Fact – ads are gonna happen on the subway, on your computer and your mobile phone, too. CBS is in the testing phase for its mobile ad strategy that delivers location-aware advertisements to mobile phones. Visitors to CBS Mobile News and CBS Mobile Sports Web will be served ads based on companies near their real time location.
So, you’re walking down the street on 7th avenue and 26th street checking the upcoming March Madness schedule. Low and behold! At the bottom of the page is a Starbucks Foods ad. As you look up to cross the street a block later, by golly! It’s a Starbucks! Right there! In front of you!
CBS is working with Loopt, a service which allows its subscribers to track participating friends and family on their mobile phones through GPS. Sprint Nextel and Boost Mobile are currently the only mobile service providers who have signed up for the program, though Loopt is in talks with all the majors. As a consumer, one must “opt-in” to the program to see the ads considering that your location data must be served up to the company for the program to work at all.
We’re wondering how many folks will willingly “opt-in” for such a program. Fact – there are many people who would rather see relevant, local advertising than plugs for national brands. If you’re going to get served, why not get served something that might be useful to you, right? Fact – people are lazy. The extra step of signing onto the CBS website via mobile and filling out an “opt-in” form may be the greatest deterrent to this scheme. Hopefully, the sign up form will be akin to buying a magazine subscription on the web. The box for automatic renewal is already checked for you. Sign up for mobile content on CBS and the “opt-in” is checked with a “yes.” Consumers love no brainers. Love ’em.
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