Cricket, donkeys and Sherlock Holmes; what the industry did this summer…
This newsfeed is going out on the first day of September - Labour Day in the US and the unofficial end of Summer 2014. And what a summer it’s been! Industry news may have gone a little quiet (hence our smaller than normal news links below) but the uses and applications for NFC tags and beacons and innovative ways to use cashless payments continued on throughout the month of August, covering everything from cricket to donkeys to Sherlock Holmes himself…
First off, we saw the KIA Oval get fully ‘geo-fenced’ and ‘beaconed’ (it’s not a word - yet!). The technology was enabled by Proxama and was available during the fifth test match of England vs. India, from the 15th to the 19th of August. The Kia Oval was obviously impressed; Elliot Moore, General Manager, The KIA Oval said, “We see mobile as a great way to add value to our visitors, proximity technologies such as beacons and geo-fencing create a more enriching experience to fans. By enhancing digital capabilities at the cricket ground, we can help fans interact with our sport in a way that has not been possible before. Although the exclusive content is initially available to VIPs, the aim is to roll this out to the wider public audience, especially as we plan for the 2015 Ashes Series. We are delighted with both the results, with over 25% of all targeted fans downloading and using the app, the high number of interactions within the ground and the user experience.” Interestingly, this was by their own admission the first BLE enabled app that Proxama has deployed for a stadium client, and commented that ‘this initiative proves the positive impact the technology can offer all public spaces’.
We also covered a number of other proximity technology-based stories over the summer, including the one concerning the City of Liverpool becoming one of the first cities to use mobile digital proximity technology to enhance visitor experience with venues and events concurrently across the city. The mobile app, I’m@app, uses beacon and geo-fencing technology to (quote the organisers) will “enrich visitors’ experience of arts and culture by providing timely and relevant content to the visitor based on their location in the city and its wide cultural offering.” The first of its kind to be available on both Android and iOS, the content-driven app provides visitors of the city’s galleries and museums with material about the cultural exhibitions taking place.
Visitors to Liverpool can choose to tap and download the app using NFC and QR code enabled SmartPosters, or download the app from iTunes store and Google Play. Visitors become part of the digital experience as they enter the designated Bluetooth Beacon zone enabled by geo-fencing technology. Participating visitors receive messages straight to their smartphone with exclusive content provided by the creators of the city’s top arts and culture venues including Giants and ‘Dazzle Ship’. These messages are prompted as visitors walk past the Beacons located within this 37.6km² zone. The roll out was made possible via a collaboration between arts and entertainment insight specialists Purple Seven and (once again) Proxama. The solution can be adapted to exhibitions and events of varying sizes across individual venues or regions, to meet the growing trend within the arts and entertainment sector for greater interactivity.
Roaming the beaches of Blackpool, we reported on Dillion the Donkey (bear with me, I’m not about to make an ass of myself…), giving rides to small children perched upon his now famous contactless saddle. The saddle innovation allows parents to use their contactless payment cards to pay for a ride down the Blackpool Sands. Mark Ineson, owner of Real Donkeys, (as opposed to his supposed competition - ‘Fake Donkeys’) who has given donkey rides on Blackpool’s beach for nearly 20 years, has worked with Barclaycard to give Dillon a technology make-over. Mark explains, “Over the years I’ve had to turn hundreds of kids away because mums and dads don’t have the cash on them to pay for a ride on Dillon – and the beach is often the last place you want to be carrying lots of change. So I approached Barclaycard to see whether they could help solve the problem. The saddle they’ve come up with means hundreds more people will be able to experience one of the Great British seaside traditions and have a donkey ride along the sands. It also shows that, regardless of how traditional your business might be, there are always new things to trial that can give it a much-needed boost.” Barclaycard technologists collaborated with designers Seymourpowell (who have created everything from the world’s first cordless kettle to concepts for the interiors of Virgin Galactic spacecraft) to build Dillon’s new tack, ensuring the technology was seamlessly integrated and the saddle a comfortable fit. So animal lovers need not worry.
Perhaps the coolest story we covered during the last two weeks was the one about talking statues ‘In London, statues are coming to life thanks to NFC technology’. From August 19th, for approximately one year, 35 statues across London and Manchester will speak their minds and call you if you connect via the NFC tag or QR code. Pass a Talking Statue, engage the NFC tag and get a call back from Queen Victoria, Sherlock Holmes or any number of historical or fictional characters. Talking Statues is the creation of Sing London, the non-profit arts organisation whose projects aim to lift the public’s spirit. Previous projects include filling London with street pianos and Ping! – the public ping-pong project that has placed over 1000 ping-pong tables across England.“Most of us hardly notice the statues around us. Talking Statues aims to change this,” says Colette Hiller, Creative Director of Sing London. “They may be cast in stone but their voices have been set free. We are privileged to have a stellar line-up of writers and actors who have put themselves in the shoes – or in some cases the paws! – of these statues.” Actor Patrick Stewart said, “I think Talking Statues is a lovely idea. It brings a sense of intimacy and personality to the statues that surround us all.”
Each plaque has embedded technology. Visitors use their phone’s embedded NFC or QR code capability or type in the code given to enable a call from the statue. ”There are 3 kinds of technology available to engage with the statues and it was important that visitors not need to download something to their phone first. None of this would happen if you had to download something ahead of time,” explained Hiller to Contactless Intelligence. “This way, you can bump into a talking statue and have an impromptu conversation immediately!” This, to us, seemed an amazing way to develop city marketing campaigns using NFC technology. Asked what the hardest part of the project was, Hiller told us that getting actors to put their voice to the statues was easy - getting London local government to allow the placing of the plaques - that was the really hard part of the project…
However the first story we came across back at our desks was the one concerning IPC Media and their beacon/BLE approach to discounting a selection of the magazine titles through 740 of the Tesco-owned One Stop stores across the UK. The campaign will deliver the discount offers to people who have ‘opted in’ to receiving offers from either One Stop or the technology company Appflare. “To receive the offers, customers will need to download the One Stop or Appflare Redeem app, turn their notifications on and enable their Bluetooth connection when they enter the store,” said Owen Geddes, CEO and founder of Appflare. “They will then be sent the discount codes direct to their smartphone as they enter the store through beacon technology. The discount codes can be redeemed at the till, or shared with friends via Facebook. Only customers who have chosen to take part will receive the offers, and they can easily opt out any time by turning their notifications off. This is the first time our beacons have been used, so our targets are in the tens of thousands. but we’d hope to reach hundreds of thousands by the end of the year and beyond. We’re not looking to ramp it up at breakneck pace, as we’ve got to get the user experience right.” Appflare hopes to expand the rollout to 500-odd independence convenience stores in London by mid-September, with more shops in Birmingham and Manchester to follow later.
I was quite impressed with the number of stories this month (normally a very quiet one in this industry) that referred to NFC tags or beacon-type activities. If this is how summer shaped up, imagine what the next few months will be like, especially after the 9th September! (hint, hint)…
Until next week,
Steve Atkins
Contactless Intelligence
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