The Ultimate in Mobile: Connected Cars at CES

Have a long commute to work? Why not make the time count by having your email read to you as you drive? All you need is a BMW with ConnectedDrive.  Running late for that movie? Toyota’s EnTune service will allow you to buy your tickets from the car. If these in-car distractions cause you to have an accident, no problem, OnStar has partnered with Verizon on a gizmo that will record the accident and you can even use the system to send a Twitter update.

Opps. Fender bender. Going to be late for dinner! #mycarmademedoit

Connected cars are all the rage at this year’s CES and that makes me wonder if this isn’t the next big thing in marketing.

All of the major car manufacturers are working on some kind of connectivity through either a cell phone to car sync or a mobile wireless network. On the practical side, they provide driving directions, locate the nearest food or gas station and they notify you when you need gas, a charge or an oil change.

Then there’s the entertainment side. Pandora is working to make standard radio stations obsolete. Twitter and Facebook are also popular options and even the ability to stream movies (if you’re in the backseat!).

Now let’s add marketing to the equation. Since the car is GPS equipped, it has the ability to offer a coupon for $5.00 off lunch at a popular restaurant. Just take the next exit, say “yes”, and the coupon auto syncs with your phone when you stop.

Having trouble staying awake? Perhaps that tell-tale drifting triggers a system that leads you to the nearest Starbucks for a caffeine boost or a motel for a rest.

When you look at where we are with mobile couponing and check-ins, this isn’t a far leap.

The downside to this is, of course, the distraction factor. The graphic at the top of this post – Ebay on board – that’s a real screen grab from BMW. They say the system is set to only allow web surfing from the backseat or when the car is standing still. Even so, if I’m that worried about my auction that I need to pull over and go online, then I’m probably not paying a lot of attention to the road.

The saving grace here are the new smart cars that auto detect a near collision and force the car to slow or stop. But if you really can’t cut the cord between yourself and the internet, just invest in the 2-Person EN-V. This car will do the driving for you while you sit back and catch up with your friends on Facebook.

What do you think about connected cars and in-car mobile marketing?

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Facebook Messaging Sounds Good. . . In Theory

Bang the gong. Facebook has an announcement. They’ve taken the wraps off their new messaging system which has been referred to as the “Gmail Killer.” Gmail can send the bodyguards home, they’re not in danger. . . not yet.

I spent some time watching the videos and reading the articles and I’ve come to the conclusion that my Facebook messaging preferred punctuation is not the exclamation mark or even the question mark but the ellipsis (. . . ). I chose this mark because the new roll-out sounds great. . . in theory, but in practice, I’m not so sure.

According to the Facebook promo video, the new messaging system is designed to capture all forms of communication with a single person in one place. I’m totally behind the idea. I routinely ask people to take a growing conversation off Facebook or Twitter DMs so I can track it through email. Email is my To Do list, so having a note about a project in my Facebook inbox does me no good. I also find Facebook’s current system to be klunky.

Then there are the people who insist on leaving me a voice mail, even though it makes more sense for me to reply by email. Or send me a text that requires me to respond with an attachment. In the video, they talk about people’s perfected method and how true is this? My teen will only answer text messages, my mother only reads email (even though she’s on Facebook), I have friends who will respond on Facebook faster than any email I send their way.

So Facebook’s solution is a single inbox that let’s everyone use their preferred method. You text me and I can email you. To make it easier, they’ve done away with the typical email header. I just pick a friend from my list and message away. Which brings up the first big problem. If the person I’m dealing with isn’t on Facebook then it’s more complicated.

The system also doesn’t handle voicemail or Twitter so it’s not really all inclusive. It will, however, combine what you said in chat or over an IM with the Facebook email message so you can have a running conversation regardless of the application. Nice but. . . . do we really care? Do we really need an archive of everything I’ve said to a friend via IM or email for the past year?

Facebook likens it to that box of letters from your grandfather that your grandmother’s kept for sixty years. Romantic. But no matter how much you try to sentimentalize it, an electronic archive of IM messages simply isn’t the same as a hand-written love letter.

Personally, I think the ability to go back to what was said a year or more ago is dangerous. Forget the past. Look ahead.

I do think that Facebook is on to something. I believe that we’re getting closer and closer to having a chip in our heads that allows us all to communicate without benefit of keyboard. No need to memorize a telephone number, just picture your best friend in your head and talk away.

Facebook Messaging isn’t going to replace Gmail anytime soon. It’s a whole different product. Maybe, for those who live their life on Facebook, it’s a product that will revolutionize the way they communicate, but for us less frequent visitors, Facebook Messaging is just. . .

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Best Buy Launches ShopKick Program

Earlier today, we talked about how The Gap used a social media push to encourage people to step into their stores this past weekend. Now Best Buy is working on a similar idea with a decidedly “big brother” twist. Starting tomorrow, in 187 stores in major markets all over the US. They plan to follow this with an additional 70 stores by October 1.

The “shopkick” system is designed to detect and reward shoppers just for walking into a Best Buy store. In order to accomplish this feat, consumers must download an application to their smart phone. Right now the app is only available for iPhone but Android is coming soon. On the store’s end, there is a “shopkick Signal” which reaches out and talks to the application when they meet. The conversation includes information on who owns the phone that just walked in and that person gets rewards that they’re calling “kickbucks.” These bonus bucks can be collected and spent in the store as cash.

In addition, the “shopkick” system will offer POS discounts and added bonus bucks when you use your phone to scan the barcode on select products.

The idea here is pretty simple. Retailers know that getting someone into the store is half the battle. “Shopkick” offers that extra incentive that a coupon doesn’t because it rewards you for showing up, no money needed. Presumably there’s a cap on this thing or people will quickly learn how often they can walk in and out in order to rack up bonus points in record time. Giving out “kickbucks” for scanning products is a great way to get shoppers to touch the items you want them to buy, because, come on, touching is the next step toward buying, right?

The real advantage here over the Foursquare version The Gap used, is that the customer isn’t required to “check in”. They don’t have to print anything or Tweet anything, they just have to show up. Can’t get simpler than that.

The downside of this version is that you lose the social media sharing component. If my friend sends out a tweet that he’s at a great sale at The Gap, that’s free advertising for them. Best Buy’s system doesn’t encourage any social media sharing, though people are likely to do it anyway if the system is a success. The bigger downside is that you have to have a smartphone to take advantage of the program and that means a large portion of the population can’t play. Granted, Best Buy is a retailer who probably has a much higher ratio of smartphone customers than most, but word is Macy’s will soon be trying the system, too. It would be interesting to see if “shopkick” is more effective in one chain than the other.

I’m a coupon shopper and I believe in retail loyalty programs. They work. I will shop for a DVD at Best Buy in order to get my points over buying it a Target where it might be a dollar cheaper. But the concept of a computer tracking me the second I step into a store is a little Orwellian. Next thing you know my cell phone will talk to my car computer and conspire to drive me to Best Buy even though I wanted to go to Target. I have images of my iPhone getting flirty with the local “shopkick,” promising to deliver me on a weekly basis in return for a quick charge. Of course, it’s worth giving up a little freedom if it means a 20% discount on a Blu-ray player.

What do you think? Is this one step away from installing tracking chips in humans? Or just another fun way to get consumers into the store?

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