We’re delighted to announce that we’ve partnered with Savoo.co.uk in the UK, and Savings.com in the US, to offer publishers a simple way to integrate deals and voucher codes with video content and generate revenue.

Our unique platform enables website and blog publishers to select a relevant voucher or deal from Savoo.co.uk or Savings.com, such as a percentage off checkout at a merchant’s e-store, and add it to their video. With video becoming the go-to content for savvy shoppers checking product reviews, how-to guides or tips and tricks videos, this partnership offers consumers a great deal and a convenient route to purchase. It also gives publishers a new way of generating revenue, as they’re paid a commission each time a voucher displayed in their video is used.

Irfon Watkins, Coull CEO, said: “We’re really excited about this partnership. Consumers are smart about online shopping and want to get the best offer possible, and they are also increasingly turning to video as part of their pre-purchase research. By working with Savoo.co.uk and Savings.com we’ve created an affiliate solution for video which complements the viewer experience and rewards publishers.”

Simon Bird, General Manager of Savoo.co.uk said, “We are always striving to get the best deals for everyone on everything they want to purchase. To work with Coull in offering deals through video content is not only a great piece of innovation for the performance marketing industry, but another channel for consumers to get a great deal.”

Savoo research shows that the use of voucher codes by the UK population has increased by 40% over the last two years. Coull’s technology gives website and blog publishers a way of tapping into that demand using their video content.

If you’re a publisher looking to join the Coull Video Performance Network, check the following links for more information on our offerings from Savoo.co.uk and Savings.com. Alternatively, click here to sign-up.

Partnership marks Europe’s first use of interactive video advertising and affiliate marketing 

Platform-A’s buy.at announced today that it is launching an online interactive video application for Shop Direct Group, the UK’s leading online and home shopping retailer.  Developed in conjunction with Coull http://www.coull.com, the application is available for affiliates on the buy.at network and is the first time this video format has been used as part of an affiliate campaign in Europe.  The buy.at affiliate network, http://www.buy.at, is an Advertising.com Network Solution, provided through AOL’s digital advertising business, Platform-A.

The interactive video advertisements feature models wearing the latest big-brand clothing from the Group’s LittlewoodDirect.com site.  Each item of clothing and accessory featured in the video has been assigned its own tag.  Customers can click through to a dedicated page for the product, and a further click will forward the customer to the product page on the LittlewoodsDirect.com site.  The activity is tracked to ensure affiliates are paid the correct commission for the activity they generate.

The Shop Direct Group has worked with buy.at since 2004 to increase sales for Littlewoods Direct.com, as well as their other brands: Additions Direct, Ben Sherman, Great Universal, Littlewoods and Marshall Ward. 

LittlewoodsDirect.com features 16,000 product lines from furniture, white goods and electronics to clothes for men, women and children.  Outfits from major brands such as Diesel, Morgan and French Connection are featured, as well as swimwear, lingerie, sportswear, bridal wear, shoes and new ranges from Trinny and Susannah.

“Shop Direct Group is always looking to innovate and find new ways of reaching our customers.  The development of this video platform with buy.at and Coull places Shop Direct Group at the forefront of affiliate marketing.  The ability to take the customer directly to a product page from a product video opens up new and exciting opportunities for us,” said Neal Preece, Ecommerce Director at Shop Direct Group.   “It’s a great tool for affiliates, which enables them to enhance their campaign promotions and drive even more sales with exciting, high-quality content.”

“buy.at is the first affiliate network in Europe to integrate this technology for the advertisers and affiliates on our network and Littlewoods is the first client to adopt it, “ said Brendan Condon, Managing Director of Platform-A International.  “Shop Direct Group is a forward-thinking retailer that innovates to maintain its market-leading position.  This interactive video tool will maximise the impact of the LittlewoodsDirect.com brand, engaging the customer online and driving more sales for their affiliate campaign.” 

