FUTR Podcast

Revolutionizing Shopping: How In-Content Buying is Changing the Game

August 07, 2023 FUTR.tv Season 2 Episode 131
FUTR Podcast
Revolutionizing Shopping: How In-Content Buying is Changing the Game
Show Notes Transcript

The way purchasing happens has changed dramatically. At least 93% of consumers say online reviews affect their shopping choices. The power of online influencers in purchasing decisions is undeniable, and businesses are changing to take advantage of this.

Hey everybody, this is Chris Brandt, welcome to another FUTR podcast.

Today we are talking with AiBuy CEO Randy Bapst and Dalaney Thompson VP of Strategic Partnerships. They are going to tell us about in-content shopping that lets you capture sales right at the moment your customers are ready to buy, organically and non-invasively with transparent product placement overlays and the ability to checkout directly in-content.

So lets hear how it all works,

Welcome Randy and Dalaney

AiBuy: https://aibuy.io/

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FUTR.tv focuses on startups, innovation, culture and the business of emerging tech with weekly podcasts featuring Chris Brandt and Sandesh Patel talking with Industry leaders and deep thinkers.

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The way that purchasing happens has changed dramatically.

At least 93% of consumers say online reviews affect their shopping choices.

The power of online influencers and purchasing decisions is unden iable, and businesses are changing to take advantage of this .

Hey everybody, this is Chris Brand t here.

Welcome to another future podcast.

Today we're talking with iBuy CEO Randy Bapst and Delaney Thompson, VP of Strategic Partnerships.

And they're going to tell us about in-content shopping that lets you capture sales right at the moment your customers are ready to buy, organically and non- invasively with transparent product placement overlays and the ability to check out directly in content.

So let's hear how it all works.

Welcome, Randy and Delaney.

Randy Bapst Yeah, thank you for having us.

Pleasure to be on your show.

Chris Brandt Great having you guys .

I'm really interested in this because, you know, as we were talking the other day, I could just see so many interesting use cases for what you're doing.

So I'm excited to dig into that.

You know, can you tell me a little bit, you know, obviously iBuy came about because, you know, the very nature of shopping has changed, right? Could you talk about how buying has changed? Delaney Thompson In this area, we 're seeing a revolution in the way that people engage with content.

So the more people are influenced by content, and we're finding, particularly men, in some of the research that we've done, that if they are, you know, recommended a product, through something that they're engaged with, they're more inclined to purchase it.

So bringing that conversion closer to the content, closer to the source of information is really the direction things seem to be heading in retail media .

Chris Brandt Well, I mean, you mentioned conversion, you know, and like, and I know that in shopping, you know, it's all about conversion, because, you know, like I said in the intro , so many people are just coming online to do their research.

And they're, you know, they're listening to people and their experiences.

And there was some huge statistic about if there's no review of a product online, people just are unwilling to buy the product even, you know, so it's really, you know, we've gone from, you know, the brick and mortar store being the central lo cus of, you know, going to buy something, seeing it and feeling it to now it's like, I need to know what other people think, who have had it and think about it, and what its value is.

So can you talk a little bit about like, how moving that conversion experience closer to that moment of like realization about this is the product I want? How does that change things? Delaney Howell Making that conversion is delaney said closer to the consumer, where they see something the ease of use, the spontaneous ability to click and buy it right there in content and without losing the grasp of the content itself.

So you can continue to do the watch your video or read your whatever it is you're you're engaged with in the media.

So enabling that experience to happen right then and there, instead of having to either wait to remember to buy it later or to, in some cases, maybe click and redirect out of whatever it is you're engaged in.

And then hoping to come back to that, I think just the way it all works together, and giving that consumer the ability, I don't know if you want to call it a impulse buy, or just the fact that it's so convenient.

And they don't have to do a bunch of searching around to do it.

It's right there.

Jeff Leigh Yeah, it's sort of like the candy in the checkout line.

That looks really good.

Delaney Howell Every parent loves those, right? [Laughter] Stephanie Ruh As the younger generation and as, you know, current generations are watching more and more videos about people that they recognize or follow that are suggesting things.

