TV-centric interactive platform is testing in Iowa to help Ford Motor Company hawk its cars.
January 16, 2001
By Michael Singer:
Ford Motor Company was having this problem, so its official advertising and communications company, J. Walter Thompson looked for solutions.
Sausalito-based MetaTV, a developer of broadband portals and applications for interactive television (iTV) announced Tuesday it will design an exclusive cross-platform strategy for Ford.
“What it does, is take existing Internet sites and formats them to the television format,” says MetaTV VP of Worldwide Marketing Ramon Chen.
The company’s Universal Portal Platform features broadband e-commerce, syndication, advertising, personalization, and content management solutions that exploit the benefits of all major iTV set-top box application platforms.
Chen says J. Walter Thompson chose MetaTV because Ford wanted to establish an iTV presence as early as possible.
The interactive offering is currently being tested in Waterloo and Cedar Falls, Iowa for more than 6,000 AT&T Digital Cable subscribers on the AT&T Digital Cable Network and WorldGate systems using the Motorola DCT 2000.
A better iTV presence could translate to better sales for Ford. Statistically, set-top box users are more inclined to make high-ticket purchases.
“Consumers who have the most exposure to TV programming and online content exhibit more interest and less price sensitivity than other consumers,” says Adriana Weinfeld, research analyst with Boston-based TechTrends Inc. “These consumers represent substantial opportunity for providers of iTV products and services.”
A mock-up of the interactive site featuring the 2001 Ford Escape XLS SUV is available at a MetaTV . However, the test site is fairly simple and does not include any streaming capabilities, 3D rendering or Flash technology.