blending the mix

Merrell Ligons has a truly interesting post about Google’s posting of a wi-fi advertising patent - which could revolutionise the growth and use of wi-fi worldwide.

I honestly think that wifi growth is being slowed by loborious paid-for sign-up processes which in turn limits the willingness for companies to invest in the technology - therefore limiting coverage.

If sign-up was free (subsidised by ads), then there will without doubt be an explosion of demand from both users AND local advertisers willing to cash in.

Assuming the hotspot “hosts” receive a cut of the ad revenue cake for investing in the technology, then this could be the single-most important factor in taking wifi mainstream.

Marketeers, get your thinking caps on! Google Local is one thing when at your desktop, but being local when in the locality is quite another.

Powerful? Imagine being able to tie-in a hot-spot coffee house purchase with a discounted lunch at your restaurant around the corner…or being able to offer a discounted paper or magazine that the user may have picked up at the coffee house…or even a promotional offer from your around the corner cd shop for the music being played in the coffee house…

Mega-powerful…lunchtime special offers that pop-up as the user is at the computer…watch them walk over with their laptops in hand in response to your timed offers…as Merrell says…a Minority Report world is not too far away - fuelled largely by Google‘s advertising-led revenue generation!

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