As the market for blogging and user-generated content (UGC) picks up steam, Mobrio, the online community and mobile web services company, is poised to accelerate sales growth of its ‘white label’ UGC platform solution, adding iTV to their community platforms portfolio...

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To back their plans, they have appointed Gideon Elichaoff as Business Development Director. He will work with high-profile brands seeking to extend their online presence by creating a ‘two-way’ communications pipeline with their customers. Gideon will target broadcasting and media companies eager to integrate UGC into their entertainment and marketing communications services.

Passionate about the democratisation of publishing through technology, Gideon believes the formation of online communities is a natural evolution for brands and their customers.

“At Mobrio, we specialise in building interactive Internet platforms that can be integrated into a brand’s web assets to support any of its marketing communications activities,” Gideon explains. “My aim is to highlight the ways in which companies can leverage this unique brand building tool to create immediate access to viral marketing and real-time consumer feedback. Using Mobrio’s proven technology, they can do this while shortening timescales, maximising investment and minimising risk.”

Moderation built into real-time feedback loop

As well as promoting Mobrio’s extensive technological capability, Gideon seeks to differentiate the company through its community management and moderation services.

“Brands are only too well aware of the possible fall-out from poorly managed and monitored web sites,” Gideon comments. “Many of our partner companies such as MTV, mykindaplace and Flextech Television are focused on the youth market. The protection of vulnerable groups is a core part of online community development and management. We liaise closely with compliance teams of brand owners to establish and implement comprehensive moderation policies and supporting technology so that a high level of protection is afforded to users as soon as sites go live.”

With twenty years business development expertise, Gideon was founder of the first online conference business for governments and industry which devised training software for major ISP’s and the National Curriculum. His projects have been supported by the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair; the former US Vice President, Al Gore; and sponsored by major brands including Microsoft, Shell and Nike.

Consumer-gererated platform integrated with iTV...

The announcement follows closely on the tails of Mobrios deal with Flextech Television, broadcasters of a range of entertainment TV channels including LIVINGtv, Uktv, Trouble, Bravo, Ftn and Challenge announced 9 May 2006. They will build an interactive consumer-generated content platform that can be integrated into Flextech’s web assets to support any of the shows broadcast on its channels.

The online community platform will be able to receive, format and present all consumer-generated content in a quick and flexible manner, regardless of the type and file format of the content submitted by the user. The system enables Flextech’s producers to engage directly with viewers who can post and share pictures, text, audio and video clips using their mobile phones and personal computers.

“Mobrio’s platform allows us to extend the programme experience beyond the normal broadcast remit. We will be able to generate advanced activity around new and old shows alike that traditionally have been hard to creatively enhance due to rights rarely being extended to platforms beyond television. We will also use the new platform to maintain continuity between shows and series by building a sense of participation with viewers and encouraging them to have interaction with each other and the programme producers,” commented Trouble's Homegrown Producer, Gavin Newman.

“As well as being an entertaining viral platform in its own right, Homegrown will have very specific incentives for example auditioning for the new series of Bump n Grind or the 30 minute weekly Homegrown show which follows later this year whereby people submit their video clips and the viewers vote for those they wish to see featured on-air.”

Viewers will be able to submit their content to the site which will automatically create an appropriate thumbnail link for the file and then convert this to a format that will allow it to be instantly streamed to site visitors. Fully configurable, the platform can be branded and tailored for any channel and any show.

“Flextech Television has thoroughly embraced the value of online communities as a natural extension to their existing marketing communication channels. The platform will help develop and drive viewer loyalty and engagement, as well as give commissioning editors and producers valuable insights into the type of interactive content that their viewers desire.” said Julian Swallow, Mobrio’s CEO.

About Mobrio:
Mobrio is an online community and mobile web services company based in London and Kiev. The company designs, builds, manages and moderates online communities for third party organizations for the fixed and mobile Internet. Mobrio's technology is used by leading media and entertainment brands such as MTV and teen e-zine, mykindaplace and Flextech Television. For more information email info@mobrio.com or visit www.mobrio.com