Monday, January 22, 2007

BlueCasting

BlueCasting is a new way to deliver content to mobile phones. The system comprises of a small BlueCast Server running our unique set of software services.

I may consider locating these at poster sites and at various points around the London Film Festival, the BlueCasting system will identify each consumer's BlueTooth-enabled handset and deliver a tailored message to them.

BlueCasting can deliver video clips for the films that are being shown throughout the event and this is possible due to the fact that Bluetooth file downloads are up to 10 times faster than downloading it via a mobile network, and since the content is delivered direct from a location based system there are no network charges for the consumer.

This software tool will allow the system to be highly personalised, tracking users and delivering them relevant content. I may even choose to send out discount vouchers to encourage event participants to visit the film festival screenings.

Click Here for a preview.

This idea has already been trialled by Mirimax and IBM:

Bobby : The Movie

Filter worked with Miramax and ScreenVision to provie users with exclusive clips from Bobby, the motion picture based on the assasination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

Bobby was directed by Emilio Estevez, who stars in the film along with a stellar cast including Harry Belafonte, Joy Bryant, Nick Cannon, Laurence Fishburne and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

As well as clips for mobile and PDA, Filter provided an SMS competition where film-goers could win a pair of tickets to a New York premiere.

Wimbledon 2006

IBM Uses BlueCasting for On-Demand Score Updates

Working with Ogilvy & Mather London we've BlueCast-enabled trees and grass at London's Broadgate financial centre.

Visitors are encouraged to activate Bluetooth and receive the very latests scores from Wimbledon, delivered via BlueCasting and a very clever XML feed which updates for the duration of the championship.

And yes, before you ask, we also have a 'rain stopped play' animation just in case the great British weather gets in the way.

Qwikker

After conducting further research into the filed of BlueCasting i found a company named Qwikker. Qwikker is a local and social content distribution platform for mobile devices that allows the easy and free discovery, downloading, and sharing of content. Qwikker’s solution enables companies to more effectively connect with their consumer by creating an interactive experience that delivers tailored, on-demand content, which can be downloaded onto mobile devices. The Qwikker platform can also be embedded into home media devices to streamline the transfer of both user generated and published content to and from mobile devices.
Qwikker runs the largest direct-to-mobile location content network in the world, with over 700 Bluetooth content distribution points across the UK and US. Brands which have leveraged the Qwikker network include Yahoo!, Channel 4, Electronic Arts, Universal Music, 20th Century Fox, Red Bull, Virgin Mobile, Robbie Williams/ie: music, Nokia and Universal Pictures.

This company interested me because they don't only look at ways to advertise directly to the customer, they look at interesting ways in order to capture their attention further and then encourage them to push on this advertising to their friends through further Bluetooth file transfers. For example they teamed up with Virgin Mobile for the 2006 Virgin Festival in order to publish a 'Virgin Bites' channel at specific hotspots around the event. This interactive channel would allow the user to browse and select music-related mobile content, which was relevant to them. Critically the Virgin content channel remains on the consumers’ handset, which is updateable over-the-air (OTA) – further extending the brand relationship.

This is an areas that i should explore with my final concept as not only may i be able to send film previews to the event participants but the channel would be able to be updated with new films each day of the event, therefore encouraging them to come back again or to visit for the first time if there is a film that interests them.

Visit the Qwikker website - Click Here