Kiss says that rather than start with a print or TV idea to communicate the idea of integrated retailing, they decided to “build some content and put it out there, and let America react.”

With a dedicated in-house, data-driven, social media team, they closely monitored reaction to the spot. “We’re very nimble and when we push something out there we watch very carefully how America reacts to it. We were tallying sentiment, which was overwhelmingly positive.

That’s where we knew, without relying on some sort of software package, hey, we’re onto something. We did that deliberately. We wanted to make sure that this wasn’t off-putting to our customers.”

Founder and CEO of Zeebox Anthony Rose says that in the company’s research, there were five key factors that consumers need in a second screen app:

-Discovery. People need help finding and choosing what to watch on TV – plus, the ability for the app to work as a remote to control the TV.
-Information. Supplementary content for whatever is on TV; i.e., character background stories, behind-the-scenes photos; IMDB info.
-Participation. This is a little forward-thinking, but something game shows like American Idol are starting to do, wherein viewers can vote or in some way interact directly with what’s happening on the air (Choose Your Own Adventure for TV, essentially).
-Shopping. This element would allow you to buy something you see on TV; if a commercial is advertising a new couch – and you want that couch – you can automatically hit a button to buy that couch. The realization of frictionless shopping.
-And last but not least … Social. Consumers need to be able to connect and share with friends during and about TV shows.