor last year. They do the "Desperate Housewives" interiors. We put an interactive set tour on the site, detailing all the colors used.
eMarketer: Are there any brands you wouldn't trade with?
Mr. Fitzsimmons: News as a category doesn't work so well. They also have editorial rules to keep advertising sales and editorial separated.
eMarketer: What should marketers know about product placement in relation to TV and online video?
Mr. Fitzsimmons: Product placement is talked about a lot. SeenON! is a way to find out exactly how well it works. As for online video, player pre-roll sponsorship is not the beginning and end of marketing. The content itself can drive sales.