Believe it or not, mobile proximity marketing is not the future… it is happening right now. We live in an age where our digital devices like phones, tablets and laptops are a vital part of the way we exist. In fact, it’s been proven that there are more mobile devices in the world than there are people. This presents a huge opportunity for brands to engage and share their content with people on the go. But this has also presented a new challenge for brands and businesses: reaching their markets through these mobile devices.
In South Africa in particular, this has proven to be quite an obstacle as data connectivity can be expensive and free Wi-Fi hotspots aren’t as common as they are in First World countries. This makes connectivity something that only few can enjoy. Nonetheless, a few entities have come to pioneer the free Wi-Fi realm through innovation and a commitment to connecting a nation. Blake is proud to be one of them with our own offerings, AmaFreeZone and Wi-Fire.
Blake’s own free Wi-Fi offerings came about in 2011. Our founder, Howard Blake, was serving on the board of a large retailer with 1200 stores nationwide. He suggested that the retailer give customers free Wi-Fi access whilst within their stores. The retailer’s customer base covered all segments of society but was predominantly active in serving the lower income groups. This made sense to Howard because data in South Africa is expensive, excluding many from having access to the internet. What better way to connect a nation than to allow access to those who are unable to afford it?
Howard’s plan to make this a reality was to advertise free Wi-Fi access to attract customers and allow the retailer to interact with them as they enjoyed the service. This proved to be an incredible success story with hundreds of thousands of customers using the service. Some stores reported people standing outside the store after it closed to use the service. Many customers took the opportunity to become better educated, using the Wi-Fi as a tool to empower themselves.
Over time, Blake decided to expand this notion into public spaces with similar results. Through this, we discovered the power of creating audiences and sharing media content with them. This has meant that we have been able to improve our own expertise in communicating with mass and niche audiences to further the goals of our clientele.
What initially began as a service to retail customers has now become an audience creation tool with offerings that include Wi-Fi advertising, market information and market surveys to achieve greater consumer insight and engagement. With mobile e-commerce on the rise, we’ve been able to boost the sales of our clients’ brands within their virtual stores too. We’ve also been able to refresh SMS marketing to keep it current, relevant and more effective than ever before! And with mobile advertising set to overtake its desktop counterpart, we’re innovating and finding new ways to help our clients stay ahead.
At Blake, we are all about connecting the right brands with the right audiences, through the right channels. It’s why we are specialists in our field. Through mastering this landscape, we are well equipped to help our clients create the digital strategies they need to take their presence to the next level. Follow our articles as we continue to share the insights that make us tick as we make waves in the digital world.
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