Incentive - April 2008 - (Page 69) Here & Now Cellular $avings Cellfire gives coupons a 21st-century makeover By Alex Palmer he coupon, which has served as a reliable consumer incentive for decades, is getting a 21st-century makeover. San Jose, Calif.–based Cellfire Inc., a mobile coupon company founded in 2005 and expanded nationwide last year, is offering access to myriad discounts and savings to customers who download the company’s application on their cell phones. Those with the application can find two-for-one, 20 percent off, or any other of the many deals Cellfire features, from vendors ranging from Wienerschnitzel and Supercuts to Enterprise RentA-Car and, most recently, Extreme Pita. Though this use of the technology is still in its early stages, it seems to be catching on. According to Cellfire, in the last six months mobile coupon usage has increased 119 percent at the company, and while younger consumers make up a majority of Cellfire’s customer base (the demographic least likely to use traditional, clippable coupons, according to the Promotion Marketing Association’s Coupon Council), mobile coupon use in those aged 34 and above has tripled in the same period. Those at Cellfire are emphasizing the convenience that these straight-to-your-phone offers provide. “What are the three things that everyone carries with them all the time these days? It’s the keys to your house or your car, your wallet and your phone,” says Dwight Moore, vice president of corporate marketing for Cellfire. “So that phone is always with them and always at the ready when they’re shopping, and they can easily find the offers at the time and use [them] right there.” Moore points to several factors that make T Cellfire’s program a likely success. For one, consumers are embracing the idea that phones can serve purposes beyond calling and texting: Consumers embraced the iPhone’s requirement that customers buy data services with the phone, and Sprint has recently announced a $100 Unlimited Plan. Instead of working as some promotional tools do, where consumers receive offers through texting, Cellfire allows the end-user to view available coupons when they choose, which avoids concerns of unwanted or “spam” texts. Around the World in 360° By Anne Marie D. Lee Mobile Coupon Redemption 70 percent of mobile coupon redemptions were from shoppers under 34 years old Redemption by consumers over 34 years old tripled in the last six months Majority of discounts were redeemed Tuesdays, Sundays and Wednesdays Three of the top five areas using mobile coupons most frequently are in California (the others are Dallas/Ft. Worth and Atlanta) Moore explains that for vendors, the cellular coupons have advantages over traditional paper coupons because being transmitted electronically rather than through the mail, they require fewer expenditures of energy and materials. Also, they can directly target potential customers, who can look at coupons based on location and preselected preferences, increasing the likelihood of redemption. t was in 1981 that the Globuscope camera, a 3.5-pound handheld 360° rotational camera, was introduced to the world. After 25 years, manufacturing stopped for the Globuscope, which used one roll of 36-exposure film to capture eight 360° images, each of which could be magnified up to 3800 percent. But the camera, its 360° form and its panoramic film photography lives on with traveler Everen T. Brown and his World Atlas Project (www.360Atlas.com). Whether you’re looking to promote your next group trip with a giant banner photo of Stonehenge or Times Square, or with a 360° video glimpse of the Eiffel Tower that looks like a steady 360° turn with a video camera, you’ll find many creative possibilities using the stock photos and virtual tours (VRs) available at I 360° Atlas. “We have over 100,000 in the 360degree photos [in stock],” says Brown, the founder of 360° World Atlas Project and photographer of countless images from around the globe. “You don’t have to use the entire 360, but that’s what I primarily shoot. We call them virtual tours or VR tours, VR meaning virtual reality. That’s how they can be presented. They can be put on a Web site or they can be emailed to someone. And then we can also do various things on print, whether it’s paper or wrapping an image around a mug or a specialty item.” As for picture quality, Brown is an award-winning photographer and an International Association of Panoramic Photographers “Member of the Year.” Pricing is upon request, and Brown will work with clients to make an item affordable. Upon request, Brown can be hired to take 360° photos of events or the groups themselves— anything’s possible. incentivemag.com | April 2008 | Incentive | 69 http://www.360Atlas.com http://incentivemag.com
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