How Nuntio is using ACR-like technology to improve video product reviews

Nuntio, which launched in public beta last week, hopes to solve these issues. Product reviewers can upload reviews to Nuntio.tv, and the products being highlighted are conveniently showcased with additional details and a link to purchase in the right rail. This enables reviewers to generate income from affiliate fees, which could be more lucrative than fees generated from display advertising; it also makes it easier for consumers to purchase the product.

For Paul Warren, one of the co-founders of the New York-based Nuntio, his aha moment came while in Azerbaijan. Encountering ACR technology that synced TV shows with second screen devices, Warren wondered why this technology wasn’t being leveraged more online and at events. In addition to product reviews, the Nuntio platform can be used to sync slides and polls to certain moments during playback.

For more on Nuntio and how it seeks to serve “Couchpota2.0," we spoke with Warren:

Found Remote: What's the story behind the name Nuntio?

Paul Warren: I majored in Classics - Latin and Greek literature - at Columbia and the name is a hold over from that time. In Latin it means to inform, announce, or report, which meshed well with our core goal of making video a better tool to communicate. Like a lot of other startups these days, the fact that it ends in 'io' is a nod to input/output (the first domain we purchased was 'nunt.io').

FR: Why is the current YouTube-driven system of product reviews and unboxings broken?

Warren: Some of the key issues we have with the YouTube product review environment are the lack of community and focus on the genre. YT is designed to make you watch a lot of video, which is not in itself a bad thing, but doesn't lend itself to getting the most out of a certain kind of content or making informed decisions. A product review should be simple to explore and act on.

Additionally, the wide-ranging practice of sponsored reviews and influencer marketing on YouTube (and other social media) doesn't lend itself to honesty, which is something we feel is integral to the buying process.

FR: One problem with making videos shoppable is that it could be very distracting. How does Nuntio avoid this?

Warren: This is an interesting question and something we're iterating on constantly to make sure viewers get the best possible experience.

Part of the answer here is that we are already quite distracted as viewers and if our distractions happen to be part of the content environment, we believe we are enhancing content, not making it weaker. Product shopping in particular doesn't begin and end with a video, but it's definitely a great place to start.

Another key aspect of our platform is that the paired space removes the need for potentially annoying overlaid annotations. A lot of the new shoppable ad units that are coming to video are displayed in-line or as cards on top of content, which can certainly be a negative when you're just trying to watch.

FR: Online video has historically been a passive experience. Why do you think viewers want to interact with polls and other content while watching?

Warren: Although I think the degree to which (and how) users want to interact while they watch is highly dependent on what type of content they're watching (long-form show vs. gaming stream vs. cat video), I do believe the variables that have to be considered in every category are relevance and complexity.

In the poll example, writing a diatribe in the comments is something only a limited percentage of your audience would be willing to do, but clicking a button that says 'I agree' or 'I disagree' gives viewers a more lightweight outlet for expressing themselves.

Essentially, make it meaningful, clear, and simple and people are much more likely to respond. If you can, do it in a way that doesn't disrupt the experience for those who'd rather not click anything at all.

All that said, I'm biased.

FR: Another Nuntio feature is a mobile smart remote. How does this product fit in to Nuntio's overall strategy?

Warren: Digital video is quickly coming to living rooms with connected TVs, Chromecast, tvOS etc. and the remote functionality is designed for interaction that caters to big screen viewing. Depending on the study, this "second screen" phenomenon has somewhere between 70 - 90% of us are using our smartphones, tablets, or laptops while we watch TV.

In the case of Nuntio, it's as simple as being able to easily shop, interact, and (soon) find, save, and queue new content from the comfort of your couch while you watch reviews on your television. On top of that, we can serve synced group experiences, so multiple people can engage with content at the same time, which can be useful for event-based programming.

Simply put, we're trying to give users the tools to consume content wherever and however they want.

Final note here - With the advent of HTML5, interactive second screen experiences like you might find on cable with AMC's StorySync that were costly and labor-intensive to make, are, through tech like ours, becoming easily replicable and non-technical to produce. There is already a certain percentage of audiences engaging with this kind of additional content and as it becomes easier to make and serve, I believe it has the potential to become a more regular part of our everyday viewing. From a forward looking perspective, it's also an exciting touchpoint for new formats like AR.