What are you going to do next?

Facebook reached 350 million users by the end of 2009 and there seems to be no stopping this massive ‘talk-shop’ as they race to 500 million+ by the end of 2010.

South Africa accounts for 3 million of the current 350 million, which may be small in comparison to Europe and the USA but what is interesting and certain to be a game-changer is the fact that the majority of these users are interacting via their mobile phones.

So why is mobile a game-changer?

Mobile is the ultimate proximity or location based personal communication channel that is rarely ignored. It’s no longer just a talk-text device, it does more or less what a PC can do and sometimes more. Further to the technology capabilities is the fact that our mobile phones are our constant companions; as the old American Express Ad once said, …we “don’t leave home without it” and if we do you can bet that you’ll go back and get it …pronto.

Ok, so all of that you already know but what’s next?

The reality is that we use our mobile phones to connect with our friends and the best way to reach all our friends quickly and cheaply on our mobile is to post a comment or invite on our social network profiles.

We are not naturally house-bound and as human beings we are action orientated, we go out, we meet friends in real life we interact in a tactile manner and we share live experiences all of which are not possible on a PC although the comments and photos of our experiences usually end up there on Facebook or Twitter or any number of the hundreds of social media sites.

What really changes the game is how the mobile phone can change the way we give our friends ‘gifts’. At present we post virtual gifts with comments – a rose, a drink or even cuddly toys but what if we could send a tangible value? This is where the excitement starts not just for Facebook Friends, but also for brands.

Mobile vouchers aren’t new and there are many variations in the market but it is very fragmented and many solutions are simply generic gif file images for discounts.

Globally, Japan has always been at the bleeding edge of mobile communication and innovation such as the use of NFC for mobile vouchers and payments but this is a closed technology society where what works there has little chance of seeing global adoption for at least 5 to 10 years.

In South Africa Brandscape’s BrandNet platform has developed stage one of a globally scalable integrated voucher and ticketing Geo-location based server ‘Bank’ based on 2D codes. The system integrates with online social media platforms, Out-of-Home digital media and mobile phones to deliver “Send12.me” a value add service for brands and users based on Geo-location relevancy.

If Twitter is all about answering that simple question, “What are you doing now?” then BrandNet “Send12.me” location-based services are all about answering the more intriguing question of, “What are you going to do next?”

The “Send12.me” application will include a ‘check-in’ functionality that will allow users to ‘check-in’ by location to access information, brand vouchers and comments left by recent visitors. Connected friends can even send users a drink or gift by accessing the mobile or online application, selecting the venue where their friend is located, making an m-payment that sends the 2D voucher to the mobile phone that is then redeemed at the venue.

In the context of social business, it’s not hard to see how this will be a ‘game-changer’ in the integration of marketing and operations that will come about when friends and reward each other with free and paid for brand incentives that are relevant to locations.