NFC research - results release

New technology is fuelling the public’s appetite for Outdoor advertising that also provides interactive experiences on the move, according to the results of a major study into NFC by Kinetic and JCDecaux. The study shows that there is a new opportunity for brands to retain customers and to deepen their engagement with potential purchasers by using mobile interactivity to amplify their Outdoor campaigns.
In March 2012, Kinetic and JCDecaux launched the largest trial of NFC enabled 6-sheets in Reading. Working with 13 clients from GroupM agencies, campaigns ran across all the poster sites in Reading and in the Oracle shopping mall, over a 4-week period.
The results show that over 3000 people in Reading scanned the poster sites, the equivalent of a million people nationwide. People were overwhelmingly positive (78%) about the experience, citing ease-of-use of NFC as key to the trial’s success.
The study found that the brands that elicited the most positive interactions did so through a combination of relevance, dynamic content and a strong call-to-action. There were strong download conversion rates: including an average of 28% for video content, rising to a high of 49% when the content was new and previously unseen.
The research amongst Reading’s Smartphone users showed that the key to success was the relevance to the consumer and experiences that built upon an existing brand relationship. Voucher redemptions were found to attract new customers, with activity highest where the poster site was in proximity to the store but also in the area around the University and right across the city. Interestingly, redemption rates for the vouchers increased across the four-week period (rising from 7% to as high as 18%) as consumers became more familiar with the technology and the possible reward.
Significantly, the research found that 87% of people with NFC-enabled phones are likely to repeat the experience, while 80% of non-NFC phone owners said they would like to use it in the future.
Richard Brooke, Communications Buying Manager at Unilever said, “As one of the UK’s largest advertisers, it’s important that we continually explore the emerging digital world to get a glimpse into the future of marketing - and even play our part in shaping it. The Reading trial gave us the perfect opportunity to experience this way of opening conversations with our consumers through four of our brands - Vaseline, Toni & Guy and Magnum – and we’re pleased that the results proved to be so positive. The four-week trial showed that we can successfully combine the out-of-home channel with mobile technology to create a rich and deeper engagement with our consumers.”
Nick Mawditt, Global Director of Marketing and Insight for Kinetic said, “The Reading trial shows that technology is driving the potential for interactive engagement through NFC. The experience of interactivity elicits overwhelming positivity around the brand, able to drive both the conversion and the retention of customers. This trial has resulted in real insight about the types of experience, our preferred technologies and the importance of relevant content which will inform the industry’s future.”
David McEvoy, Marketing Director of JCDecaux said, “With Smartphone penetration set to increase and the rise in NFC-enabled phones, there is a great opportunity for Outdoor advertising to provide consumers with engaging and interactive campaigns on the move. The study showed that consumers saw the experience as a gateway for more information about brands, attracted by the prospect of vouchers, videos and competitions and through the links to social media.”