Citysearch Launches Video, Mobile Extras
- by Tameka Kee , May 3, 2007
According to a study by Borrell Associates, video is expected to dominate almost 35% of local online ad spending within five years.
With Video on Citysearch, a reported 13.9 million users will now find short clips featuring business owners, employees, and customer reviews alongside the traditional text-based listings.
"It's another form of content we've introduced to allow users to make good decisions on where to spend their time and money," said Scott Morrow, executive vice president of product and marketing, Citysearch.
Produced by a video production company called TurnHere, the clips can be bundled into the site's traditional pay-per-performance advertising package.
Part of the new design also includes an update to the 'My Citysearch Summary' personalized suggestion feature. By comparing a user's session activity with results from what others have viewed in the same category, the feature makes targeted business recommendations.
And while the mobile search component is not unique to Wednesday's launch, the two-part service receives more prominence in the redesign. Now, the option to "send to phone" is displayed in bold type before the listing's editorial content.
In addition to having a business's name, address, and phone number sent via the Web site, users also now have the option of "Citysearching" from their phone. By sending a specific keyword like "dinner" and the specific ZIP code or city name to the short code CS411 (27411), users can receive up to four SMS search results while they are on the go.
The new additions come partly as an attempt to differentiate Citysearch from others in the local search market, and as part of a revamp of the entire brand. "We are redefining what the Citysearch brand stands for," said Morrow. "And these are just the first of many improvements as we sharpen the focus on who we serve and what we stand for."
