Rob over at BusinessPundit recently wrote about his experiences at a Shell Station where a speaker in the petrol pump played an advert to him while he was filling his car. He has this to say about it:
I think it is a smart idea to market to me at the gas pump. Usually I just stand there, looking around at the other people pumping gas. I think that’s what most people do. It’s a captive audience, so it’s smart to market to them when they can’t ignore your message.
He then goes on to suggest using video advertising combined with other promotional tools which is also a great idea.
Google also seem to have a similar interest in petrol pumps having recently announced that it is making Google Maps available on fuel pumps to help lost drivers.
Drivers will not be able to type in specific addresses but will be able to pick points on maps or select destinations such as restaurants, hospitals, businesses and popular tourist spots.
Motorists will also be able to print out driving directions to take with them
Unusually for Google it will apparently not feature ads, but it does offer promotions much as Rob suggested:
Ads will not be displayed along with maps but station owners will have the option of making deals to have coupons or other promotional material dispensed along with driving directions.
If you think about it there are considerably more opportunities to market (or even sell) to captive audiences that are being missed by businesses on a daily basis. Although retailers have known about the value of Point-Of-Sale marketing for years there are still a number of businesses that don’t do it. There’s also a good number of places where we have to either queue or wait on a regular basis that would be suitable.
Add your suggestions in the comments below.
This blog is about business opportunities and ideas that I spot, think of or hear about and think are useful and interesting. It is intended to provide ideas and inspriation for you to help you find the right business idea for you to then grow it into a successful business.
I think that google maps at the pump are an interesting idea, although I think it will ultimately fail in the longer run. This will happen as cars naturally become equipped with in car satellite navigation or gps devices.
Nonetheless, an interesting idea.
I don’t think they’re exclusive - sat nav is unlikely to have full access to a yellow pages type directory (for when you don’t know the address of where you want to go).
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