Interview: Greg Grunberg and August Trometer, founders of Yowza, action heroes

Greg Grunberg and his partners in August Trometer Rick Yaeger and have a successful iPhone App called Yowza - it is basically a conscious about the coupon that gives you great deals at major retailers - and Greg plays Matt Parkman on NBC's Heroes, a program I he said is very popular with a certain demographic. These are two very cool guys.

I had the opportunity to talk with Greg and August to build iPhone applications, topless while, and was very close to Hayden Panettiere to obtain the phone number for all of you.

CrunchGear: So ... Yowza, this is the best of your movement? And 'this what happens when the fund is out of all this acting fashion?

Greg Grunberg: Exactly. This is for when you are thinking about cooking and I'm like "I do not understand, because it is the make-up make a sorry sort of an STD on my face? What's new? You know, my character will be killed? "

I have always been entrepreneurial, always been an entrepreneurial type guy, I played a character who was modeled after me Felicity actually. JJ Abrams is one of my best friends so that when it was created to show that, as stated, I have the perfect character Sean Blumberg, He is always looking for the next idea.

I mean I have friends with JJ from preschool, believe it or not. All through college I was the sale and the sale of that business and different things.

CG: How have this idea?

GG: I love the iPhone, Mac and I am a big fan of apples. About that, on 9 months ago my wife and I were just complaining that we have forgotten, once again, our Bed, Bath, and Beyond coupons. We have 3 children and I thought it would be of great skills to use the GPS of the phone you know and you are offered, coupons, with hundreds of you, without having to pack the children with things.

So on Twitter about 2 months later I met Trometer Rick Yeager August and August is here and now. August has been very successful with the applications since the app started.

I was like "Guys, I have this idea I dunno if it can be implemented, I do not know if its possible, I'm not that kinda guy can actually manipulate the SDK and write the code for the application. But what do you think of this idea. " And they turned white. They took the idea, the concept, and just found it.

Rick from a design perspective, and August, the technical side. I am really excited about the project. I catch myself on the set, and "I'm like oh shit, I would look at the script!" Yowza so I'm in now. I am not saying that NBC.

CG: The idea of GPS-based vouchers is not brand new. Nokia has talked about this, I think we talked NEC years ago. What is it today to the market and the iPhone that really this all together, when so many others have failed?

bio_hs_augustAugust Trometer: One of the things that I think that the Iphone differs from all previous efforts are just some of its capabilities. You've got GPS. A high-resolution screen so you can enter the bar code on the right there is the telephone. That said there are still competing on the iPhone that do similar things. But we did something completely different to what everyone was doing, and we started with the first buyer, and we said if I was in the middle of a shopping mall, as I would like this job? And 'This is the attitude we took when we were developing the application. And this is why I believe that ours is the best in the group.

GG: There are so many, 50-60,000 applications that are in stock. You must have the marketing dollars, or the marketing plan, at least, to get the word on it, and that kinda where I come and help. I'm doing all the talk show, I'm doing press. There is another side to talk to me. People want to talk about heroes for 5 minutes and then talk to my iPhone app.

CG: As we get close to shops, actually go to the shops or do they call you. What is the process from there?

GG: In the beginning it was a difficult chicken and egg situation. When I was called and say "Hello its Greg Grunberg, star of NBC's Heroes, I can speak with the head of marketing for the benefit," and I would have on the phone.

I am not ashamed to say that I'm using to get to these people because they are bombarded hours, from every kind of marketing: e-mail, text, traditional advertising and couponing in the documents and material. So I have the phone, and once they see the application are linked. And it is easy to demo.

This is the good thing about this is I can not tell if you have an iPhone, they say, unless you tell someone in the office and get it. Turn and you can see how easy and intuitive it is.

CG: Are you planning to expand this to other platforms, Pre or Android or anything else?

