Feb 7, 2008 11:55 am US/Eastern
Location-Based Pop-Up Ads Hit Cell Phones
Overkill? Or Perfect Technology For Savvy Shopper?
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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CBS Mobile is offering to send location-based advertising to cell phones. As many as 50 million phones may soon have the ability to find out where to shop and eat simply based on where they are.
AP
Coupon fliers are a great way to know which local stores have some of your favorite products on sale. Well how about getting similar information on your cell phone that's so specific it tells you where the closest coffee shop is that's serving up the cheapest lunch.
That reality is just around the corner.
Believe it or not, your
cell phone can actually track you down, pinpointing exactly where you are in the world and allowing local businesses to instantly send you ads all in the hopes of luring you through their doors.
"For advertisers, this is the sweet spot, this is the mobile nirvana," said Cyriac Roeding of CBS Mobile.
So how does it work? You're walking down the street and you check your phone for the latest news and an ad for a nearby coffee shop pops up on your CBS Mobile site. Now the question is, is it just too much information or does it help you be the perfect savvy shopper?"
New York City residents seem torn.
"Love, love, love, that's so great," one person said.
"That's too much information," a man added.
But Roeding, who runs CBS Mobile, where these new location-based ads will appear, says unless you sign up for the service you won't receive it.
"You have to say that you want it," Roeding said. "And we are not storing the information on where you are. We don't even know who you are."
After learning is whereabouts would be anonymous, one man CBS 2 HD spoke to earlier had a change of heart.
"Then that could be good," he said. "I never know where to eat in New York."
CBS Mobile Unit says as many as 50 million mobile phones in the United States could be equipped to get location based ads.
Japan is the only other country that has similar cellphone technology.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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