The next big advertising craze or selling technique is soon coming to a store new you – started by Apple’s iBeacon, followed closely by Qualcomm’s Gimbal Proximity Beacons, and now another “beacon,” by ex-Verua designer, the Datzing. The idea of a beacon being sent out through a store, mall, or shopping area to locate our smartphone and provide us with “coupons” or information on stores or items in close proximity to us, makes me feel as though I am being used, simply by my mere presences in that location. But, like Kurt Vonnegut says in his, The Sirens of Titan:
“The worst thing that could possibly happen to anybody would be to not be used for anything by anybody. Thank you for using me, even though I didn’t want to be used by anybody.”
The way these beacons work is to send out a signal, usually through a transmitter of some sort, that is picked up by your smartphone, notifying you of a particular sale, information about a new product, or even an advertisement for an item that may interest you – sometimes based on your past purchasing habits. The idea, pitched by the developers, is that it can build loyalty and preference by making a timely and relevant communication to the users’ smartphone, offer competitive offers based on location and interests, and their analytical software will refine and improve offerings next time the shopper is in their “range.”
What makes Datzing so appealing is that you do not have to tie into the Apple ecosystem and buy their “beacons,” as any wi-fi or Bluetooth device can serve as the Datzing beacon or transmitter. For the “zinger,” there is no new hardware to purchase, it is a simple menu driven setup, and uses hands free discovery, with no passwords, pairing, connections, or GPS required. It is easy to manage and with the “live mode,” you can quickly view all “zingees” that are in range.
They advertise that you can “zing” to reach people and share with those that have the same interests, “zing” to promote or advertise with people by connecting them directly to your website, and finally, “zing” to sell – the main purpose of these devices. A zing can be as simple as a coupon, an image, or a link to a website – whatever the zinger sets up. Datzing has a signup on their site for beta testers for their March 4, 2014 kick-off date.
Please let us know on our Google+ Page what you think of this type of advertising – do you feel that if you can get a bargain, bring it on, or do you feel like it is another invasion into your life via mobile technology.