This is a blog post sponsored by the Social Science for Social Media Research Center at the Institute for Public Relations. Toward the end of 2014, I had t
The authors of this article define location-based services in a way more directly associated with advertising (in comparison to the definition by Backbone blog).
“Location-based services can be defined as a social, entertainment or information services that enable a company to reach and engage with its audience through tools and platforms that capture the geographic location of the audience. The delivery mechanisms used for LBS include mobile internet, mobile applications, short message service, text messaging, multimedia messaging service, services using GPS, indoor location services, digital out-of-home, digital out-of-home, digital signage, print media, and television.”
To sum up the article, we are living in an increasingly mobile world where every person, place, and thing will be “real-time” geo-addressable or tagged unless individuals specifically “opt out.” That kind of world allows companies to create both one-to-one and one-to-many messages in the context of geo-relationships.
Key word of the article: “opt.” Location-based services can only be effective (for both the consumer and the company, advertising firm, etc.) if the user chooses to opt-in. If people feel the incentive to opt-in to a location-based service they will receive more relevant value, messages, and offers. It will also benefit the marketers and sellers because it will enable them to collect information about the consumers (demographic, preferences, purchase habits) which will allow them to deliver better content to the consumers and will bolster their business.