Mobile technology and capabilities are constantly evolving. Brands that are able to stay ahead of the curve and extract value from new technologies give themselves distinct advantages.
Beacon technology is evolving quickly in the mobile industry as companies from Apple to PayPal are developing beacon hardware. Beacons are a piece of hardware that use Bluetooth connections to send messages directly to a smartphone or tablet. Business Insider reports, "They are poised to transform how retailers, event organizers, transit systems, enterprises, and educational institutions communicate with people indoors." Beacons are another opportunity marketers have to connect their customers' online and offline brand experiences.
Beacon technology seems like a no-brainer for retail companies, but as Mobile Commerce Daily showed in a recent article, sports and entertainment venues have also started to capture the value beacon technology can give marketers. Below are 4 use cases the media and entertainment industry are starting to use or plan to use with beacon technology:
1. Single view of the customer
Arenas and stadiums are using beacon technology to connect the data points between the customer buying the ticket online and the end attendee at an event. Location-based messaging as a whole brings major implications for the opportunities it brings to connect online and offline data points and create a very robust single view of the customer.
2. Personalized advertising and promotions
Location-based messaging allows promotions and messages to be much more personalized and targeted. Mobile Commerce Daily reported on how the NFL used beacon technology to deliver location-based, personalized messages during the Super Bowl:
"The NFL recently leveraged beacons at MetLife Stadium and Times Square for the Super Bowl. The NFL placed Qualcomm's Gimbal product to deliver hyper-personalized messaging and advertising via the NFL Mobile app."
3. Guides and interactive maps
A number of theme parks and arenas are starting to use their mobile app and beacon technology to create interactive maps and mobile guides. Using beacons and interactive maps could also bring significant value to large retailers and grocery stores to create engaging, customer-centric shopping experiences.
4. Location-based mobile commerce
Sports stadiums can easily use beacon technology to send special offers and promotions for concessions, but also to let a fan know of shorter lines around the corner, announcing a certain section was the winner of a free food item, and alert a fan of new jerseys and gear they can buy directly on their phone and pick up from the stadium's pro shop. I believe location-based mobile commerce will be one of the key marketing trends for 2014.
Mobile technology and location technology are transforming the interactions customers have with your brand and the way brands are building and cultivating those customer relationships.
The post Sports and Entertainment Industries use Beacons to Implement Location-Based Marketing appeared first on The ExactTarget Blog.
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