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January 17, 2007
Personalization Goes On The Road
B2B marketers are often so obsessed with telling about their widgets, that they forget about the experience. In consumer markets, many companies fall into the trap as well...eschewing top-tier experience building for promotions, specials, etc. American car manufacturers have take that technique (promotions...) and raised it beyond the realm of reality.
Enter Mini, with its cult-like following. Last summer I watched a Mini rally, as dozens and dozens of Mini owners went for a drive with their personalized vehicles. Now, Mini has become a pioneer in contextual advertising with its testing of contextual billboards. As reported on 1/10/07 in MotoringFile, Mini invited a select group of customers to participate in a program that allows them to type a personalized message that will appear on a special RFID-activated billboard when the owner appraches the billboard. Mini sends the participant a special key fob after program sign up that activates the billboard. Billboards are available in New York, Chicago, Miami and San Francisco.
In reading the comments on the MotoringFile Wiki, there are a smattering of comments about BigBrother, etc. This is to be expected from a skeptical and wary public unfamiliar with the technology. And, in the long-run this cool idea will likely not rewrite the rules of advertising, as people are becoming truly worn down by ad messages. But, that in many respects is the point here. This isn't really advertising as we know it...it is an interactive experience. If you were stuck in traffic, wouldn't it be cool to have a billboard send a welcoming greeting... "You ROCK, Jim!". Engagement is what Mini is all about and this is yet another bleeding edge means for creating that engagement.
Mini continues to build a cult by creating a dedicated army of owners who spread the word and who enjoy some frivolous but engaging humor...at other drivers' expense. Its a great lesson for tons of companies obsessed with selling the horsepower and not what they will do for you.
Posted by jcioban at January 17, 2007 7:22 PM
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