It has been quite a while since I last posted to this blog. For the most part, life has been quite hectic (new job, new baby, aso.) hence the silence. While twitter has been my channel of choice to share information, today I have decided to give blogging another try. The world is moving too fast, especially on the Internet, and it is good to be able to share thoughts outside of the 140-character box from time to time!
Many of my friends are doubtful at best when I share my interest for location-based services (lbs). I would like to share a few links here which may give a little perspective to this phenomenon.
The first one (courtesy of @DRAFTFCB_France) is the result of a US-based survey which claims to 50% of mobile users are willing to receive location-based advertising on their mobiles. Compare this with the average American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) with traditional media and you might get an idea that there may be an opportunity for brands here!
The second one is an insightful analysis from Ben Horowitz explaining why Marc Andreessen and himself decided to back Foursquare.
[howcast class=”aligncenter” url=’http://www.howcast.com/videos/386406-How-To-Unlock-Your-World-With-Foursquare’ height=’240′ width=’360′]
Most people think it is trivial to “check-in“, some may even say it is useless. Yet thousands of brands have already dealt with Foursquare to make sure that their services are available for mobile users.
Last, but not least, an interesting example of a brand which seems to be a strong believer. American Eagle has just taken over Times Square with a massive display, as part of an ongoing partnership with Foursquare. A 15% discount was given to buyers walking into the store who had checked-in with Foursquare first.
This is where the power of the network gets obvious: check-in -> update your status on social media sites -> let your friends know of the deal -> virtuous circle … As of today, 3 million users have already signed-in and the growth rate is simply impressive!
Did I get your attention yet?
Update: if I did not convince you, you may want to check this Harvard Business Review blog conversation Beyond Foursquare: The Next Generation of Customer Loyalty
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