Events result in presenting great opportunities to carry out Mobile Proximity Marketing campaigns and to reach out to a mass audience. Mobitel, FuturLink´s distributor in Croatia took advantage of one of the biggest music events in Europe to carry out a Bluetooth Marketing campaign for T-Mobile. The main aim of the campaign was to increase T-Mobile´s brand awareness and what better way to do it than at a place where there would be a large amount of people and by sending a festival guide to their mobile phones. The inmusic Festival 4 held in Zagreb and Jarun on the 24th and 25th of June, 2009, had famous artists llike Kraftwerk, Moby, Franz, Ferdinan, N*E*R*D etc. performing at the event. To distribute multimedia content to attendees of the event, two FuturLink Access Points were installed that sent a ringtone, a T-Mobile animation and a festival guide specially designed with FuturLink APSuite Advanced´s application creator. During the 2 days of the campaign, a total of 832 mobile phones were detected and 204 downloads were made resulting in a redemption rate of 24%.
FuturLink has revolutionized the technology of interactive screens with FuturLink Kiosk Software, an innovative solution that allows you to download content to mobile phones. This software lets you convert any touch screen running on Windows Tablet PC or XP to a platform for multimedia content distribution to mobile phones via Bluetooth. With FuturLink Kiosk Software, it is possible to create “Pull” Proximity Mobile Marketing campaigns quickly and easily, allowing taking the level of interaction further than just the screen.This new software allows downloads via Bluetooth to mobile phone users from the interactive screens to be simple, fast and free because the download process for the end user is very simple and uses connection technologies that are embedded in the Mobile phones.Why convert a Kiosk or an interactive display into a platform to distribute content to mobile devices? Mainly because the mobile phone is a preferred medium of communication to enjoy digital content whenever and wherever you´d like to.For example, John is at the airport waiting for his luggage. While he is waiting, he interacts with a kiosk that provides tourist information (attractions, hotels, restaurants, etc.) about the city where he is going on holiday. The information seems very useful and he chooses to download the information he needs to his mobile phone to view and enjoy when he is at his holiday destination.The main advantages of FuturLink Kiosk Software are its ease of use because the user does not need advanced technological knowledge and the ability to manage content online and offline, depending on the network infrastructure. Another feature of FuturLink Kiosk Software is that it supports multi-format content compatible with mobile phones, such as pictures, videos, audio, and applications, among others. “With the launch of this revolutionary solution, FuturLink allows users of the interactive screens to acquire content for free to enjoy and share when and where they want to,” says Mercè Ruestes, Director of Market Strategy FuturLink.
Mobitel, FuturLink´s reseller in Croatia used FuturLink´s Mobile Proximity Marketing platforms to carry out Bluetooth Marketing Campaigns for Coca-Cola Zero´s sampling event called ZeroManija.
The objective of the campaign was to increase Coca-Cola´s brand awareness and its emotional impact on people´s lives. The event took place in May 2009, in the cities of Split, Rijeka and Zagreb and involved the youngsters of Croatia. Free Coca-Cola Zero samples were distributed and the event also had fun activities involving the target. Two ringtones, a gif animation and a coupon from High Store was distributed through FuturLink Access Points installed at the event venues.
During the campaign period of three events, 671 mobile devices were detected and 534 downloads were made, making the highest redemption rate in Croatia so far with a magnificent 79.58%. The success of the campaign proves the effectiveness of the Mobile Proximity Marketing channel especially when used at events and its attractiveness to young clients.
FuturLink´s reseller in Croatia, Mobitel used FuturLink´s Mobile Proximity Marketing platforms to successfully carry out campaigns in 3 important cities of Croatia for the famous brand Milka. The reason for Milka to choose a Mobile Proximity Marketing action was to broaden its brand awareness and increase its presence within the younger population of Croatia.
The cities chosen for the marketing action were Zagreb, Split and Rijeka. FuturLink Access Points were installed in 12 most frequently visited City Light locations making it the largest Bluetooth campaign in Croatia. Call to action signage was done to request people to activate the Bluetooth on their mobile phones. During a span of four weeks, multimedia content like the Milka ringtone and screensaver was sent via Bluetooth & Wi-Fi to the mobile phones of passersby.
During the four weeks of the campaign 45,393 mobile phones were detected and 11,807 downloaded the content. The total redemption rate of the campaign was 26%. The result proved the effectiveness of FuturLink´s products to reach marketing goals and empower interaction with the target audience.
FuturLink leads once again in innovation in the Mobile Proximity Marketing Industry with a new hardware that increases the connection capacity of FuturLink Access Points.FuturLink AP300x has been designed bearing in mind that it may be practical, lightweight, portable and easily transported. It works as a capacity module and when connected to other FuturLink Access Points, increases the number of simultaneous Bluetooth connections for sending content to mobile phones in close proximity. Each FuturLink Access Point can be connected to 3 FuturLink AP300x, reaching up to 84 simultaneous Bluetooth connections.
The main advantage of the FuturLink AP300x is the ease with which the simultaneous number of interactions with mobile phone users can be expanded.It is ideal for campaigns in environments with large number of people such as events, malls etc and all this can be achieved without the need of buying additional Access Points. Another big advantage is that it provides enough capacity for interactive campaigns such as user generated content campaigns or contests, which require the communication of FuturLink Access Point with a large number of users, simultaneously. “With the introduction of this simple and effective form of capacity, FuturLink adds power, flexibility and modularity to its Proximity Marketing platforms allowing easy management of both simple campaigns of content distribution and also campaigns that involve large audiences which are more complex, requiring a much more efficient way of user interaction, “says Mercè Ruestes, Director of Market Strategy at FuturLink.
