Beacon maker Beaconstac has blog post called 7 scenarios where Beacons can Transform OOH Advertising.  Two uses for beacons caught Insider’s eye.

Beacons and outdoor advertising can interact with people in areas where they are waiting, e.g. airports, hospitals, bus and subway stops.   JCDecaux did this in the Hong Kong Airport where it used beacons to create a unique Coach advertising campaign.  Insider sees potential for beacons in transit advertising as well.

Beacons can combine with outdoor advertising to promote retail traffic.  Beaconstac talks about a McDonalds Finland campaign in which McDonalds used beacons to trigger push ads sending product specials to people walking by.  Insider doesn’t need to get McDonalds coupons but he might want to receive a bump as he is walking or driving by Starbucks.  Insider’s college aged  son might want to know if an Anchor Steam keg has arrived at his favorite pub.

Insider thinks deployment and monitoring costs will limit beacons to high traffic, urban areas.  Beaconstac charges $250 upfront plus $99/month for a 9 beacon small business package.  You won’t see many beacons in rural, low density outdoor plants.

Insider thinks the achilles heel of beacon technology will be the brutally competitive smartphone app market.  A typical smartphone user uses 6-10 apps each week.  A new app must push other apps out of the way.  A November 2015 study found that two-thirds of all apps are discarded within a day and that 97% of all apps are discarded within a month.  Beacons need apps to communicate.  What happens if people don’t want the app?

What do you think of beacons and the outdoor advertising business?  Are you using beacons in your outdoor plant?  Insider wants to hear from you.

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