The SmartVideo Blog

This post is part of a monthly blog series where we highlight the diverse and exciting staff of SundaySky.

“I’m investing in SmartVideo for NPS impact, and am paying for it with the financial ROI it’s delivering.” This is one of my favorite anecdotes said by the CMO of a Fortune 500 company. More than ever, the C-suite is implementing video for both financial impact and deeper levels of brand engagement. Yet, companies recognize if they only focus on financial ROI, they can easily miss the boat on customer experience.

I recently joined SundaySky as Head of Customer Success, to support our customers with the strategic delivery of their performance-focused SmartVideo programs. I was excited to join the team at a time when SmartVideo is disrupting the video and customer lifecycle space. The team is motivated and super smart, plus I get to work with the most recognized brands who are totally invested in building the most engaging and impactful customer engagement experiences.

Last month, we reached a milestone mark of 100 million SmartVideo views since our first video was generated back in 2009. This week, we are publishing “The SmartVideo Index: In Brief,” a three-part infographic that shares a snapshot of where SmartVideo stands today, collected from 40 programs across 38 brands within 5 industries.

Ninety-seven percent of IT budget decision-makers in the US insurance industry agree: technology is critical to serve and support customers, stated a 2012 Forrester trend report. This is especially true for customer-centric insurers looking to enhance and differentiate the customer experience while simultaneously reducing care costs. Enter the smart explanation of benefit (EOB) video.

I am excited and proud to announce this major milestone in SundaySky history. From the first SmartVideo generated in 2009 for Overseas Adventure Travel, to 38 live programs today, we have reached over 100 million views. Fresh off of our inaugural SmartVideo Summit last month, 2013 is serving as a momentous year for us. This is how we are feeling today, fist pumps and hugs included… 

Telecommunications, financial services, insurance and healthcare providers are all industries where companies establish a recurring customer relationship with a monthly statement or bill delivery. However, bill shock and product complexity of statements can lead to excessive support costs, churn, and higher barriers to expanding customer relationships. Proactively addressing the complexity of billing and statement administration with personalized SmartVideo is proving to address these challenges.

We’ve seen tremendous growth in online video ad consumption over the last couple of years. Online video advertising revenues topped $1 billion in the first two quarters of 2012, video ad views reached 9.9 billion in February, and YouTube just hit 1 billion monthly users.

Last week marked a very exciting milestone for SundaySky, as we hosted our first annual SmartVideo Summit. This was the inaugural assembly of SmartVideo first-movers and innovators from the areas of Digital Marketing and Customer Experience – a mix of executives from existing SmartVideo customers, those companies in planning stages, as well as partners.

At SundaySky, we’ve cultivated the two unique ingredients which make SmartVideo more engaging and effective than traditional video -- personalization and relevance. By incorporating these elements into marketing strategies, brands are better able to target the right customers at the right time with highly relevant promotions, products and information.