Published on the 29/05/2013 | Written by Newsdesk
A new way of promoting products and services is proving popular with everyone from the All Blacks to Mike Pero Real Estate and further afield…
The investors behind online companies ValueClick and ValueCommerce have developed a new social media crowd marketing platform that allows businesses to leverage content generated from their existing customer or fan base.
The Kiwi-developed Shuttlerock service was launched in beta form in New Zealand last October and well received locally, being used by leading brands including the All Blacks, Mike Pero Real Estate, Jucy Car Rentals, Mike Greer Homes, Lonestar Restaurants and Fly Buys. Shuttlerock helps its clients to gather fresh content and drive customers’ friends to a company home page.
CEO Jonny Hendriksen and investor Tim Williams, founders of ValueClick and ValueCommerce, together with director and social media expert, Jeff Bullas and Air New Zealand director Paul Bingham have now joined forces to launch ‘Shuttlerock’ globally. It has officially opened offices in the United States, Australia and the UK. It already has its first American clients from the building and travel sector and has signed its first clients in the UK (Photo World) and Australia (the Queensland Rugby Union). At eight months old the company is approaching break even status “ahead of schedule”.
Hendriksen said, “Shuttlerock clients are finding it really works as an online marketing tool because it enables them to reach customer’s friends and receive recognition from search engines for content that is then created on their website. It creates content that is relevant and really encourages potential customers to stay on the site longer and engage with the company.”
He said that Shuttlerock also has the ability to gather email addresses of both customers and their friends, who are an extremely relevant group of potential customers.
“Content can be generated from a range of other sources including staff, Instagram, flickr, sponsors and others. It’s easily uploaded and images are automatically sized, very much like Facebook, reducing the need for complex content management systems.
“We have a team of 10 people working the North American market from bases in Oregon, Los Angeles and Toronto. The platform works across a number of different sectors and has proven to be very flexible. We have definitely felt there is a need for this software based on our early discussions in the USA and remain positive about our prospects in this market.”
