Does anyone care where you are right now? Do they need to know exactly where you’re stopping for coffee, lunch or drinks? Apparently so, as we watch an explosion of tools coming online that let you make sure the world knows exactly where you are. (Remember when privacy was an issue?)
Today Google announced Google Buzz, which is part Facebook status, part Twitter and soon to be part Foursquare. It’s intended to let you use existing tools like Gmail and Google Maps to plug into your social networks. Like Facebook, you can use it to post your ponderings or witty comment. Like Yelp and Foursquare you will be able to track where you are and share that with those following you.
Earlier this month Apple acquired Quattro which does location-based marketing, then prohibited other companies from building location-based advertising into their apps. Meanwhile Foursquare, which allows you to check in from locations and achieve status based on your frequency, is signing deals with content companies like Zagat. That puts them in direct competition with review sites like Yelp, which recently added a check-in feature to its iPhone app.
Why do you care? Because marketing is about to get hyper local. Your phone is a beacon that will allow networks and technology-based advertisers to pop you ads based on where you are at that moment. The message can be time sensitive (good for the next 10 minutes) or based on social network input (stop in, 10 of your friends are already here).
There’s a big change coming in mobile marketing. The dominate player may not even be on our radar yet. But regardless we have to start thinking about how our clients will figure in to the evolution.
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