SmartBomb Drops New Mobile-Digital OOH Plan

July 19, 2013 by Dave Haynes

There’s a good debate to be had about what’s the best bridge to build between networked displays and handsets, and what’s on that bridge in terms of content.

I never, ever got the whole check-in thing and it’s an activity that has largely passed (though I still see Tweets from people who think me and others care that they are at Dulles Airport with 23 others. Yeah, so?)

A company with a very curious name, especially if it has people who travel, has worked a Digital OOH – Near Field/QR code thing with Blue Bite, aimed at the Latino and African American markets.

The release:

SmartBomb Media Group, the company behind the iCASHtv Network – the dominant in-store digital network in Check Cashing and Currency Exchange locations in the US, and Blue Bite, the Mobile Standard in Out-of-Home, announced the launch of the largest integrated DOOH and Near Field Communication (NFC) / Quick Response (QR) platform focused on the multicultural audience. Blue Bite’s proprietary mTAG platform will be available in thousands of check cashing teller windows at hundreds of iCASHtv Network locations in New York, New Jersey, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Raleigh-Durham and San Diego by the end of July, 2013.

The multicultural Check Cashing customer, a demographic that is Latino and Black/African American dominant, and over indexes on smart phone and social media usage according to a Nielsen study, will see and hear a video on an iCASHtv Network screen and be prompted to either “tap” or “snap” the mTAG affixed to the teller window. Consumers will be able to tap their NFC-enabled smartphones to instantly download rich user content from brands including music, videos, mobile apps, promotions, coupons, maps, and tips, as well as store-specific offers and information. Consumers without an NFC-enabled phone will be able to scan the QR code with their smartphones to access the same content.

The suggestion is that these demographic groups over-index in mobile phone and mobile internet usage, so this is therefore a great way for marketers to reach them.

Blue Bite, says the release, has been seeing consistent growth in the number of mobile engagements in their campaigns over the past several years. Aided by the rise in smartphone penetration and consumer awareness of the availability of these features, Blue Bite and SmartBomb expect the interaction levels to continue their climb. The real-time analytics will allow participating companies to optimize their campaigns and mobile content to react to market conditions. Consumers will benefit from campaigns that are both relevant and geo-targeted, and will have the ability to share them with others through social media.

I’ve seen releases here and there about media companies and brands using this tech, but not a lot of results. Hopefully, SmartBomb and BlueBite will put out the numbers on how consumers respond to the technology, offers and cues to do things.