It’s been a few months since we launched Overlay.TV for Retail, and we’ve undergone some major changes since then.  Obviously, our goal is make shopping within video the norm – it is, after all, what we do.  But in talking to clients, analysts and media about our retail product, the opportunity for it to change the way we shop – even in some small way – is very real.

That’s why we’re very excited to announce the roll-out we’ve been hard at work on since the summer – Zappos.com.  For us, Zappos is a dream client – one with a huge fan base, and one that understands the role of new media channels and user-generated content in marketing.

Zappos is rolling out the video eCommerce integration in two phases, starting with “engagement pages” for specific brands like Nike (http://www.zappos.com/nike), and eventually incorporating video into every aspect of the site, allowing users to see the product from all angles and outside of a simple catalogue image.

It’s early days for video eCommerce, but you can expect to see some big things coming over the horizon.  Together with Zappos.com, we look forward to bringling online retail into the video age. 

Rob

Read full Press Release: http://www.overlay.tv/press_release.html

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What's this you ask? I can win a Wii? How?

Well kids, you may recall a few posts ago I told you about a very special tool we launched called ijustine.overlay.tv. Basically it's a free product endorsement backed by none other than the Internet herself, iJustine. Well now you can review a product and maybe win a Wii. Go to ijustine.overlay.tv, create your product review, iJustine will pick what she thinks is the best one, and Overlay.TV will give that lucky person a Wii! OMG a Wii!! The winner will be chosen on March 17th at SXSW, the last day of the Interactive portion.

For more info on how you can win a Wii, watch the clip below from iJustine's new show, Ask iJ.

· Ask iJ · contest · iJustine · product · review · SXSW · wii

 We are always looking for ways to make things easier and more efficient for our users here at Overlay.TV, and we have developed a new app we think will do just that. It's called the YouTube Uploader, developed with our friends at Nitobi, and it makes uploading videos to YouTube and creating Overlays on them super quick and easy. Simply install the app and uploading your videos to YouTube is as easy as a drag and drop, and you can start creating Overlays on your videos right from the app!

The app also allows for larger file sizes and sits on your desktop for quick access that you can open anytime, anywhere. Click here to install the app and for a complete description of how to use the Overlay.TV YouTube Uploader.

For all you dev types check out Part One of Jesse from Nitobi's blog post on how the YouTube Uploader came to be at our newly launched Labs site.

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In theses times of economic uncertainty celebrity endorsements, for some, may be very hard to come by, and frankly fiscally irresponsible. But fear not my cash strapped friends, well known online personality iJustine, aka the Internet, is here to help. iJustine is willing to schill your products for you, and do it for FREE! iJustine and Overlay.TV have partnered together to create the first free online celebrity endorsement tool, and it's not just for the business minded. Users who just want to share their opinions or review consumer products can also use iJustine as their celebrity mouthpiece, because after all everything sounds better when it come from someone famous! And it's ridiculously easy. Just go to ijustine.overlay.tv and ... wait! I'll let iJusitne tell you herself:

Here's an example of what your iJustine endorsement or review could look like:

advertising · celebrity · consumers · endorsement · iJustine · internet · Product Placement · products · review

Overlay.TV partner Kidz Bop is ready to let it rock! Kidz Bop users can now create their very own karaoke version of their favorite songs, including Kidz Bop's version of Let it Rock and Selena Gomez's pop hit Tell Me Something I Don't Know from the soundtrack to her movie 'Another Cinderella Story.' KidzBop had been thinking of implementing an interactive karaoke widget for some time, and when they saw the massive popularity of Jonas Brothers Overlay Vocal Booth, they were convinced. Like the JB booth, kids sing along to lyrics Overlayed in the music video, but this time their sing along will appear right inside the video itself.

And like all things Kidz Bop it's super simple for kids to create. Just head over to the Kidz Bop Karaoke Video Maker become a Kidz Bop member, if you haven't already done so, agree to the rules of play, pick your song and get ready to ROCK! Videos are moderated daily and kids can share them with their friends and family. And super awesome submissions have the chance to become the Featured Karaoke Video of the day. Get Rockin'!

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Yesterday I told you about our press release for The Jonas Brothers Overlay.TV Vocal Booth, and today we are front page news. The Ottawa Citizen ran a story today about our Vocal Booth, with a teaser right on the front page of the newspaper. You can find the article in the Business and Technology section of the print edition, or online in Ottawa Citizen's Entertainment section.

