• by Bill McCloskey , November 16, 2001

I’ve been doing so many opinion pieces lately that I thought it was time to get down to the nitty gritty and report on some new technologies that I’ve seen and been impressed with recently. Here are some snapshots from my emerging technology scrapbook:

Visionpoint Media. Visionpoint Media is a rich media email company based out of Raleigh, North Carolina and their specialty is deploying bullet-proof streaming video email campaigns that are highly cost efficient. Their CEO, Diane Kuehn, has a strong direct marketing background and as a result Visionpoint is one of the few rich media email competitors out there that not only doesn’t mind taking CPA deals, but knows how to make them work.

Unlike other video email companies, Visionpoint does not use a Java app to provide streaming video, but believes that the standard media players – Real, Windows Media, and Apple – provide a better user experience. Since 99% of all computers have at least one player installed, this is not an issue: the problem has always been which video player do you encode for? Visionpoint gets around this problem by encoding in all three formats and at various bit-rates so that no matter what combination of browser, player, or connection speed the user has, they will get optimum performance from their machine. And the fact that they are in North Carolina helps keep their prices low and affordable.

Up-Media. Another new rich media email company (boy, are there a lot of them suddenly), Up-Media does Macromedia Flash with a New York sensibility. Founded by a couple of current and former architects and a Web designer, Up-Media takes interactive Flash email design to a new level. Currently their market focus is companies that deal in a visual medium - art galleries, graphics designers, and architects – and letting them send Flash-based newsletters to their clients for as little as $1000 per month. Needless to say, they are NOT located in North Carolina, but rather North of Canal (i.e. the Tribeca section of Manhattan).

Active Buddy. One of the few companies out there that seems to have cracked the code on making money from Instant Messaging, Active Buddy creates smart agents that are tied to IM Buddy Names on the front end and a database of info on the back end. To try them out, go to your favorite IM product and type the name SmarterChild into your buddy list. Then ask it a question. The SmarterChild buddy answers questions about news, movies, weather and more. Marketers can use the Active Buddy Software Development to create their own smart agents to promote their products and services. For instance recording artist Lindsay Pagano has an active buddy (LindsayBuddy) to promote her work and interests.

CheckM8. Pronounced Checkmate, this company’s stated goal is to replace every other rich media company by putting the tools to create rich media banners, interstitials, DHTML floating ads, cursor ads, and other rich media types in the hands of publishers. With a single tool (and for pennies on the dollar) publishers would theoretically be able to create Eyeblaster, Unicast, and Comet Cursor type ads on their own and pocket the money that would normally go to the vendor. While not many publishers in the US have bitten yet, CheckM8 has had success in Spain, especially with Terra Lycos.

NativeMinds. For clients with deep pockets and big customer call center problems, in comes NativeMinds to save the day. NativeMinds has developed an expert system geared towards lowering the costs of phone centers by off-loading some of those calls to a virtual agent who can answer the most frequently asked questions. Better yet, the NativeMinds software can also identify and log questions that customers are asking that the company may not be aware of. For instance a cell phone company was able to uncover a new category channel when they discovered that many customers where asking what their lightest phone was, something they had not previously identified on the site. Reportedly, Ford has saved millions by using NativeMinds to decrease the amount of calls to their service centers that needed to be answered by a human being.

So there you go: 5 snapshots of 5 companies to keep an eye on, all of which deserve a much longer look. Check ‘em out.

-- Bill McCloskey is Founder and CEO of Emerging Interest, an organization dedicated to educating the Internet advertising and marketing industry about rich media and other emerging technologies.