Swisscom launches new interactive platform

The advertising-critical IG Plakat | Raum | Gesellschaft reported on Friday about mysterious black boxes reportswhich were placed above billboards in Zurich's main train station. Clarifications by the organization have revealed that this is a so-called cross-device tracking technology that is being tested by APG|SGA. Further details were not yet known.

Since Monday, however, it has been clear what it is all about: On June 1, Swisscom is launching "Beem," a platform that interactively enhances classic advertising campaigns and is integrated into other apps. This platform responds to the trend that advertisers are increasingly turning to interactive and performance-oriented online formats. "Beem" is also intended to open up this field for classic advertising media.

The platform is already being used in the apps of 20 Minuten, Watson and Bluewin, and "Beem" can also be used via the TV station 3+. Beem" is activated by audio signal at certain billboard locations and during certain broadcasts as well as cinema spots, whereupon the user is shown corresponding additional information or offers for advertising after an unobtrusive hint - provided he has opened the above-mentioned apps. According to the Swisscom announcement, this can be purely additional information, sweepstakes or voting entries, or even purchase offers and vouchers. The platform is also available as a separate app; registration is not required, but recommended.

The first campaigns using "Beem" will also start at the beginning of June. SBB, for example, is using the new technology, and Admeira and Goldbach are already involved in the test phase for TV implementation. Customers can implement campaigns via APG|SGA for billboards and Werbeweischer for cinema advertising.

Partner & Partner provided strategic support for the launch of the interactive platform, and the agency is also responsible for the implementation, social media and web presence, product design and the awareness campaign. The campaign also starts at the beginning of June and will demonstrate the interactivity of "Beem" to the target audience over three weeks.

Alessandro Rausa, Head of "Beem" at Swisscom is satisfied with the choice of agency: "We needed an agency that could accompany us every step of the way. Partner & Partner not only provided us with strategic advice, but also designed and implemented our major launch campaign, all advertising materials, app screens, wording, sales documents and social media presence. This performance-oriented agility is crucial for us." The agency is convinced by the concept of the new platform, and the person responsible, Luc Holzach, considers the interactive extension of classic campaigns long overdue: "Beem made it easy for us to deliver good work: We were convinced of this idea from the very beginning - there are countless possible applications."

Not everyone shares Partner & Partner's opinion. IG Plakat | Raum | Gesellschaft, which advocates a sustainable reduction of outdoor advertising in the city and canton of Zurich, criticizes the innovation.

It is problematic to install and commission a technology without first consulting the public, the organization writes in the communication of Friday. In addition, it refers in a post updated on Tuesday to the as yet unresolved problem areas of data protection and compatibility of the radiated signal. Various people have written in the comments columns on articles in the Tages-Anzeiger and 20 minutes about the signals that are apparently audible after all. So it's quite possible that the last word on this subject has not yet been spoken.