Focus Media Launches New Interactive Displays
Sina Tech, 10/13/11
Chinese digital media and Internet advertising operator Focus Media (Nasdaq: FMCN) has launched its new interactive out-of-home displays and accompanying "Q-card" discount cards in seven cities, namely Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Chengdu. Focus Media has deployed approximately 30,000 of the new displays. CEO Jason Jiang revealed on his personal microblog that over 1 mln discount cards have been issued so far.
The new displays incorporate three smaller screens for interactive content such as discount coupon advertisements. The displays feature slots in the lower left and lower right-hand corners that dispense discount cards with embedded RFID chips. Users must bind their mobile phone number to the card by sending an SMS to 106909999, after which they can download discounts from the smaller screens to their cards.
Users can currently download a free Meiji face mask, a RMB 50 sample pack from cosmetics company Arboreal, a coupon for RMB 300 in credit with any RMB 1,000 in purchases on B2C e-commerce site IhaveU.com, a RMB 50 coupon for group buy directory Tuan800, and a RMB 50 rebate for eHi car rental service. Jiang said that Focus Media plans to offer tens of millions of RMB worth of sample products to consumers each month along with dozens of discount coupons.
Focus Media plans to launch an SNS site based on the discount cards in November to provide users with the latest information on consumer destinations and let them share their own information and experiences.
Editor's Note: Marbridge visited several building sites at which the new interactive displays had been installed, but found that none of them were yet set up to dispense the discount cards mentioned above. While the small screens incorporated in the display do show a message saying, "If you would like a discount card, please press the button below," when the buttons were pushed, no cards were released. Marbridge did obtain cards through one of several companies to which Focus Media had distributed discount cards in bulk. Each card is roughly 1.75 X 1.0 inches in size and features a hole such that it can be added to a keyring.
Keywords: marketing Jason Jiang Focus Media digital media television SNS FMCN out-of-home display
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