Digital Media Buzz > Footlocker.com Forages For Advertisers: Launches TV Channel

Footlocker.com Forages For Advertisers: Launches TV Channel

Photo courtesy of Footlocker.com

By Ron Callari

Due to social networking sites and consumer-generated media channels like YouTube and mobile entertainment, media consumption is in the midst of a major change as consumers avoid commercial viewing on their home TVs and mobile phones in favor of online options.

With the transition from network TV to paid television, coupled with the appeal of TiVO and DVR devices, companies have had to rethink their advertising campaigns. Ad skipping and on-demand viewing has cost the TV industry billions in lost ad revenue, according to Accenture (i.e. in 2009, 22 percent of all TV ads will be skipped).

One of the latest trends to evolve as a result comes in the form of online-branded TV channels that allow companies to reach out to their consumers 24/7. Since 2006, many brands have experimented in this space with varying degrees of success. While Audi TV in the UK was reported to reach more than 7.6 million homes in 2007, BudTV.com had only a two-year run before Anheuser-Busch shut down the online channel.

In late August, integrated digital media firm Gen2Media Corporation announced that it would launch an exclusive, interactive, ad-supported internet television channel for Foot Locker’s website, www.FootLocker.com, later this fall. “The channel will house customized content suited to the avid sports fan, athlete and/or trendy consumer,” according to Alan DeLeon, senior vice president of digital operations for Gen2.

“With Gen2’s partnership, we look forward to providing our Web visitors with an even more vibrant and engaging online experience through on-demand delivery of high-impact, professionally produced video programming that is both informative and entertaining,” says Bob Stephan, director, partner marketing at Footlocker.com.

Stephan describes the publishing platform that Gen2 was developing to “be an exciting opportunity for potential advertisers who may be interested in messaging our large and loyal following of athletic footwear and apparel enthusiasts.”

DeLeon elaborates further by noting that FL’s audience has “a broad range of demographics,” appealing to a wide consumer base, so advertisers with a natural tie-in to sports gear such as “beverages, electronics, autos, entertainment and gaming” will also be featured on Foot Locker Online TV. This appeal will allow “Gen2 to act as a major media platform that offers different verticals a place to position their brand within a brand,” he adds.

Gen2’s proprietary, patent-pending video publishing platform and Smart Content Management System presents marketers with a unique opportunity to build onto the viral components of social media that engages the consumers with several enhanced features not seen on other branded TV channels.

For instance, the Gen2 media platform not only offers a single share of a video clip, but users will also be able to send these clips by email to friends and associates.

Another feature allows users to extend the reach of the OnlineTV beyond the gated confines of its website. Consumers such as college athletes for example would have the capability to transfer and embed a copy of the ‘actual’ Foot Locker player onto their Facebook and MySpace pages.

From an advertisers’ standpoint, both these features provide a value-added benefit, because their advertising messages and sphere of influence increase exponentially each time a consumer uses them. As user-generated content, consumers on the receiving end of this type of advertising are generally more receptive since these ads are being presented to them from someone they know. As a result, the Gen2 platform for Foot Locker has developed a unique vehicle for advertising to be channeled through a social media delivery system.

While technology is important to branded TV, the success in moving a branded message virally is dependent upon how compelling the platform is for users. Foot Locker and Gen2 have moved the needle by adapting to and utilizing the available Web 2.0 tools. They are creating a venue to showcase a new form of brand positioning through rich, robust and engaging branded entertainment. It’s now up to the consumer to determine if it’s compelling enough to make them want to become a conscious and active member of this vibrant new ecosystem.