It's almost second nature for us now to want that experience, to have that interaction.

So outside of our social platforms , if we're reading a blog or if we 're watching a video that we're interested in, we see something that we want, we want to have that ability to get it then and there without having to hunt it down or figure out where to find it or source it out.

So it's really a matter of convenience as well that you're going to see these solutions start to emerge.

Jeff Leigh Half the time I'm online and I'm looking at something, I'm like, I'm not even thinking about making a purchase, but then I'm like, wow, that would be really awesome to have.

And then I'm like, I got to write it down and remember to come back to that or like this thing and, you know, like bookmark that link.

And then I get lost and, you know, because I want to watch the rest of the video or read the rest of the article.

And then I'm, you know, then it just, I lose it and then I forget to do it.

And then I'm like, why should I have that thing? And I go back and try and find it.

Delaney I think Amazon is a great example of a trendsetter.

So they started, you know, with books right back in early nineties and here they are today, pretty much dominating everything.

But how many times you've gone to Amazon to get the whatever and, you know, finally check out with eight other items in your basket because they were just there or they were recommended or you happen to see them.

So just the ease, the convenience, it's right there.

You're just doing it all in one session.

And, you know, I think that's where shopping in general is going to.

I think the convenience thing is really a big thing.

But, you know, like you said, the immediacy factor is super important to buying things.

You know, we're talking about impulse buyers, right? And Delaney, I know you mentioned that men, oddly, were sort of the kings of impulse buying.

Could you talk a little bit about how that is? Through some of the market research we conducted, it was one of the things that surprised me.

And I believe it was something like 76% men.

And I don't have the figure directly in front of me, but it was a rough estimate of something like 76% of men between the age of 22 and 35 are the impulse buyer.

They're the ones who will purchase something if it's recommended and if it's available.

And what was also telling was that drop-off rate that you were kind of mentioning is if people don't have that ability to or access to buy something that they want, the odds of them coming back to find it later are very low.

So, you know, if you think of that in terms of being a brand or having someone with something to offer, you definitely want to have that conversion closer to your content that's easily acceptable because you're only increasing your chances of selling more items.

Well, and I think there's a little bit of a feedback loop there too, because in some regards, I think almost every study has always said that the less indecision you put into the buying process, the happier you are with what you buy.

So there's probably this really-- Make it easy.

Yeah, make it easy and fast and people are happier and they come back and they buy more.

Absolutely, absolutely.

But as to why men are more easily influenced, I wish I knew.

I could probably bottle and sell and that'd be a whole other business.

But the statistics and the data coming back are quite interesting.

So especially in the younger markets, and for some reason, sometimes it might be gender-based as well.

Yeah, well, I mean, who knew? We're missing out on this big male market for impulse buying.

Product placement, right now, if you look at traditional fast television, right, pre-ad supported, you're watching a show and then the show will break to go show the Levi's commercial, right? I mean, I can see things evolving where everything in a show is scripted from the script to the characters to what the scenes are and how they're laid out.

So maybe you have the star of the show is wearing the Levi brand that they want to sell and that becomes a clickable, purchasable item and it's right there.

And people don't have to remember, "Hey, I want to go buy that later ." It's right there.

So I mean, I can see the evolution of product placement because we've been to a number of these different forums for various topics, OTT and other things.

And the big joke is, "I'm wasting half my money on advertising.

I just don't know which half," because it's not trackable.

When you get down to a model like this, where it's point-and-click, it's very trackable.

You're literally buying the shirt off someone's back, right, that you like, that you see.

Product placement is a huge thing already and people aren't really effectively monetizing that product placement, right? Exactly.

Cooking shows, you want to buy the bowl set, you want to buy the cooking knives set, whatever it is.

I mean, all those things can be featured and done right there.

It's even more than just merchandise, right? I mean, because it's not just physical goods that can be purchased through this, but you can also, you know, services and other things like that as well, right? Yeah, of course.

Subscriptions, donations.

Patreon tickets.

It's limitless.

