Klickable.tv makes online video truly interactive

Roger Wu, co-founder of Klickable TV, had no intentions of getting into the targeted ad market when he and co-founder Emily Gannett began to develop the Flash-based program. Both of them saw the rapidly expanding online video market as a driver of creative content; Gannett has a background in film production, Wu loved to make videos long before the YouTube-era. He envisioned making an online video sitcom that people could interact with by clicking on products and items in the videos to find out more information. As they developed the Flash-based product, they realized that their idea had infinite potential to change the nature of online video advertising, content production and e-commerce.

Klickable is currently in beta, and it's being employed on several high-profile websites, including Bravo's Project Runway. Users can click on outfits worn by models on the show, which brings up an unobtrusive menu at the bottom of the video. The menu, which is edited by the video producer, contains information about the item, plus a purchase feature. 

"We had the idea, bought a book on Flash, and began coding at a local SubtleTea that had WiFi," Wu said. "We wanted to harness the zealousness of people like ourselves who wanted to leverage the power of the internet to change entertainment and make new forms of content, and what started as an idea for personal use became a toll we thought others could benefit from."

"We have an average of two views per user of each video," Wu said, "because people re-watch it to click on things they missed the first time."

Klickable.tv is getting incubator assistance from hawkeye, a worldwide data intelligence and market research firm, and CMO Rodney Mason. Mason said he was introduced to Klickable's product through contacts, and he realized they were going down the same path to develop interactive online videos.

"We saw excellent synergies with partnering and helping to grow Klickable," Mason said. "We offered advice and helped get them in places to demonstrate their excellent product."

When made available publicly, the Flash tool that enables Klickable will be free for people to tag their own content, according to Wu. Klickable's model will rely on revenue from the extensive data it collects and targeted, video-specific advertising. Wu noted that the technology will have multiple uses, enabling more interactive creative web series and promotions that encourage viewers to clock on "hidden items" in the video to win prizes or unlock special features.

It is definitely a game-changing technology, so look for clickable models to start grabbing ad buys and revolutionizing creative online video content.

For more:
- see the klickable.tv product in action on Bravo's Project Runway site here
- see the hawkeye/klickable release here

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