Joiz launched in Europe in 2011 as a digital television channel that integrated social media and mobile elements into its programming. And now it wants in on the North American market as a social television destination. Founder Alexander Mazzara sat down with me in between panels at a very busy TV of Tomorrow Show in New York City earlier this month to talk about what they do.
1) Data, data, data. Of course it’s about engaging viewers — especially young ones. But what Joiz specializes is in knowing who’s watching what, where, and when. He says:
Our DNA is always that we try to transform them into registered users and then make customers out of them…A lot of people try to make data around content. We are focusing on the viewer; we call it a community marketing platform.
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It’s one thing to have a show generate Twitter chatter, but at the end of the day, that’s all Twitter’s property. Mazzara explains, “we bring the platform and the content owner will be the be the owner of the data at the end of the day.”
2) The Red Button. Joiz has done a lot of campaigns around their proprietary “red button.” Anytime it appears on the channel, viewers click and receive instant deals or product around the content. It took some trial and error. Concert and travel deals were good ideas, but apparently not good impulse buys. You have to check your schedule before you can commit to clicking. McDonalds’ coupons, though? A winner. Mazzara says it’s about “instant happiness,” and television even with all of its innovation, is still working on that one-click experience. He says it has to be the “right product, in the right space, and the interface has to be that easy.”
3) Creating lots of content for all the spaces. Mazzara says they learned early on that different formats succeed socially at different times and from different screens. One of their formats is a dating show called “Flirt Kitchen.” A lot of standard social activity happens during the broadcast, but fans really get into the before and after sessions that happen live. Mazzara says that it’s “like Tinder, it’s a lot of interaction, and you have to be there. It’s a social event around a pre-produced program.” Live events always make for more interaction. Add a dating aspect and it’s a goldmine.
You can follow him and Joiz @a_mazzara for updates.