You know, and to that point, it's really interesting now when you introduce technologies or solutions like this, how it actually molds the content before it's created.

So now if you are maybe a document arian and you want to raise money for a cause that you're passionate about, what a great way to do this in a compelling and emotional story, right? So here's the story, donate to this cause, or here's how you can get involved to help.

So to your point, it doesn't need to be need to be tangible, but I think the essence is still there is a more influenced and a more emotional decision that we're allowing to take place.

Being on YouTube and, you know, doing all of this, you see a lot of folks who are like doing the influence, playing the influencer game.

And a lot of the way they get re imbursed is through affiliate relationships and things like that.

And I know you're not specifically , you know, designed to process affiliate type of things, but I could see things evolving in that direction because one of the things that I've noticed, and even in the space of large enterprise technology and things like that, is that, you know, you had like Amazon's store come on, their marketplace come on online, right? And, you know, like the traditional resellers are now, you know, in that marketplace, the vendors are in that marketplace.

So it's like, there's this idea of that, you know, this distribution channel that has existed for a long time isn't necessarily as robust maybe as we had initially hoped.

But now this influencer, rather than sort of the salesperson telling you, here's the options or whatever, but like more of the influencer approach to it where people can kind of go and interact.

And like you guys fit really nicely into that paradigm, I think , right? - Absolutely.

Especially as we see all this, see an uptick or increase in content, in videos.

And I think one of the problems consumer has, and I know I'm guilty of this, is I'll see a video of a product I want that catches my eye on a social platform, but there's a trust level, right? I don't know if this company is really going to get it.

I don't know if I order, you know, these shoes I really like and I'm going to end up with a box of Kleenex at the end of the day, right? So I think when you have solutions like this, there's also a level of validation because it is directly integrated with payment platforms.

So it also kind of eliminates that mystery paired with somebody that you trust, right, recommending an item.

So it really is an increase of just, you know, extended trust and user.

- Disney made an announcement of sorts that they're going to re-re lease the Indiana Jones movies that are going to be shop pable.

And when you start to think about all of the archive VODs that are out there, the money's already spent, they already can, and all they have to do is go back and productize whatever's in there, go to those brands, right, if you will, and re-release those in a way that makes them shoppable and it's just gold.

- They own all the Star Wars properties now.

So Star Wars was really just a marketing vehicle for all the-- - Get your lightsaber right here, right? - Right, and all the toys and figurines and Lego sets.

- What's really interesting about one thing that Randy just mentioned too is the ability to sell multiple brands.

So maybe it's not just the Star Wars toys and lines, but maybe it 's also the vehicle.

Maybe it's also, you know, I don't know, something that they're drinking at a bar or glassware.

I mean, it's really endless if you want to-- - I don't know if you want whatever they're drinking at the Star Wars bar, but yeah.

- Maybe I would, I don't know.

But the point being is you can have multiple brands being offered .

It doesn't necessarily have to be a singular line either.

- Yeah, it's what's like sort of remixing a store online and just offering multiple products.

- Exactly.

- I think that's really interesting, yeah.

So tell me a little bit, I mean, we talked about all the cool things that it can do, but tell me, how does this work? How does this integrate in and what's the experience like? - Pretty simple in the concept.

You're gonna have the store, right ? The e-commerce store that would be linked to the shoppable image, whatever that might be, then linked out to the payment platform of the user.

And so that would complete the transaction.

And again, as Delaney mentioned, it could be multiple products from multiple retailers within that same one-click out shopping experience.

- So essentially just streamlining a shopping experience to a singular checkout.

They would normally take you multiple checkouts if you had to go to all of those places to find it.

- Who's doing the checking out? Is that you guys doing the checking out? - No, we don't touch anything.

We're simply an overlay, we're a pipe.

And again, it's the brand, it's the retailer, it's whomever has the content, the eyeballs and the merchandise.

That's their platform.

We give them a management portal to operate all this within.

And simply it just connects those three pieces and the transaction is completed, again, in content.

- I could see, envision multiple ways of approaching this.

If you have multiple different products, they could go to individual separate stores, theoretically, or you could have your own store where you're offering this specific merchandise and just redirect everybody to that.

