press releases
ExpoTV Unveils Beta Version of Innovative Platform for Consumer Interaction and Exchange of In-Depth Product Information
New “Ask an Owner” Platform Offers Shoppers an Opportunity to Solicit Feedback from Actual Product Owners; Supplies Authentic Consumer Voice to Retailers’ Web Sites
NEW YORK, N.Y. – MAY 20 – ExpoTV, the first and largest video-based social network specifically created for consumers to connect, share and celebrate the products they are passionate about, announced today the beta release of a first-of-its-kind Ask an Owner platform, which allows consumers to ask product owners specific questions in real time to help aid their purchase decisions. New moms looking for the perfect baby carrier, amateur photographers with digital camera questions and college bound students looking for just the right router will all be able to get the lowdown from ExpoTV’s community of brand advocates.
“We recognized that many of our users come to ExpoTV with very specific questions about a product and we wanted to provide them with a platform to engage directly with actual product owners,” said Daphne Kwon, chief executive officer of ExpoTV. “Nowhere on the internet can consumers ask real people, often complete strangers, a question about a product that they own and get honest, genuine advice, so we are very excited to offer this new functionality and think it is the start of something big.”
Consumers who are in the market for a specific product and are having difficulty deciding between different models or brands will now be able to receive feedback directly from actual product owners, often in just a matter of hours. Initial trials of the Ask an Owner platform found that 41 percent of questions were answered within one hour, 51 percent were answered within two hours and nearly 80 percent of questions were answered within one day.
Retailers will also have the ability to harness the power of the authentic consumer voices and word-of-mouth marketing featured in the Ask an Owner platform. By partnering with ExpoTV, retailers will have the ability to allow visitors to their site to ask questions directly to all ExpoTV community members who own the product in question, allowing a candid exchange of ideas and information among consumers.
“The new Ask An Owner platform not only allows the ExpoTV community to support consumers while they are doing product research on our site, but it can also be infused into manufacturer and retailer Web sites, expanding the reach of our unique community of brand influentials,” said David Rubinstein, ExpoTV’s vice president of sales.
About Expo Communications
ExpoTV is the first and largest video-based social network specifically created for consumers to connect, share and celebrate the products they are passionate about. This fast-growing community has created the world’s largest catalog of nearly 300,000 VideopinionsSM - product reviews in an easy-to-understand video format -- covering everything from soap to cell phones to cars. ExpoTV provides marketers with a platform to safely navigate the new world of social media by engaging with brand fanatics in a more authentic conversation. ExpoTV’s VideopinionsSM reviews are available online at www.expotv.com and are distributed through partnerships with the world’s largest portals including Yahoo! Video, AOL, Google and YouTube; to leading ecommerce destinations like Smarter.com and Buy.com; and to more than 25 million digital cable homes through VOD partnerships with Comcast, Time Warner, Charter, Verizon and other cable operators.
Contact:
Meagan McCrystle
Racepoint Group
mmccrystle@racepointgroup.com
415.694.6704