Reading a recent post on TechCrunch about what venture capitalists look for when investing I ran across a really interesting point: “ The key is always to have the big goal, the big problem in mind, and be laser focused on it, but to be flexible and willing to pivot from idea to idea until one finds the right solution.” It made me stop and think about what we’ve been able to do in the first 13 months of Zazoom. I’m don’t have a big enough ego to argue we’ve nailed it by any stretch of the imagination but I sent the article around our E team as a reminder that we’ve got to always remember who we do this for. Viewers.
When we conceived Zazoom and the Buzz60 brand the motivation was simple — we all had spent years reporting on news in all of its guises via television while the audience moved on. Viewers didn’t leave us per se but rather the idea that video news and information was only available on a living room screen at a particular time chosen by someone else. How very retro. We thought with so many info sources available, people in the 21st Century didn’t need a one-size-fits-all solution but rather different ways to get different information at different times in different places. Buzz60 was born.
We’ve learned a lot since then and we haven’t done everything right (how’d those Cable Kooks segments do Jay?) but our audience tells us we’re on to something. The key for all of us who produce and distribute video is to listen to our customers and watch how they’re consuming content. It’s not enough to tell a great story or be the first or even best — not if no one sees it.
One of our (and almost every other company’s) biggest challenges is mobile. We may sit in front of 27″ monitors all day looking at videos but most people have to work for a living use their smartphones and tablets to do their fun surfing, including watching videos. I think watching video on my iPad is better than on my TV (I’m old so I still have one) or computer. Granted I’m not settling in for a Harry Potter marathon but much of what I like to watch is in shorter bursts anyway. And there’s plenty of evidence I’m not alone. So one of our biggest challenges at Zazoom is how to make sure mobile users get see our videos — perfectly tailored for running around and catching clips on the go — not only via the YouTube or Dailymotion app but in all the news ways people are using like Plizy, ShowYou, Deja and Vodio. And directly through a Buzz60 portal. It’s something we’ve been focused on for awhile and we’ve got some really interesting ideas for how to move the ball down the field.
We just always try and remember it’s all about the viewers because without them, we’re just a fun name with a red logo.