So there's a lot of different ways .

- It's very flexible.

- Yeah, just slice it and dice it.

- So, and you'll see this, I think , with a number of things as this comes out.

It could be very subdued and not in your face, or it could be very aggressive, depending on the show and the audience.

If it's a sports show, they may want it more aggressive because they want to see the football they can buy in the cle ats or whatever.

But something that's more laid back, everything that we have is very, very customizable to the user's audience.

- Being in this space, producing YouTube channels, it's hard to monetize this stuff.

And we get stuck in this kind of advertising bucket, and we get the sponsors, and we get affiliate dollars when things get referred.

But it's just a very, especially in the world of shorts and things like that, where you can't really attribute an ad view to a video necessarily, or the effectiveness of that ad view to a specific video.

So, I mean, the thing that's really cool about this from my perspective is that you can sell merchandise and you get that one-to-one relationship.

You're taking it all the way through the conversion.

And that's where the rubber meets the road, really, ultimately.

- It really is a game changer, especially people creating content on their own, whether a podcast creator or doing shorts, as you mentioned.

That was always kind of like the mystery, right? How do I monetize this, or where's the secret sauce, or outside of the affiliate world? And this really does give you the power and ownership to do that.

So if you now can come up with your own merchandise, and again, maybe not even necessarily something tangible.

Maybe it's a ticket to an event, or maybe it's an advice article that you have that's gated content .

But this really opens up and gives you, the creator, the power to open a new revenue stream that previously didn't exist.

- I could even see gift donations to a channel, right? I mean, you could just say, "Hey, if you like this moment, how about donating a $5 tip jar?" - Like a tip bar, right? - Yeah, exactly.

- There you go.

- I like the way, yeah.

- I think you can exercise the ad price too, because right now advertisers, they go out, they rely on Nielsen ratings.

You know, your eyeballs right now are spread very thin.

Between VOD and connected TV.

And I mean, it's just, it's endless, right? The viewing options.

So you really don't know.

It's a guess game.

What's the ad dollars in place? But they'll say, "Okay, well, show 's valued at this because it's got this many viewers ." And then from there, it's pure speculation.

This sort of model, it's a direct eat what you kill.

So those ad dollars are then very accurately spent.

And the pricing for those ad dollars can be right-sized for the user and for the brand.

- I gotta imagine from an advert iser's perspective, or from a merchandiser's perspective, it's like, you know, you don't have to, you know, speculate about like what the value of all this advertising is.

It's like, you're just, you're only paying for actual conversion, actual sales, and it's coming out of the product sales.

That's rather than just kind of this, you know, mysterious marketing swag bucket.

- You know, I noticed you kind of giggled when he mentioned Nielsen ratings.

But, you know, this is another solution to gain, I guess, very accurate analytics too, and understanding who is engaging with your content.

So not only does the overlay kind of open up new revenue streams, but also can provide you valuable insights that are going to help you, you know, drive the way that you market your content.

- Demographics, sure.

- I love the idea of a tip jar, you know, because then you can see like, "How does it look? I got like 10 tips at this moment." It's like, clearly people enjoyed that kind of content.

I gotta work on that.

- Yeah, you should.

- I feel like a little bit like a waiter now, you know? - That's it.

- How's your dinner? - Yeah.

- I'll always interrupt you while you're chewing.

So you talk about this overlay.

What are the logistics of inserting this overlay? - It's basically a piece of code that, again, is we would integrate with the payment platform in the e-commerce store.

And it's some, you know, coding, and that's through APIs.

And that's what just makes it all work.

- From our end, you know, we have the dev team involved that's been doing this for a very long time.

So, you know, I don't know how other solutions work, but we handle the bulk of that.

And so at the end of the day, it's like, "Hey, here's a piece of code.

Go throw this here on your domain, and you're good to go." So trying to make it as easy and user-friendly as possible is also key.

- And you can associate certain spots on the screen with the product itself, correct? - Once that API, or once that code is in place, then the end user would have access to a management portal where they can have control over the items that are going to be featured in the video or in the content and the content that they want to make shoppable.

