For over a month now (this one must have slipped past my radar) Ace Marketing & Promotions, Inc. and Madison Square Garden have been dabbling in a joing venture to capitalize on proximity marketing opportunities, a technology that delivers content and promotional offers via Bluetooth and Wi-fi directly to cell phones.
Although MSG isn’t the first sports arena to utilize mobile technology, it’s the biggest and most famous to date. At the Garden, the location-based technology presents a simple message to consumers that have their Bluetooth Visibility set to Enabled or Discoverable. The example given was: “Do You Want To Receive A Free Knicks Video?”
The Proximity Marketing units are located “discreetly in front of Madison Square Garden” near the stairs of the Pennsylvania Station entrance on 32nd Street and 7th Avenue at street level.
So far, thousands of fans have downloaded the free Knicks highlight videos by replying “yes” to the offer and the campaigns have provided measurable revenue results as recipients have also purchased discounted game tickets with codes provided in the content. The first campaign was launched the weekend of November 29th.
You can expect the trend to continue both at Madison Square Garden and (once other teams and arena owners discover its value) more large sporting venues around the country.
In 2009, it will be “game on” for mobile marketing. Literally.