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Last week I gave you the inside scoop on our latest partnership with the Disney owned Hollywood Records, before it went live to the media and general public. Well, today the official press release has gone out to all media outlets announcing the wide release of The Jonas Brothers Overlay.TV Vocal Booth. In our limited run, The Jonas Brothers Overlay.TV Vocal Booth could only be accessed through the Jonas Brothers official website, but now fans can also access it through their official MySpace and Facebook pages. That means loads more fans singing their hearts to "Lovebug," and trying to get the those JB boys to notice them. And trust me when I say these fans are getting creative. Here's just a few examples of the lengths fans will go to, including camping out at an Apple Store to get access to a webcam and potentially the Jonas Brothers!

APPLE STORE FUNNNN

SIDNEY SUPERSTAR

ESTER MARIA I XENIA - SPAIN

 SPONTANEOUS POETRY WITH MAGGIE AND ELLEN

I AM A ROCKSTAR!!!

Disney · Hollywood Records · Jonas Brothers · Overlay.TV · Press Release · Sing-Along · Vocal Booth

Remember when you were a kid and you were 'like, oh my God, totally in love with,' let's say Duran Duran, or for those a little younger, New Kids on the Block, and how much you thought your love for them was so real and profound it made your heart ache? How you would lay awake at night in your pink canopy bed imagining your unicorn-themed wedding to Simon Le Bon or Donnie Wahlberg, just before rolling over and giving their poster one last kiss goodnight? How when you heard any of their songs on the radio, you would go absolutely crazy with delight, and sing at the top of your lungs into your hairbrush, dancing around your room to your legions of imaginary fans? Anyone? No? You totally lie.

Anyway, fast forward to 2008 and the new kids on the block are now Jonas Brothers, and posters still exist, but do so in a virtual universe. Now, imagine that you could sing-along with the Jonas Brothers and the whole world could see it. Kinda like karaoke, but not so lame. Well, Overlay.TV, together with the Disney-owned label Hollywood Records, has made that a reality.

Fans of the Jonas Brothers can now go to their official website and get in The Jonas Brothers Overlay.TV Vocal Booth and sing-along with them to their latest hit 'Lovebug.' It's super simple too. Click on the "Create Your Own!" button to start recording your very own version of 'Lovebug' while you sing-along with the JB boys themselves at the same time. Tell your kids, your friend’s kids, kids at school, stranger’s kids, your nieces and nephews, anyone who you think is a die hard JB fan, or just someone who likes to show off their musical chops. It's loads of PG good fun and gets you that much closer to Nick, Joe and Kevin. Like OMG!!!!

· Disney · Hollywood Records · Jonas Brothers · Overlay.TV · Sing-Along · Vocal Booth

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Overlay.TV Has Been Kidznapped!!!

This just in. Overlay.TV has been kidznapped by Kidz Bop! Not really of course, but Kidz Bop is the latest partnership to develop here at Overlay.TV. Kidz Bop is this millennium's answer to the Mini Pops (remember the Mini Pops?) with, as the name implies, kids bopping around and singing along to catchy pop hits, like The Great Escape by Boys Like Girls.

The official Kidz Bop website has re-launched, with of course all of the Kidz Bop music videos, but it now also features games, webisodes, contests, and the coolest new feature that gives kids the ability to create and upload their own video creations. Overlay.TV worked with Kidz Bop to develop not only a custom player for their site, but we also gave kids the ability to upload original videos that they could add cool animations to.

It's super easy too. Kids create an account on Kidz Bop, upload an already existing video, or create a new one with their webcam, add some animation to it and save! They can make web shows, video greetings, music videos, or whatever inspires them to be creative, and share it with all their friends on Kidz Bop! Cool.

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Not only is ELLE Canada the online home of the synonymously titled print mag (and the Canadian gals fashion bible), it is now the home of interactive videos, thanks to a partnership with Overlay.TV. For many print publications who have forayed into the dot-com fashion arena, video is becoming an increasingly huge part of the make-up of these sites, everything from runway shows, to how-tos, to behind the scenes footage, and ELLE Canada is no exception. What's lacking from most online video, particularly fashion and style based video, is the interactivity, the ability to find out what products they are using, info about the clothes and accessories, and the ability to shop. Now ELLE Canada, being a trailblazer of sorts in the fashion universe, is one of the first dedicated online fashion sites to offer this level of interactivity. You can now shop, find out info,  and much more, all while watching a video. It's just a matter of time before the rest of the online fashion community follows suit. Watch the video below and experience the interactivity for yourself.

ELLE Canada · interactivity · online magazines · Overlay.TV · partners · shop · Transcontinental · Video