| Will 'big brother' fears halt success of location-based mobile services? |
| Thursday, 23 January 2003 | |
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Precision Marketing, 24 January 2003 - Pamir Gelenbe is director of corporate business development for Flytxt.
Being able to locate your nearest ATM via location-based mobile services (LBS) when you're stuck for cash sounds brilliant. Time Out's launch of its mobile LBS, providing readers with a service to locate the nearest theatre, cinema or bar, for example, is welcome news to the mobile industry. Perhaps not so enticing to consumers, however, is the surveillance or 'big brother' style of mobile marketing that LBS implies. Before tackling the issue of consumer protection, we should distinguish between 'request' and 'trigger'-based mobile LBS. Trigger-based LBS is illustrated by Joe Bloggs walking down the high street being bombarded by offers and advertising from the shops he passes. While 'request'-based LBS involves an explicit request from consumers or third-parties Perhaps fortunately, trigger-based LBS currently remains in the realm of fantasy. Request-based LBS is available on some networks, but issues such as the accuracy of the positioning information available and the usability of the applications need to be addressed. While a phenomenally powerful marketing tool for retailers, the legal framework for location-based mobile marketing should be clarified. The EU directive on Traffic Data empowers subscribers to control and, where necessary, object to the processing of location data that exists in every single handset. In a marketing context, this means opt-in from subscribers is essential. Placing the consumer at the controls of mobile communication is now more crucial than ever to the success of these applications. The future of LBS promises to be exciting. Richer applications, enabled by mapping and geo-marketing, will enable consumers to find their location, with directions on a map displayed on the screen. The combination of gaming and LBS is already proving a hit in Scandinavia, where users interact in virtual street fighting games. While it's unlikely to herald a revolution for mobile marketing, the advent of LBS will certainly bring far greater personalised and relevant interactions between brands and consumers. © Copyright Flytxt Ltd 2006. Unauthorized use of any content constitutes a material breach. |
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