NBCUniversal is using its partnership with the second-screen application Zeebox to pull off the marketing effort. The initiative adds a commerce element to the NBCUniversal’s content to the Zeebox app, which is available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

“We know that our viewers are increasingly using a second screen while watching television, giving us a great opportunity to engage them wherever they are,” said John Shea, chief marketing officer and executive vice president at NBCUniversal Integrated Media, New York.

How it works
Under the deal, NBCUniversal-owned Daily Candy will create content with similar products that are featured on shows appearing on E, Bravo and Style Network. The TV shows involved are “Fashion Police,” “Tia & Tamara” and “Life After Top Chef.”

Consumers with the Zeebox app downloaded can then flip through the show’s pages to shop products that are inspired from the show. NBCUniversal claims that offers might also be featured on the show’s pages.

American Express is rewarding cardmembers who shop through the Zeebox app with a $35 one-time statement credit. Qualifying cards must be synced with a Facebook or Twitter account.

American Express has a strong social presence with its Amex Sync program that offers consumers relevant deals and offers by tying card and Twitter accounts together.

By adding the Zeebox element to the mix, American Express is able to combine mobile, TV and social into one experience for consumers.

To help promote the initiative, 30-second TV spots are running on the NBCUniversal networks and online properties.

Giving users an incentive to shop through the mobile app is a great way for the company to educate its users on how to use the technology.

The Zeebox app

Multiscreen TV
NBCUniversal was one of the first broadcasters to partner with Zeebox (see story).

One of the main goals behind the Zeebox app is to help users unlock information about their favorite TV shows. To help with this, social media also plays a big role in fueling how consumers find information.

By building on the partnership with a shopping element, NBCUniversal is proving that consumers are not only using multiple screens to research but are also buying products directly from TV content.

As consumers move to interacting with multiple devices while watching TV, marketers have been ramping up their second-screen initiatives.

However, the one of the main challenges for these kinds of efforts is around finding ways for marketers to build on content to make the second-screen experience valuable.

“This multiscreen, multiplatform experience allows us to effectively and creatively deliver our advertising partners’ targeted messages across the unparalleled scope and reach of our portfolio.”

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York