Radio Frequency Identification

Near Field Communications

“Big Brother is watching you,”George Orwell (1949) proclaimed in the novel‘1984'.

 Less than 30 years later it seems he is doing more than just watching. Global brands are now focusing on generating personalised marketing campaigns using the latest Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and producing truly unique marketing experiences for their ‘tribes’.

RFID is a system which can transmit the identity of an object or person wirelessly using radio waves. It is a transportable piece of equipment, which can be hidden away neatly in anything from a festival wristband to a dog tag chain or most commonly a Smart phone. It automatically communicates the data to an RFID reader, where the information is then interpreted and managed.

RFID, however, must not be mistaken for Near Field Communications or NFC as there are great differences between the two. Although NFC is a subset of RFID, near field communications “limits the range of communication to within touching or 10 centimeters to 4 inches,”(Joan, 2009) whereas, RFID can communicate data across very long distances without needing a direct line of sight for the data to be calibrated.

For example; near field communications are normally used in security enabled scenarios. Chip passports and bank cards are some of the most common uses of Near Field Communications in everyday life. Furthermore, several smart phones are currently being equipped with NFC so that they can be used as a debit card of sorts simplifying the transaction process. Google Wallet currently allows consumers to store credit card and store loyalty card data in a virtual wallet and then use an NFC enabled smart phone at terminals. (Chandler, N 2012).

Smirnoff Nightlife Exchange Project

Smirnoff utilised RFID technology for their guests to share their real time nightlife experience on Facebook. A small but powerful RFID tag was implanted into Smirnoff branded wristbands which were given to guest on arrival and “after a simple registration process, guests could ‘check in’, ‘like’ and post photos of their evening directly to their walls by tapping their wristbands on ‘Facebook Interactive Pods.’Additionally, 7 choices of vodka drinks were on offer on the evening for guests, which they were also able to share the tastes and describe how much they liked/disliked their drink on Facebook. This element was also transferred onto the dance floor where guests could also “share and comment on the music selection being played at the venue!” (Hanover 2012). The event was attended by a few hundred guests but “amplified to over 1.6 million people on Facebook”, providing not only the live audience but also Facebook users with a memorable and interactive marketing experience. As guests shared their experience of the evening on the social networking site, Facebook users at home also embraced the opportunity to be a part of the memorable interactive experience, even if they were not part of the original live experience.

Helping brands connect with audiences and adding value to Experiential campaigns

RFID technology has the ability to revolutionize experiential marketing by delivering powerful avenues for brands to participate in conversations with their consumers and for consumers to broadcasts these brand messages, creating powerful and profitable consumer-brand relationships.

Ushuaia Beach Hotel in Ibiza

The famous party property capitalised on their consumer’s obsession with Facebook and combined it with RFID technology, installing Facebook pods within the resort for their ‘Make Your Facebook friends jealous’ theme and so that they could “position Facebook as an integral part of the unique and memorable Ushuaia holiday experience”.  On arrival, guests provided hotel staff with their Facebook details and were subsequently given RFID wristbands which were personally synchronized with their own Facebook profile. Facebook pods, installed in various locations throughout the hotel including the pool and hotel bar, enabled guests to swipe their bands and share their unique Ushuaia holiday experience with their ‘jealous’ friends back home via photo tagging, and status updates. In addition to guests own Facebook pages, all information captured on the hotels swipe pods were shared on the Ushuaia Hotel official Facebook page encouraging the creation of a Ushuaia ‘community’ and offering a truly unique and exclusive interactive experience for people lucky enough to be guests at the hotel. Successfully utilizing RFD technology enabled the Ushuaia brand to create synergies between both the virtual and real world and engage with both types of fans simultaneously resulting in a rise in post launch sales for the hotel.

Cadburys; Official Treat Provider

Cadbury offered RFID-enabled treats to its consumers as part of its ‘campaign of the London 2012 Olympics and Para Olympics. Cadbury’s erected a ‘Cadbury’s House’ in Hyde Park providing visitors a tour of its chocolate making history and offering them “a unique interactive social media experience”. Visitors to Cadbury’s House were given badges attached to lanyards and asked to register their Facebook account information to participate in the experience. Once inside, visitors could ‘check in’ and instantly upload images to Facebook using various pods to swipe their lanyard badges against to share the magic of interacting with numerous games at the Olympics and communicate their ‘chocolate treat’ experiences with family and friends.” The premise was simple, all visitors had to do was share their experiences in real time.  When comments to visitor’s photos are posted on Facebook the brand could add links to manage and track, giving Cadbury’s more in-depth conversations with their ‘fans’ and gain ‘brand ambassador’s by allowing relationships to flourish on the social networking site. Additionally, the lanyard badges included RFID tags that did not hold information but instead transmitted it to interrogators and then onto servers, allowing consumer data to be tracked, stored and managed for brand insight and future experiential marketing campaigns to be designed around specific target audiences.

Outcomes for brands already using RFID and the benefits for Experiential

First 2 days of the ‘Cadbury House’ “5,824 visitors had ‘checked in’ & 8,500 photo’s had been shared on Facebook.”

Increased its consumers and ‘fans’ worldwide and allowed them to interact with them.

Just a few years ago the Cadbury House experience “would have most certainly been limited to attendees of the Olympic Games”; however with the technology of RFID, the reach of the experience is vaster, bigger, chronicle: the real world memorable experience could potentially be shared and enjoyed by everyone. Now that’s powerful.

 

Increased future hotel bookings.

People engaged with the brand on Facebook.

Free/ referred information and experiences passed on. This is the best type of free advertising. Guests feed the Ushuaia brand messages and experience back to the social media world in a two way dialogue from the ‘real world’

Real life partying and clubbing experience online.

Engaged in recreation with both real life and virtual life to let their experiences collide.

A truly unique experience for guests to share their opinions on the venue, the drinks on offer and the music played on Facebook opened a portal for worldwide discussion.

The worldwide party projected to over 50 countries, resulting in Smirnoff authenticating their status as the number one Vodka brand in the world” and subsequently seeing their trading figures rocket.

• Fully measurable• Measure the likes and dislikes of consumers• Track ‘fans’ areas of interest and data• Unique and personalized brand experiences • Analyze consumers purchasing patterns • Personalized content and offers• Real time stories and engagement 

Benefits Cadbury Ushuaia Beach Hotel Smirnoff