I recently discovered that during the summer of 2010, Coca-Cola invited 650 teenagers to spend three days at the Coca-Cola Village to sunbathe, go on water slides…etc.
After watching a promotional video of the Coca-Cola Village, I was impressed at how amazing the mini amusement park looked, and how much fun everyone looked like they were having. It made me want to join in the fun as well. However, Coke did something special during this event. They used RFID (Radio-frequency identification) technology to identify and track each teenager throughout the 3 days. There were also RFID readers at different locations throughout the Village for teens to swipe their RFID tags (attached to their wrists) and automatically update their status on Facebook.
Using RFID in marketing is a new concept, but firms are catching on fast. I found two more companies who are using RFID as part of their promotions. The most interesting part of RFID to me is how Coke linked it directly to social media for teens. I think it’s a brilliant idea because nowadays, whenever young adults experience something cool, they want to share it on facebook instantly. Coke’s RFID tags and reading stations at the Coke Village provided the teens an efficient way of doing this, and promoted the company simultaneously.
Here are several other companies that are using RFID technology in marketing: http://www.thetrendwatch.com/2010/09/09/brands-linking-rfid-to-social-media-top-3-examples/
IBM did a video about RFID technology increasing efficiency and potentially eliminating checkout lines. I found this extremely exciting new because I hate waiting in line at stores. This would make everyone’s lives so much better, especially since everyone has a fast-paced lifestyle right now.