Because as, you know, as Randy, I believe, mentioned, it doesn't necessarily have to be something that's on screen that you can see.

If it's an intangible, you know, component, like a lead gen form, or maybe it 's a product recommendation of, "Hey, you know, if you like this, you're going to really enjoy this ." So you also don't want to limit yourself to only the thing being shown, but having that way to customize and having the option to offer additional items is also, you know, in their power as well.

- The lead gen idea is an interesting one too, because like, you know, so many times I say, "Well, hey, go check out their website, and, you know, like, if you want to do a POC or something like that." But you could just like, right from there, click on it and schedule a POC.

That's going to have a lot more stickiness to it, I got to imagine, than, you know, like, go and find this thing.

- You would think it'd be a higher qualified lead, right? Because it's someone who you know is interested.

- And then you mentioned on the back end of this, you know, like integrating it with , you know, your store or with other things.

How many, do you have already pre- baked integrations? - We've got all the big payment processors already.

And again, we can get into, we're doing something right now, it's a one-off, but it's just a matter of putting our dev team together and working through the process to integrate with that user's store.

And so that's not something that is, they need to worry about.

We do that, our dev team does that , and so it usually takes a couple of weeks.

- As far as content, I don't believe we've come across a video player or a digital image that we have not been able to be compatible with.

- So the big requirement here is that you need to have something that you can insert this code into.

So like, for example, like running it, you know, off of a YouTube channel, maybe not the right kind of end destination for this, because I don't have access to the page that YouTube is generating, right? - Yeah, well, with the multi-cart solution that we offer, it's actually just generating a link that's kind of like a customized lander.

So instead of maybe having it, you know, on the social platform directly, which I don't believe anybody is allowed to do, you just simply have a link and have teaser content that someone could click on.

Then it goes to a curated list under the content.

So for instance, if you're doing a cooking show and I'm giving an instructional video of how to make a recipe, and you want to access a quick and easy shopping list, right? Click this link, here's everything that you need.

Here's some behind the scenes tips of, you know, additional information for that video.

This is just an example I'm thinking up at the time.

- Yeah, no, this is a cool example though, actually.

- You get the idea.

It's really kind of having this approach of an omni-channel approach.

You know, and with this link, not only can you utilize it on social networks, but you could use it in your communications with your clients as well.

So through email, through SMS, you really now have this ability to offer multiple conversions without a redirect, with specific relatable content that makes it just more convenient for the end user.

- Yeah, and I know that, I mean, you've got AI, the I in iBuy is AI, right? Do you envision, I mean, I don't think you're doing this right now where you're doing an AI enhanced sort of shopping, you know, presenting products in an AI enhanced-- - Actually, we are.

- Oh, you are? Sorry, I'm sorry.

- No, it's okay.

We have developed a neural network that can identify through a predetermined, you know, database of images.

So if you're doing a live stream, say like a fashion show, and we have, you know, all the designers, high-res images ahead of time, we're able to upload it into a database where our technology can identify when they appear within that video and make them available for purchase as they are actually shown.

So it is an option.

- Wow, that's actually really cool because like if you had a video that or a channel that you're marketing, I mean, this sounds like a little bit beyond what you said, but like the ability to just sort of scan that video for any product that's in that video and then actually present that as an item for sale, even if it's not something that you're intentionally selling, right? - Yeah, I believe we have the ability of identifying over like 2 million items per piece of content.

- Wow, so you can do that.

- And it happens in a matter of minutes.

So, you know, the match really depends on the quality of the photos and the library that the solution is recognizing.

But as new technologies emerge, like chatGBT, we're able to kind of incorporate textual context into it as well.

So that's always gonna be advancing and it's always going to get more and more accurate as new technologies emerge and as we keep further developing solutions.

- That's really cool.

I mean, you know, like the ability for somebody who's a creator to create content and then just like drop an overlay and then like automatically anything you're referring to and there is, you know, up for sale.

That's a really, really cool thing .

- Everything's happening really fast and in real time.

