A bit chuffed

Apparently, the Wall Street Journal wanted some thoughts about my blog post about Loopt in my 2007 predictions. In a nutshell, here's what I think: Loopt seems to be at the intersection of a number of trends, which makes it interesting. A lot of the work we’re doing now is digital and we’re always looking at new platforms for communications and creativity, and I think 2007 is going to be a big year for mobile marketing. It’s map-based and I think maps are an increasingly popular and natural interface to data in communications. It’s very web 2.5 in the sense it’s a service that’s always on you. It seems like a natural extension of the increase in mobile IM. And brands are looking constantly for way to create and engage with communities of relevant and like-minded people. Practically every campaign we devise has a social networking component to it. For instance, we can reach audiences comparable to TV through MySpace. Loopt is interesting because it promotes social networking on the users’ terms – its their buddy lists, not ours – and therefore the communities are genuine and real. The challenge is to use services like Loopt in a way that makes sense for our clients’ brands, and for these communities. Also, the really important bit about a successful communication is whether it is timely and relevant, and if people can do something with it, so much the better. Services like Loopt could potentially be great platforms for the delivery of a branded communication with some sort of local geographical fulfilment – perhaps rewarding groups of friends with an offer in a store or coffee shop.