In a number of markets this summer, the familiar multi-nozzle self-serve drink machines at fast food outlets have been replaced by a shiny new device, the Coca Cola Freestyle.
The Freestyle has only one dispensing nozzle, and more than a dozen drink flavor buttons. Do-it-yourselfers are encouraged to mix their own flavors. Many already do this on old-style machines, but the Freestyle keeps track of the mixes, sending the “recipes” via Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips and WiFi to headquarters for analysis.
The user-created flavors can be propagated across a number of machines for live field-testing. New flavors from the company can also be tested across one or more machines, giving Coke the ability to create and test new drinks in the real market, with live data, potentially shaving years off the time it normally takes to develop and produce a new product line.
RFID is only one of the new technologies and trends growing in importance as marketers work to get the biggest bang for the buck.
Read Part 3 of my Digital Media Buzz series on behavioral targeting: “Tag, you’re it! RFID technology grows up”
You must log in to post a comment.