Irfon Watkins, CEO at Coull comments, “Interactive video is a powerful tool for enhancing product placement and driving sales online and buy.at is innovating in the affiliate sector by offering it to its network of 9,000 affiliates.  Major brands are getting excited about the impact interactive video advertising will make to their online campaigns.”

buy.at will track click-throughs, sales and cost-per-acquisition commissions by integrating video tags with its tracking and campaign analytics.  If the LittlewoodsDirect.com video advertisement is copied from an affiliate’s site and pasted into another website or a customer’s social network profile, Coull’s technology ensures the tracking and reporting remain embedded. 

buy.at manages a combination of SEO and PPC affiliates, content site, comparison and loyalty site affiliates to increase sales for the Shop Direct Group.  In January, Shop Direct Group consolidated all of its affiliate marketing accounts onto buy.at.  Research commissioned by buy.at and conducted by E-consultancy into affiliate marketing in the retail sector, revealed that retailers spend 19 per cent of their online marketing budget on affiliate marketing and 71 per cent of them expect to increase investment in affiliate marketing over next two years.

Interactive video platform Coull http://www.coull.com welcomes Hitesh Bhatt from MSN UK as its new commercial director.

Bhatt, who joined MSN UK three years ago as a sales manager was more recently acting head of agency sales.  His latest role involved managing a team of nine sales people, negotiating annual contracts with key agency groups such as Aegis, Omnicom and Publicis and was involved in the strategic direction and running of the MSN UK sales team.

He is an advertising and media industry veteran with more than 15 years of experience and joins to lead the Coull sales team.  Previous roles for Bhatt have seen him work for EMAP, MTV UK and Yahoo!  He will be responsible for expanding agency relationships, optimising business opportunities and growing revenue from the Coull Engage product.

Hitesh brings invaluable experience to Coull.  His appointment demonstrates Coull’s commitment to building closer relationships with agencies, advertisers and publishers looking to embrace interactive video.  “With Hitesh, we will fully understand our clients’ business needs and work in collaboration to develop effective video advertising products and services” says Irfon Watkins, CEO at Coull.

Hitesh Bhatt, commercial director at Coull comments, “It’s an incredibly exciting time for technology providers, agencies and brands as the online video advertising market begins to demonstrate its effectiveness in an extremely competitive arena.  Coull is delivering innovative, brand-driven, measurable campaigns that allow online video to truly engage with audiences in a non-intrusive way. I look forward to the opportunity to demonstrate how far the medium is moving along and how brands can maximise the effectiveness of online video campaigns using the Coull platform.”

This is the fourth senior appointment to the Coull head count with Claudia Giovannoni, marketing director joining early March 2008 heading up the marketing department.  Other new members of the Coull team include the board of directors appointments including Gillian Kent, former MSN UK managing director and CEO of Propertyfinder.com and Creative Ventures Group founder Spyro Korsanos also joined the board as non-executive director.

Coull received series B financing earlier in the year from Finance South West Growth Fund (managed by YFM Group), Creative Ventures Group and private investors.  The funding has allowed Coull to release the ‘Coull Engage’ product to assist brands maximise the return on investment (ROI) of their online campaigns, which are currently being used by Agent Provocateur, Boots and Renault.

LYCOS Network Europe, the leading European online advertising sales network, is using a new advertising format which allows users to interact with content in online advertisements like never before.  The format, pioneered by LYCOS with video technology company Coull and media agency Carat, is the first of its kind within the industry.

The new formats enable users to interact with video content whilst a film plays. This exciting format, delivered on the Coull Engage platform, means advertisers can now showcase video content online while, by clicking on product features, users can get more information as details are shown within the unit.

Renault is the first automotive brand to trial the format across LYCOS Network Europe and sales network partner site About.com. 

Users will be able to interact with Renault’s latest advert, learning more about the standards set by the Laguna in quality, comfort and driving pleasure.

Renault have also staged a complete takeover of the LYCOS site, using a “push-down homepage takeover” format.  The format enables users to roll-over a banner at the top of a page which scrolls down, pushing the site content down the screen, rather than covering it.  The new Laguna TV advert then plays in the space created by the push-down. 

Sam Kayum, Sales Managing Director for LYCOS UK said: “These new formats point towards the future of online advertising, encouraging users to interact directly with content – key in today’s cluttered media environment.”

David Isherwood, E-Marketing Manager for Renault UK said: “Renault has a long history of incorporating innovation into its product development, so it’s only natural we wanted to be the first car manufacturer to pilot this new technology.

“As a continually forward thinking company, interactive marketing is an area we are increasingly developing an interest in, and its pioneering technology combined with customer experience fit perfectly with New Laguna. We’re delighted to have worked with Lycos in this venture.”

Lycos has recently signed up a similar campaign by Nivea which will use the new format in coming weeks.