Use Your Cell Phone to Control Your Bar TV

You walk into your favorite club, take a seat, and select your favorite Gwen Stephanie video. But rather than walking up to video Jukebox, you just make your selection via your “remote control” cell phone. Suddenly your selection plays on the big screen TV above the bar. You also receive a text message stating “show this message to your server, and receive $100 off any appetizer or dessert”. You have just experienced another new media mobile marketing channel. Akoo, the company to introduce this unique technology was recently featured in an article in the New York Times.

While many companies are using digital signs to send mobile marketing messages to cell phones, Akoo is the only company offering two-way communication and interaction. The customer is allowed to choose the content they want on the digital advertising screens. In return the company has the opportunity to gather important marketing information about the customer while sending them a marketing message. A fourteen day trial at a McDonalds store resulted in a 17% increase in sales.

M-Venue, an IP Based digital media and marketing platform integrates with more than 2 billion mobile devices nationwide. The new marketing technology works especially well with modern smart phones such as Apple’s iPhone or Microsoft’s Mobile Windows devices such as the Motorola Q. Customers visiting the retail locations can play their favorite songs, videos, sport clips, weather, as well as pre-approved user generated content. M-Venue also allows customers to “tag” songs that they later can purchase via iTunes or other audio vendors. But wait, there’s more. M-Venue also includes a built in loyalty program. Customers build up loyalty points that are tracked via your cell phone that may be redeemed for premiums at the sponsoring business.

Akoo’s marketing potential has many advantages. The program allows marketing opportunities closest to the point of purchase, which will lead to increased sales and ticket value. It allows for a loyalty program that will entice return customers and brand loyalty. Akoo appears to be a great tool to leverage proliferate smart cell phones while maintaining the all important non-intrusiveness required of all good mobile marketing campaigns. One question posed by marketers is whether Akoo can keep the content fresh. If they fail, customers will become bored and ignore the product.