What is Hyperlocal: LBS 2.0 ?
Written on Thursday, September 16, 2010
Going through my rss reader I came across a couple of pretty interesting posts for two 'Hyperlocal' Mobile Applications. Now, 'Hyperlocal' is a buzzword really. There's no real definition out there and that's why it brings a 'wow-that seems interesting' effect that makes you read on. I'll take a stab at a definition from my point of view...
Hyperlocal as you'll read on the Mobile Marketing Watch,
... by definition means that a product or service offers unique value, and is relevant, to the consumer.
But there's also obviously the 'local' element in the word which goes to show how much it is bound to the user location and locality.
So, isn't Hyperlocal a descendant of the location-based services/marketing/advertising/... term? Hyperlocal services offer the mobile user information related to their location, yes, like location-based services (LBS). Isn't it the same thing? What's the catch? ...Is there one?
It's simple. To me, Hyperlocal is basically version 2.0 of LBS, with a hint of 'we need a new term cause LBS has been around for so long it's become boring'.
Location-based services have improved dramatically over the last couple of years with some really interesting services in the market today. New business deals for aggregation between different parties in the LBS chain have made more information available to the end user, better quality information, and led to new business opportunities, with great potential.
LBS, through 'Hyperlocality', seems reborn. All sorts of apps now know where you are with laser precision, and have valuable information to offer you, relevant to you, and timely.
It just seems Hyperlocal is LBS finally done right... Take a look at the following Hyperlocal examples that illustrate the point:
Poynt, an LBS platform for local businesses. Seems very interesting but not yet available in the EU (or greek, at least) App Store for my iPhone, so I couldn't try it out.
Layar, the mobile augmented reality browser, which now comes with enhanced position tracking capabilities.
EveryBlock, "a news feed for your block", that provides its users with a unique news stream specifically for their neighborhood.
EveryBlock, "a news feed for your block", that provides its users with a unique news stream specifically for their neighborhood.
Again, seems interesting, but it only works in the U.S. -- visit their homepage for a list of supported cities.
If you have any comments, contributions to the Hyperlocal term, or other views on the Hyperlocal definition, etc. feel free to post a comment, or drop me an email.
If you have any comments, contributions to the Hyperlocal term, or other views on the Hyperlocal definition, etc. feel free to post a comment, or drop me an email.
Posted in
location-based services,
mobile advertising,
mobile services
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I was speaking to an Executive at Google the other day, and he said what we had at Hypertag was a hyperlocal advertising platform. I think they define it as targeting information to the point you are standing. This is novel to many advertisers, and certainly to the ad platforms, because they approach things from getting from the big to the very small. So they think, how can I now target London or Cambridge instead of the UK. We approach things from a completely different perspective i.e. who is standing near a specific point e.g. the shop and what's the best way of motivating them to come inside.
Hi Jonathan,
Thanks for the comment -- very interesting input. Yes, that's exactly why I approached hyperlocal the way I did. Location-based services, such as ones offered by your proximity marketing system, now offer improved accuracy and make it easier to target information to specific locations rather than towns, cities or countries.
See you around.