Shoppers of Boqueria market can now obtain information about product discounts, interactive maps or list of shops, thanks to FuturLink´s Mobile Proximity channel installed in La Boqueria of Barcelona called CanalBoqueria. The Mercat La Boqueria, as it is called is located in the centre of Barcelona, near the famous La Rambla, which is one of the most important touristic spots of the city. FuturLink´s clients, Panòptic Produccions has carried out this project, by installing FuturLink´s Access Points to provide passersby with important information that is not only related to La Boqueria market, but also information related to entertainment and culture of Barcelona. A way to interact with tourists and Barcelona citizens, the Access Points are located at the entrance of the market and in kiosks at other important spots of La Rambla. The information can be downloaded in 4 different languages considering the high number of tourists visiting Barcelona. The new channel incorporates 10 FuturLink Access Points. During the months of June and July it will be in testing stage, but the promoters are planning to expand it soon. So, if you pass by La Rambla, for curiosity reasons or interest to visit the Mercat La Boqueria, don´t forget to switch on your Bluetooth!
This week the Bluetooth SIG released the 3.0 version of the Bluetooth standard specification. One of the major changes included in the specs is the support for high speed data transfer, up to ten times faster than current 2.x versions. The next version of Bluetooth technology would have a theoretical upper limit of 60MBps data transfer rate, which would help streaming high-quality data between an Access Points and one or multiple mobile devices. Technically speaking, when it comes to transferring large amount of data or big files using Bluetooth 3.0 chip, it borrows Wi-Fi chip within the same device, so as to perform the actual transfer. When the Wi-Fi chip is no longer required, Bluetooth switches it off, thereby saving power considerably, this consideration is important for handheld devices. Initially, the chipset manufacturers industry expects to start delivering this technology to the market by 2Q 2010, so you can expect that first devices with this technology by the second half of next year. These are very good news for FuturLink Customers who will, in the future, benefit for new and exciting functionality to offer to the end user. It also ensures a good path for innovation and product development of our solutions in the coming months.
FuturLink has repositioned its business to achieve strong growth and international expansion through a large-scale strategic change and a new business plan announced by the new management. According to Ricardo Garcia, CEO of FuturLink, “This business plan envisages the development of a network of offices and partners with VARs (Value Added Resellers) that will form the basis of a plan for international expansion and consolidation in the long term.” The company positions itself as a manufacturer of technology that thinks globally and acts locally through partners who act as local offices of the Company, replicating the business model and expertise of FuturLink in the local market. These partners will in turn develop their own network of VARs. On the other hand; FuturLink will only market its technology through local offices or VARs, with the objective of loyalty of distribution channels. To overcome this challenge, Garcia believes in FuturLink´s potential and differential values such as leadership in R & D, capacity of innovation and knowledge throughout the value chain. “These differences are guarantees for the company to quickly succeed in positioning its brand in the international market and address the business opportunities in a highly competitive market”, explains the CEO.
On March 4th 2009 at the Geneva Motor Show, SEAT unveiled the new CUPRA RACE CLUB SEAT application developed specifically for the iPhone & iPod Touch platform from Apple. The application is based on a communication and entertainment portal aiming to promote CLUB SEAT and to make the user an active participant of the brand values: design, sportsmanship and quality. Utilising the innovative iPhone & iPod touch platform, a powerful 3D engine has been developed allowing the user “to play” and “to compete”, driving one of the most representative models of the company: the new SEAT IBIZA CUPRA. The powerful iPhone & iPod Touch platform has allowed SEAT to project a long term strategy with the objective to update the contents of the application periodically. New vehicles, circuits, competition modes and other new features can be added to the basic application, with the purpose of being in constant contact with the consumer throughought the game. With this action, SEAT positions itself as an innovative brand that uses different communication mechanics, looking to establish direct contact with the consumer, taking advantage of the ubiquity of the mobile device.
During the Mobile World Congress 2009 FuturLink had the opportunity to demonstrate to the decisions makers of the mobile industry its new mobile marketing and content distribution platform based on proximity of mobile phones via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC.
Many companies found out how they can improve their business using the FuturLink´s solutions which can help them:
To improve the selling effectiveness at the Point of Sale moving people from a Website to the Point of Sale
To reach on-the-go consumers with a powerful and unique message
To promote consumers´ loyalty using mobile phones.
Events result in presenting great opportunities to carry out Mobile Proximity Marketing campaigns and to reach out to a mass audience. Mobitel, FuturLink´s distributor in Croatia took advantage of one of the biggest music events in Europe to carry out a Bluetooth Marketing campaign for T-Mobile. The main aim of the campaign was to increase T-Mobile´s brand awareness and what better way to do it than at a place where there would be a large amount of people and by sending a festival guide to their mobile phones. The inmusic Festival 4 held in Zagreb and Jarun on the 24th and 25th of June, 2009, had famous artists llike Kraftwerk, Moby, Franz, Ferdinan, N*E*R*D etc. performing at the event. To distribute multimedia content to attendees of the event, two FuturLink Access Points were installed that sent a ringtone, a T-Mobile animation and a festival guide specially designed with FuturLink APSuite Advanced´s application creator. During the 2 days of the campaign, a total of 832 mobile phones were detected and 204 downloads were made resulting in a redemption rate of 24%.
