iBeacon or Bother?
Confronted with the usual writers blank, I pondered potential subjects for this month’s blog. Then, as usual, if you know how, the internet doth provide! Which kinda leads us into our topic…
Algorithmic curated content, computer generated news articles, responsive environments, self-driving cars and even Facebook opting to judge what it considers worthy news; you’ll be familiar with the dystopian future envisaged by a great many sci-fi writers – now current event commentators.
iBeacon is an apparently new technology which, for users who choose to take part, or forget to opt out, will be reconnected with brands they’ve previously engaged with, on the move.
Sound like fun?
A more alluring idea, as touted by airlines: imagine, as you arrive at the airport, you pass an iBeacon which registers your entry and alerts the host to prepare your favourite drink and assigns you a time for the executive wash room. Sound idyllic? How many first class lounges have you found yourself in recently?
So that’s the promise, but what about the reality?
On entering a supermarket you’ll receive a text from, say, a fast-food product you bought on the fly, when returning home from a particularly busy day, the week before. The data could be a map to the aisle and a promotional coupon. Should you choose not to purchase said product, you may just find another ‘notification’ sent as you leave the shop; waiting for you the next time you check your phone; if it doesn’t immediately disturb you in the middle of your shopping. Sound idyllic? Yeah, not really.
It’s like remarketing as stalking.
A few years ago we saw attempts at something similar: when passing a billboard, if your Bluetooth was ‘visible’, a promotional text would be sent to your phone, usually a discount of some kind. It never caught on.
So what’s different? Fundamentally, not much. Marketers still want novel, cutting edge tricks to achieve exposure to particular demographics, often because this clique are tricky to target, being more savvy, they avoid advertising in its traditional forms, but are willing to promote those they feel reflect their values – a huge issue for millennials.
As we can see with Google’s most recent – rather epic – algorithmic error: ‘Google apologizes after photo software tags black people as ‘gorillas’ – it’s clear that computer applications and the programmers they represent, still have some way to go in understanding the human creature.
And an untimely targeted advert or over the top remarketing will do the absolute opposite of what your intending too. Herein lies the rub and why you need to be aware. It’s not that advertising is over, but it is changing, dramatically.
Recently, i read that the majority of television ads are avoided in one way or another, whether users are pre-recording their favourite shows, logging online, or, as I used to do, take the ridiculously long (and loud) ad breaks for toilet time and snack procuration.
Which I think speaks to the greater issue at hand; as a culture we are becoming more aware of ourselves, our society and we’re more demanding about how we wish it to operate. The millennials are to blame!
Some users are doing something about it. Technologies which block unwarranted advertising, such as AdBlockPlus, are becoming increasingly popular – there are those who have never heard of it and those who can’t live without it, and herein lies the divide.
As discussed in a previous blog, technology and society are integrating in ways that foresee an apocalyptic battle between the competing evolutionary streams of human and robot. Further, there appears another division between humans themselves; there will be those who will use technology to their advantage, even against itself, and there are those who will be used by technology and its operators.
Apple, recently announced that soon they’ll be launching their own version of AdBlockPlus. The speculation is, with it being Apple, that they’ll find some way to prioritise their own content. It’s akin to the old territory wars in the world of fly posting.
The take away here is that, technology is like a knife, it can open your letters or slice through steak – it’s about knowledge and its application. It’s about treating your customers with respect, providing quality content and worthwhile offers. It’s about understanding the variety and nature of your demographic and dealing with them as an equal.
Either you will want to stay ahead of the curve or you will need to speak with someone who has the facts to hand. Preferably they’re immersed in digital in their day to day. It’s not necessarily about doing more but doing it smarter. Because you aren’t guaranteed a captive audience, any more, so make your content captivating.
It seems the new currency is information and the new trade is sharing.
Coca-Cola explores iBeacons as marketing tool for World Cup sponsorship
Google listens after you say ‘OK Google’ to your desktop Chrome
The End of Advertising As We Know It
Why iBeacons Are Transforming the Travel Industry
Adblock Plus cries foul over Apple plan to stop ad
Google pulls listening software from Chromium
