honey... i'm home!! the magic of location based services ...
We use them everyday. Well ... Some of us do. Location based services like Gowalla, Foursquare and Facebook Places, have added a layer of network sharing that I feel will dynamically change the way brick and mortar businesses engage their patrons and shape their experiences.
With Foursquare's recent addition of the "add to my Foursquare" button we see that location based marketing is evolving into something more intimate and personal, AND it's should start sparking some new ideas that transform how we engage the world around us... This is how I think about it...
Growing up, when my Dad would come home, sometimes he would say... "Honey I am home!!" And my Mother, a Housewife, would begin the task of insuring that my Dads environment was comfortable and inviting. She knew his favorite foods, his favorite T.V. shows and everything in between. The announcement that he was indeed "home" evoked a response that would result in a favorable experience for my Dad. It was an amazing ceremony to watch. Conversely, when my Dad needed some alone time, some peace and quiet, I noticed that he would not make the grand announcement of being "home". He would slide into his own world, grab his newspaper, or book, and sit silently as Dad.
What if when you went into your favorite store, the one where you have spent TONS of dinero, all you had to say is ... "Honey I'm home..." OR "check in", and a series of things would happen. What if the talent on the floor somehow knew what you liked based on your past purchases, so in that, they could offer you buying recommendations that made sense. OR what if they found that you prefer to have no interaction at all UNTIL you request it? How would your shopping experience change? Be different?
This is how I think about location based services. I think it's cool that I can chart my way across the country using my Gowalla account, BUT I think it would be even COOLER if when I arrived at a location, that the staff KNEW I was there, and they KNEW how to handle me based on my preferences, moods and agendas. This is where I think the magic of location based services will dynamically change how we interact with and engage the world around us.
Vincent Hunt is Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer of Paper Aircrane, a strategic Ideation Company tactical in conceptualizing and developing breakthrough ideas. A Groundbreaking Thinker, compelling Speaker and Blogger, Vincent is sought after for his ideas pertaining to an evolving economic and culutural shift that he affectionately refers to as the "post-industrial revolution".



