AdAge.com is reporting this week that only 4% of adults have used location based mobile apps like ‘foursquare’ and ‘loopt.’ And a staggering 80% of those app users are male. So does this mean that geolocation applications are not a viable marketing platform? Well, according to emarketer.com, mobile and location based marketing continues to grow.
Perhaps marketers can find a common ground where they can reward loyalty, while respecting privacy. One idea might be to reward virtual check-ins with product use. Instead of rewarding repeat customers that become a viral mayor of a store, marketers can reward tweets that praise use.
Or, a new application could be created by brands. One that allows you to use your smartphone to photograph a UPC code on a receipt. This code would be sent through the application, and then an email would be sent back with a coupon for a future use.
What we can guarantee is marketers will constantly be on the edge of the future, following trends and devising new ways to adapt to them.
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