BumeBox, a startup based in Palo Alto, Calif., formally launched its real-time promotional platform today after running a successful trial and working with two other customers on upcoming events.
Companies using BumeBox set a day and time for their event, just like in the physical world, and invite anyone (or everyone) to attend. Photos, videos, chats, exclusive content, tweets and other kinds of interaction unfold as they happen, creating a branded, virtual promotional party. The platform also provides tracking and analytic tools.
“Companies are seeing extremely rapid community growth across the board and they are looking for a way to limit friction between the social networks and a branded social experience – particularly with Twitter,” said BumeBox CEO Jon Fahrner. “BumeBox frames real-time social interaction around branded content in an understandable way that harnesses social velocity and the power of peer influence.”
The three brands currently working with BumeBox are the Magic fashion industry trade show, HeyDay Footwear and Universal Sports, a media partnership between NBC Sports and InterMedia Partners.
In September, BumeBox is powering the Universal Sports’ real-time social module for the Rugby World Cup, which kicks off Sept. 9 in New Zealand, allowing viewers to tune in on exclusive content and interact with the teams and with other fans. The last Rugby World Cup, South Africa vs. England in 2007, had an estimated television viewing audience of 4 billion.
“Leveraging social media during sporting events has grown immensely and is becoming a core component of the total viewer experience,” said Elliott Gordon, vice president/general manager, Universal Sports. “Our network produces so many world-class events that we are constantly searching for new and unique ways to connect our fans to the individual sports they have a passion for. BumeBox will deliver high quality Rugby World Cup social media programming to our viewers that are actively engaged on Twitter during these live events.”
