Beem gets going: 20 Minuten launches interactive competition at newspaper boxes
The Beem platform has been integrated into the 20 Minuten app since Tuesday. To promote the innovation, the company's own newspaper boxes were equipped with the technology. Beem is now picking up speed. Werbewoche.ch asked Tamedia and Swisscom about the launch.
At the end of May, Swisscom's interactive platform first caused a stir when it was revealed that it was linked to cross-device tracking technology being tested by APG|SGA at Zurich's main train station (Werbewoche.ch reported). Swisscom described "Beem" as a platform that interactively extends classic advertising campaigns and is integrated into other apps. When displeasure about Beem arose from various sides, Swisscom postponed the start of the campaign, and Watson even jumped off as an app partner. (Werbewoche.ch reported). But now the launch has been completed.
Newspaper boxes with Beem
Like 20 minutes announced on Tuesday that 206 newspaper boxes in Zurich, Winterthur, Bern, Basel, St. Gallen and Lucerne are now equipped with Beem. Every day for a month, a cell phone of your choice worth 1,200 francs will be raffled off at these locations. The 20 minutes-boxes are Beem-enabled until December 6. There are "currently no plans" to equip the boxes with Beem in the longer term, says Tamedia spokeswoman Nicole Bänninger when asked by Werbewoche.ch.
Users of the medium with the widest reach in Switzerland are thus introduced to Beem technology in a "playful" way. When they approach a box equipped with Beem, the newsfeed displays the 20 minutes-A banner inviting people to take part in the competition appears in the app. Anyone who takes part will find out immediately afterwards whether they have won the cell phone.
Further actions to follow
Special advertising stickers on the 20 minutes-boxes draw attention to the interactive competition. It is also published in the editorial section of 20 minutes and promoted via print ads and online and mobile advertising throughout the campaign period. The campaign will also be supported by a content creator campaign in collaboration with the influencer platform Picstars.
"The interactive competition launched today is just the start of our cooperation with Beem," says Bänninger. "Further attractive offers and exciting content will follow in the coming weeks and months." Tamedia leaves open the extent to which such offers provide customers with real added value and therefore motivation to open the app. Marcus Schögel from the Institute of Marketing at the HSG said in June that customers would have to be offered real benefits to overcome this high hurdle.
Beem to get off the ground thanks to technology change
With the integration into the most popular Swiss news app, Swisscom is making another attempt to anchor the controversial subsidiary product Beem in the everyday lives of media users. The start was anything but optimal: when APG|SGA equipped the first posters with the Beem transmitters in Zurich's main station, there were strong reactions. Even though experts classify Beem as harmless and conservative in terms of data protection, there was great mistrust of the technology right from the start. A high-frequency sound that makes contact with your own smartphone - according to various critical media reports, many consumers wanted nothing to do with this new form of advertising. The launch was postponed (Werbewoche.ch reported).
At Swisscom, the critical voices have led to a change in technology. "We wanted to launch this technology with audio signal in Switzerland in the spring. This led to questions and uncertainty, even though the technology is already being used in other countries and also in Switzerland in the industrial sector," says Christian Rufener, CMO of Beem, to Werbewoche.ch. "We have taken these concerns very seriously and have decided not to reconsider the use of this technology until we have an assessment from the Federal Office for the Environment. It has already been confirmed that Beem complies with the legal standards in terms of volume."
For the time being, Beem will therefore only use Bluetooth and Audio Content Recognition (ACR) technologies to interact with the user's smartphone. In the case of the 20 minutes-boxes, Bluetooth is used.
Fighting fears of contact with voluntary action
Since the first stumble, Swisscom has also done a lot to make Beem more popular with users. "In addition to the technology change, we have also simplified the entire activation process once again," explains Rufener. "To use Beem, the user has to activate it once. Without express consent, i.e. opt-in, Beem is switched off and the app cannot receive any Beem signals. Beem can also be deactivated by the user at any time."
When asked by Werbewoche.ch, Tamedia also emphasizes explicitly and repeatedly that Beem is not forced on anyone. "The use of Beem is and always will be voluntary," assures Nicole Bänninger. "It is only used with the express consent of the user. Users can deactivate beem at any time and have their account deleted if they wish."
The propagated voluntariness should and will break down barriers. Most consumers do not want to be contacted unsolicited by poster sites or newspaper boxes on their smartphone. Especially not if this is done via a visible box. The fact that most people are monitored, spied on and observed around the clock in their everyday online lives seems to play a subordinate role in the discussion about Beem.