And, you know, I mean, a year from now, this conversation will have moved significantly.

It's just, it is moving very quickly.

- I think there's also the value though of, I mean, yes, automation is great, but you don't want to fully automate because then you'll take your ability away from promoting things that might not be shown, right? - That's true.

- Again, those intangibles or those product recommendations.

So I think having that customization, that flexibility to do both is really kind of the sweet spot.

- Well, I do think there's a value to curation.

I think that's one of the things that a lot of people make is they don't edit effectively, right? I mean, you know, if you want to enhance somebody's experience, editing is kind of key to that.

But, Randy, you mentioned that, you know, in a year, all of this is going to look very different.

And certainly you referenced, you know, chat GPT and some of these large language model AI platforms have had such a huge impact on everything already so quickly.

And we were just like, really literally at the infancy of all of this, you know, like, where do you go from here? I mean, there's so much that you could do, I got to imagine.

- Yeah, I mean, I think the evolution of it, it's going to be driven by a couple of things.

One is just the advancement technology, but the other is really the usage or consumer demand, right? And so that will help drive where some of the development goes .

And as this stuff comes out and it 's rolling out, you know, how people are using it, where they're using it, what they're using it for, those things are becoming more obvious and those things will be relevant to future development.

You've got Amazon leading the forefront of this.

They just launched on the movie " Air," which was the story about Nike and Michael Jordan.

They now have a streaming soundtrack.

They also announced they're going to be doing Thursday Night Football because they own the rights to that.

They are the 800 pound gorilla.

So having them is setting the market and the market recognition.

A lot of it is, it's just very early.

So everybody's afraid to be the first one in the pool.

Having a Amazon out there saying, "Hey, I'll do it." Everybody's eyes are on this, believe me.

And as it evolves and as the market acceptance gets there, again, a year from now, this conversation will have moved significantly because everybody is realizing and will realize further, this is a really big value.

And so they need to be there.

We're integrating right now.

We've got four companies that we're either already signed and integrated with or in moving forward with.

We've got conversations going with 26 companies of significant size.

Again, I think this thing, it's just traveling really fast.

You could probably also appreciate that content, especially when it's on that size, is something that's pre-planned the year previously.

So when it comes to these schedules of content creation, it is longer before you can see it .

So a decision might be made today, but you're not really going to see it out in the wild 12 to 18 months from now.

Gotcha, gotcha.

So, I mean, we talked a little bit about sort of the rise of AI and how that's going to have an impact on what you're doing and sort of just the, I think we're in the all boats rise with the tide moment right now, where like, Amazon's getting into this and everybody else is going to be getting into this.

And so there's a great emerging market here.

What do you see the next big thing for iBuy right now? You know, again, as we wade into the marketplace, as we launch new brands, new link with new OTT platforms, you know, the relevance of our product will become more obvious to the mainstream.

And so we're getting, like I said, a lot of that now.

And we are continuing to develop the pieces beyond what we're talking about now into the future, including, as Delaney mentioned, some of the AI features is they'll get stronger and better, but it's just the linkage right now, getting into that marketplace and as it emerges in watching it catch on and watching more and more and more people get into this at various levels.

And I think that's the exciting part is right now, we're kind of just, right now, we just swam out.

We're about to jump on this 50 foot wave in Hawaii and this is going to be a good one .

One thing I'm really, really excited about seeing is how this is going to impact the CTV, specifically for the people who are sitting in their living room watching their favorite streaming services.

That's the integration I'm really excited about.

I'm excited about this flow that we have that's non-intrusive and it's basically just giving, you know, the end user another option of how they want to digest advertising and how they really want to be able to shop.

So for me, that's what I get really excited about.

Well, you mentioned CTV.

What does CTV stand for? Connected TV.

Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha.

So like sort of more rich media kind of experience.

That's part of television.

With all this generative AI, you know, another thing that I could see in the future is that, you know, because one of the things that's great about generative AI is producing images.

I don't see any reason why in the future, if you're, you know, like identifying products in the screen , you could actually start putting products into the scene.

Exactly.

And selling them.

Exactly.

