O2 today becomes the first network provider to offer large-scale location-based mobile marketing in the UK, enabling brands to deliver relevant SMS and MMS to consumers in a more targeted, engaging and effective way than ever before. Starbucks and L’Or‚al are the first brands on board for the six-month trial, which relies on consumers opting into the service to receive relevant messages dependent on their age, gender, interests and for the first time, their location. With the launch, O2 immediately enables the UK’s favourite retailers and brands to reach over one million opted-in consumers on their mobile phones when they are in a mind-set to make a purchase.
The service uses location-based technology known as ‘geo-fencing’ to power the trial and is the result of O2 Media, O2’s mobile marketing arm, partnering with Placecast, a Californian company whose tried and tested platform has transformed the mobile marketing industry in the USA. Placecast’s customers have included North Face, quick-serve restaurant, Sonic Drive-Ins and American Eagle Outfitters. 65% of customers who were part of initial programmes made a purchase as a result of an SMS and MMS, and 60% of participants found the location-based messages to be ‘cool and innovative’.1
The partnership combines Placecast’s location-based experience with O2’s customer base of over 22 million, its network and O2 Media’s strong relationships with brands and ad buyers. It enables brands to target their audiences better than ever before and give consumers relevant and targeted information and offers.
Shaun Gregory, Managing Director of O2 Media, said: ‘The growth of location-based services will create a golden age for proximity marketing. It fuels a growing expectation among consumers for personalised advertising via their mobile phones that is directly relevant to their passions. The market potential here is huge – it has already had massive success in the USA – and this is another nail in the coffin of the old model of reaching mass audiences in one go.’
How it works:
Since its launch one year ago O2 Media has provided personalised media opportunities for brands including Adidas, Cadbury, Blockbuster and Interflora by leveraging O2’s unique customer data via O2 More. Success stories include a NatWest campaign that targeted its app at iPhone owners, which received a 26% response rate, while targeting families with teenage children gave Thorpe Park a near one-in-three download rate for its app. O2 Media has since expanded into new areas, like Top Up Surprises and Priority, to offer brands unique and innovative solutions that stand out from the traditional clutter.
Alistair Goodman, CEO of Placecast, said: ‘O2 is one of the most innovative mobile carriers in the market and we are pleased to be partnering with it to bring location-based mobile marketing to the UK. The service allows consumers to go about their day and automatically alerts them when they are near a special offer available at their favourite retailers. This is truly marketing as a service to consumers, not an intrusion, enabling people to connect with brands at the right place and in real-time, all via their mobile phone.’
1 Figures taken from Placecast ShopAlerts’ Pilot Studies 2009. More information on this can be seen here: http://placecast.net/research/Placecast-ShopAlerts-Pilot-Studies.pdf