AT: There are certainly those on the "road map". We have no time for them. Do we really want to make sure there are many traders and many buyers to make traders happy. Surely are in search of those platforms and their expansion will be, we just do not have time right now.

CG: In terms of added value for traders themselves, are to receive specific information traffic by walking on foot, carrying iPhones. There are statistics you guys able to collect data from when people run the application outside?

GG: Yes, we have set so that the traders, all they need is access to the Internet. There is hereby established, with no equipment to buy, not even a series of payments. E 'a location-based app so the merchants are charged for each position. What they have access is unprecedented in this area: a minute by minute and position by position analysis of the data, you can see statistics of how many people are pressing "Use coupons," and that in order to compare the actual reduction to register.

Not all the offerings is one that needs to be redeemed in the case of an advertisement of sale and then you look at the number of uses. But it can really tailor the offers that can change on the fly. We've just made an agreement with Madison Square Garden Productions and will be something that can be put on offer during a sports game. Then you can take it down when everything is finished. They want to be able to make the offer, so between the first and second period of game will have a different offer made the next period.

Grocery chains are enthusiastic, if tomatoes are not going well you can immediately respond to that, and can get rid of some inventory.

CG: Who you are aligned right now?

GG: Pier 1, Sears, REI, the Container Store. We have an agreement with Sysco food and provide all food for 400,000 restaurants nationally. Are encouraging restaurants are all the services to take Yowza because it is so convenient, and therefore traceable, and you can control, you can meet a vacation and then take it down.

AT: We collect an enormous amount of data, the views and uses only a small part of it. Over time there will be exposure to an increasing number of data for traders to be able to see what is really happening with the coupons. It is unprecedented for any advertising media for a trader to be able to see this type of data. You can not do it with the press, you can not do that with TV or radio. And 'something really amazing for them.

CG: How was your experience with the app store? I think that some people have had mixed experiences with them. Perhaps all this pass without problems, almost immediately? They fly away, poised to have the giant UFO?

AT: Yes, there were shots of speed in all reality. Mele was fantastic to work with them and we are really excited about Yowza.

GG: There has been a relationship with the apple. I have known for a long period of time, I produced a film of group sex and are instrumental to providing all the computers for the movie, for facing the camera and behind the scenes.

E 'was great when, in fact in touch with us, there was an article about me on twitter, who contacted me and said thank you so much to say I Twittered on an iPhone, I said that's all I use .

They have been very useful and continue to be. I am very excited to have a sort of celebrity and an annex an app that people can call for every single day and may be useful in more than a fun, but something that can really help people save money.

AT: I cannot remember if you talked to Greg, but your readers might find interesting, we all met on chirping, the whole affair started on Twitter.

G: Yes, that was a cool thing. I have a lot of people follow me now, I did not at first. Initially it was Rick who contacted me and said yes, I can help you take advantage of this social media thing, if this is what you want to do. And we started talking, he had a previous relationship with needle, told me to meet this guy, which develops applications, we have an 'idea for your product. Yes thank God for Twitter.

CG: I have some questions to the guys at TechCrunch. Before Jason Kincaid Hayden wants the phone number, if you could send that over.

GG: Next.

preview_320_260_1JB: And then I had to ask the experience of being "shirtless fan" Austin Powers: Gold Member.

GG: In short, I have done nothing in this film, I love movies. My brother listened to one of the other shirtless fans. I also did a commercial for Rolaids years ago, I do not know how old you are, but it was some 'time ago, more than 20 years ago.

JB: I am 34 so perhaps I have seen.

GG: Yes, it's pretty fun, but it was for 2 years and it was a guy who tailgates a Buffalo Bills football, and his father and grandfather are there, all topless, all shirtless. When we were celebrating our bodies were in slow motion so literally a ripple of fat, it is not an appealing appearance. And that kinda became famous, I was on Today Show for it. So, when they were casting the film, and met my brother are like "Go get Greg to come and do it with you."

Via:crunchgear