Beem is set to get going in 2020
Beem has now been launched. The system can currently be used with the apps from Bluewin and 20 minutes / 20 Minutes and Beem's own app. Another strong partner will be joining in the foreseeable future. "In the course of the first half of 2020, Beem will also be available in the app from View will be integrated," announces Christian Rufener.
"The basic idea behind Beem is to use a mobile platform to enable interactive elements in traditional media campaigns. Users can make purchases directly via Beem, take part in voting or competitions - and much more," says Rufener. "However, the possible applications go far beyond the context of advertising. For example, the technology can also be used for mobile applications - such as scavenger hunts - or for window shopping with interactive shop windows."
For the time being - and with immediate effect - Beem is available for TV and cinema campaigns, mobile applications and the aforementioned interactive shop windows. According to Rufener, the Beem boxes at APG|SGA poster sites should also be ready for use again in January 2020. It is quite possible that they will cause less of a stir at the second attempt due to Swisscom's efforts.
20 minutes equips the boxes with Beem
The Beem platform has been integrated into the 20 Minuten app since Tuesday. To promote the innovation, the newspaper's own newspaper boxes were equipped with the technology.
As 20 Minuten writes on Tuesday, 206 newspaper boxes in Zurich, Winterthur, Bern, Basel, St. Gallen and Lucerne are now equipped with Beem. Every day for a month, a cell phone of your choice worth 1,200 francs will be raffled off at these locations. The 20-minute boxes are Beem-enabled until December 6. There are "currently no plans" to equip the boxes with Beem in the longer term, says Tamedia spokeswoman Nicole Bänninger when asked by Werbewoche.ch
Users of the medium with the widest reach in Switzerland are thus introduced to the Beem technology - based on Bluetooth and Audio Content Recognition (ACR) - in a "playful" way. When they approach a Beem-equipped box, a banner appears in the newsfeed of the 20-minute app inviting them to take part in the competition. Anyone who takes part will find out immediately afterwards whether he or she has won the cell phone.
Further actions to follow
Special advertising stickers on the 20 Minuten boxes draw attention to the interactive competition. It will also be announced in the editorial section of 20 Minuten and advertised using print ads and online and mobile advertising media throughout the campaign period. The campaign will also be supported by a content creator campaign in collaboration with the influencer platform Picstars.
"The interactive competition launched today is just the start of our cooperation with Beem," says Bänninger. "Further attractive offers and exciting content will follow in the coming weeks and months." Tamedia leaves open the extent to which such offers can provide customers with real added value and thus motivation to open the app. Marcus Schögel from the Institute of Marketing at the HSG said in June that customers would have to be offered real benefits to overcome this high hurdle.
Beem to get off the ground thanks to technology change
With the integration into the most popular Swiss news app, Swisscom is making another attempt to anchor the controversial Beem product in the everyday lives of media users. The start was anything but optimal: when APG/SGA put up the first posters with the Beem transmitters in Zurich's main station, the reaction was fierce. Even though experts classify Beem as harmless, even conservative, in terms of data protection, there was great mistrust of the technology right from the start. A high-frequency sound that makes contact with your own smartphone - according to various critical media reports, many consumers wanted nothing to do with this new form of advertising.
At Swisscom, the critical voices have led to a change in technology. "We wanted to launch this technology with audio signal in Switzerland in the spring. This led to questions and uncertainties, even though the technology is already being used in other countries and also in Switzerland in the industrial sector," says Christian Rufener, CMO of Beem, when asked by Werbewoche.ch. "We have taken these concerns very seriously and have decided not to review the use of this technology until an assessment has been made by the Federal Office for the Environment. It has already been confirmed that Beem complies with the legal standards in terms of volume."
For the time being, Beem will therefore only use Bluetooth and Audio Content Recognition (ACR) technologies to interact with the user's smartphone. In the case of the 20-minute boxes, Bluetooth will be used.
Since the first stumble, Swisscom has also done a lot to increase Beem's popularity among users. "In addition to the technology change, we have also simplified the entire activation process once again," explains Rufener. "To use Beem, the user must activate it once. Without express consent, i.e. opt-in, Beem is switched off and the app cannot receive any Beem signals. Beem can also be deactivated by the user at any time."
