It seems that every electronic device sold these days is labelled ‘smart,’ from TVs and phones, to fridges and even washing machines. So with smart devices becoming a booming sector, how is this young industry developing? Well, one of the UK’s largest digital agencies, Frank, wants to take your smart TV and make it a bit of a genius (and to do this the company is changing how it does business).
The Belfast-based Frank, which this week re-launched itself as Big Motive (@big_motive | Facebook), has taken the step to move from digital design to creating new services and products based on emerging technologies in the smart device sector.
First out of the Big Motive stable will be Motivision, a system that integrates interactive TV with e-commerce services. Motivision will allow viewers to browse and buy products that appear on the TV by connecting their mobile devices to their smart TV’s app centre.
While many start-ups are looking at users’ second screens as potential gold mines for content delivery and e-commerce, this is one of the most concerted efforts we have seen from an already established company to make a splash in the industry.
Describing the move as a “transitional journey,” Big Motive’s CEO, Damian Cranney says the new focus is designed to concentrate the company’s broad range of skills into an emerging sector. A sector which the consumer behaviour tracking company Nielsen, along with other agencies, have high expectations of.
Big Motive’s co-founders, Damian Cranney and Stephen Shaw
He said the move is more of a natural progression for the company, which has worked in the motion graphics sector for seven years, rather than a complete change in direction;
“Combining our TV experience with a dedicated development capability has lead us naturally into the realm of Smart TV. It feels like a very natural channel for us in which to compete globally.”
Talking about Motivision, he said the system is already turning heads in the industry, with big announcements possible in the next few months;
“We’re having some interesting conversations with major players in London and New York and hope to be making some pretty significant announcements in the coming months”
The company says the change came after working on separate projects in the smart sector for the UK’s Channel 4, the BBC, and Samsung. But, the company says, while they are bringing nearly a decade of experience into the second screen sector it is still approaching the development as any enthusiastic start-up.
