Building a Mobile-First Digital TV Network 

IZ-ON Media took over operations of a nationwide digital network in restaurants owned by Taco Bell, McDonalds, Wendys, and others.  It was a new animal considering that the company wrote the book on shopper marketing via media at retail.  Engagement in fast-casual restaurants was untested ground.

With theBite, we had the opportunity to re-think and test a new approach television with mobile engagement at the core, with the promise that existing shopper marketing advertisers would want to invest.

10 people were assigned roles with this new startup venture.  My role began as Executive Producer, and out of necessity and opportunity, expanded to include roles of Creative Director and Product Owner.

theBite Channel Program had numerous concurrent projects
  1. MVP: Product Launch and Optimization
  2. CX Strategy
  3. Media Production
  4. Listening to the data: Interactive Engagement
The Platform: A network of locations, from sea to shining sea 

MVP

With zero downtime, we got to an MVP the day the former owners ceased operations.  Many were surprised how seamless it went, which was a testament to the high level of expertise IZ-ON had in managing the enterprise, in this case, of 6000 screens and 4000 servers across 2000 locations.  The Agile process followed, focusing on back-end development and trimming helpdesk requests.

While systems were being optimized in scrum sprints, with my leadership, the content team focused on creating a meaningful experience for the millions of diners watching our screens everyday.
The product: Entertainment media served up while we dine.

UX Strategy

With a wealth of research at our fingertips, the first challenge was to define what  value TV could provide to a mobile-first audience.  Short-form content was a must, but what media really mattered, when we individually have the finest on-demand entertainment systems in human history at our fingertips?  What would turn passive viewers into active participants? Isn't TV dead? 

Serious questions, indeed.  We started with the assumption that we had a shot at being relevant and delightful if we treated their attention as gold, and in exchange we'd give them fun content which could be converted into social currency.

Because we were on-air on Day 1, we adopted an abbreviated CX process, where testing was done live, rather than in a sandbox.

Project Phases

DISCOVERY
  • Define Business Requirements, Platform and Competitive Landscape
  • Understand Users
  • Understand Systems Limitations

DEFINITION + DEVELOPMENT
  • Structure and Scope
  • Personas, Flows, Scenarios 
  • Consumer Experience, Interactive Engagement / Show Flow

TESTING and DELIVERY
  • Structure: this went quickly, as we were already on-air
  • Content and Creative Products
  • Community Engagement


What we did, ways we pivoted, things we learned

Details and findings from the project are explored on the following pages
The people: From a universe of users, 
we targeted college-age guys and shaped experiences for them.
The Brand: Bite-sized entertainment 
that keeps you ahead of the pop-cultural curve.



54% Ad Recall
10.25% Click-Through Engagement

Success Metrics: 
Qualitative and Quantitative
A Sizzle Reel made for the relaunch