Right, you know, like that lamp could be a different lamp altogether and you could have that , you know, clickable and, you know.

Customize which person is seeing what scene even.

That's another thing Amazon just launched.

They had a scene where the photo was somebody sitting, you know, next to a wall.

And then the next photo had that same scene with the Coke can that they inserted into the scene.

And so those type of shoppable opportunities will exist as well.

Sure.

Yeah, I'm going to have to change this background to empty some of these shelves so I can start having them for product placement.

Exactly.

That's it.

It's a really wild new world we're walking into.

And, you know, you look at the, you know, the SAG, you know, strike and the writer strike and, you know, they're, you know, one of the big things that they're complaining about is like digitizing their images and using it forever in any context that the studios want.

I mean, the very nature of content might be very different in the future.

And if you're going to be, you know, putting actors virtually into scenes, there's no reason why you can't construct a larger, you know, story inside of these with products and different placements and things like that, that could have.

Absolutely.

And what I think is really going to be interesting is the partnerships that emerge through these solutions.

You know, I know in the past, when you mentioned Star Wars earlier, I believe that they had this really cool relationship with like VW, where they're making these like cool space vehicle type things.

So it's a great move for VW, but you're going to see some really interesting partnerships taking place based on solutions that are becoming available.

I can really see right now, you know, it's kind of a flip the script right now.

They produce a show and then their department goes on.

They search for supporters, right? They, you know, in the old days, they called them soaps, the soap operas in the fifties, because all the soap commercials would be on the housewives that were staying home, that was relevant.

But, you know, today, again, this is very similar where you've got, they're searching for the products to support the space or the show after the show's produced.

We're in the future.

I think you're going to be able to say, look, here are all the products we're going to use.

Let's go to these brands as we're setting up the scenes, as we're deciding what's going to be in the scene, get their support there and then just film into that.

And that whole thing then will just be completely evolved at that point.

It'll just be a package.

It's a great point.

I mean, if you could imagine, you know, Saturday morning cartoons, right? And the kind of advertising that used to be on during that time in the eighties and nineties, and when they really figured out, Hey, we're marketing to the wrong people, let's market to the kids, not to their parents.

It's kind of like the same idea.

It's like, put it, put it into what that experience is.

Yeah.

Although marketing to the kids gets a little scary because my kids, you know, will click on a lot of stuff and that can get very expensive.

And purchasing power, which never existed before.

So, I mean, if you have kids, you know, that your kids make most of your purchasing decisions anyways.

I mean, they decide where you're going to go to eat, decide everything.

That's it.

It's crazy.

It's crazy out there.

So, well, you know, this is really some cool stuff, you know, walking into a brave new world here of, you know, totally different type of user experience.

And I think it, I think it aligns well with some of the things that we're seeing out in the market with how, you know, this shopping experiences is changing and sort of, you know, creating like evergreen content that can continue to sell a product while, you know, continuing to build new things and make new things.

So it's like, it's, it's, it's a compounding kind of interest kind of world we're, we're walking into and things like what you're doing are really going to help, help enable that.

So.

I think about some of the first video games like Pong, right? Which was, you know, the, you look back at that game and how simplistic it was and where video games are today.

I think this is what you're going to see in the advertising world.

What we're going to look back on where we are today as, wow, this thing has just traveled light years into the future with, with people's capabilities and making decisions right there.

Very cool stuff.

You know, thanks for coming on.

I'm excited to see where this goes .

There's just so many, so many interesting directions for this, this to go.

And, you know, with all the new technology, it's going to be, it's going to be really cool to watch.

We need to get you, we need to get you your tip jar, right? Yeah.

I like the idea of the tip jar.

I gotta have to, I can have to figure that out.

And like I said, I've got another project that's coming down the pike.

That's that, that may be really relevant for this.

So I'll have to talk to you about that.

But thanks again for, for being on and really appreciate it and look forward to seeing where you guys go.

Thank you very much.

Thanks for having us.

Thanks for watching.

I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

And if you could think about giving us a like, maybe subscribing, you know, all those things, and I will see you in the next one.