Combining Two Emerging Forms of Media

Yesterday, the digital out-of-home media company Adcentricity announced that it will offer an in-house mobile marketing solution. The move is creating a lot of industry buzz because it helps to legitimize the prediction that over the next few years, digital outdoor, internet and mobile will combine to create a "triad of emerging new media."

I've been pondering this idea for quite some time, actually. We created a partnership last spring with a local mobile marketing company that allows our advertisers to combine the two mediums. The picture above shows how the two could work together by allowing a car dealership to send special offers or "digital coupons" to interested customers. It's important to note that the target audience must be pedestrian traffic or passengers, since drivers can't be expected to remember the prompt until they have a chance to respond.

For the first time, billboards can create dialogue with consumers and extend their message beyond the small window of time a consumer has to view the billboard itself. Insurance companies could send local rates for customers who text in their zip codes. Sports teams could hold contests by posting a different trivia question each day on the billboards, prompting fans to text in their answers. It's a concept that is just begging to be explored by advertisers looking to reach out to customers in exciting new ways...