London buses are about to get close and personal with their passengers – and will soon be able to send adverts to mobile phones.
In what is being described as the UK’s largest iBeacon consumer transport experience, a new partnership between Exterion Media, Proxama and Mapway is set to see city buses send real-time travel updates and contextual in-app ads to passengers from May.
While already available via Proxama’s Android app, this will be the first time something of its kind is available for iOS users.
Via the iOS version of the Bus Times London app, brands will be able to target consumers throughout their journey, while in-app notifications will be delivered to users when they board a beacon-enabled bus.
“With 2.3 billion passenger journeys made on London buses a year, the partnership creates an innovative platform for brands that want access to this hard-to-reach audience exclusively,” said Jason Cotterrell, managing director at Exterion Media UK.
“The partnership also provides consumers with relevant, timely, and engaging content in an unobtrusive way. Not only can brands better target consumers, but the information collected will provide unique insights that will ensure future efforts are even more successful – allowing us to continue to make the everyday inspirational.”
Proxama’s CEO of its marketing division, Jon Worley, said 2016 is the year that beacon tech for marketing “gains significant traction”.
“App owners are looking for ways to increase active user numbers and establish new sources of revenue, and beacons can deliver on both objectives,” Worley said.
“Brands are also looking for ways to better understand and more accurately engage with their target audiences, so campaigns like this deliver a win-win – with the results speaking for themselves.”
