 | Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Issue 528 | | Will Smith, Editor |  |
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Editor's Note: Today's top story is the "talking billboard" marketing campaign from automaker MINI that uses active RFID technology.
Everett, Washington-based RFID manufacturer Intermec Technologies has announced a partnership with the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for cooperative research into an Automatic Identification Tracking (AIT) system intended to qualify machine-readable symbol markings and RFID technology for use on vehicles in space.
Ultra-wideband (UWB) and RFID solutions provider Parco Wireless announced its UWB RFID implementation at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., one of the 25 largest hospitals in the nation. According to the company, the installation will include 2,500 tags distributed over 2.5 million square feet in its 926-bed facility.
Lastly, vnunet.com reports that Royal Alexandra Hospital in the U.K. is extending its RFID pilot. Mantic Point provides the software and Wavetrend the RFID tags and readers for the asset management system that is expanding from three initial wards to include the accident and emergency department and the patient recovery wards. |
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| | - Locate it now. How? Ekahau. That's how! (site) | | | | - RFID World Conference 2007, March 26-28, Dallas (site) | | - 5th Annual RFID Journal LIVE!, Apr 30 - May 2, 2007, Orlando (site) | | - Asset Management Conference & Expo, Feb 21-22, San Diego (site) | | - The official DoD RFID Summit, April 3-4, Washington Hilton (site) | | - IDTechEx RFID Smart Labels USA 2007, Feb 20-23, Boston, USA (site) | | | | - CCL Label - Your Global Partner for Labeling & Packaging (site) | | | Training & Certification | | - University of Kansas RFID Training Programs (site) | | - Be Prepared. Heathkit's RFID+ Test Prep (site) | | | RFID Readers | | - MTI Wireless Edge: high-quality low-cost panel antennas (site) | | | Employment | | - RFID Recruiters - 100% Focused on RFID Recruiting (site) | | | Products & Services | | - Peel - Stick - Ship(TM): SimplyRFID Pre-Programmed Tags (site) | | | Research & White Papers | | - RFID Marketing Strategies Report from RFID Update (site) | |
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RFID Enables Personalized Billboard Displays
MINI USA, the U.S. division of the company that manufactures the MINI Cooper automobile, this week launched an innovative marketing initiative called MINI Motorby that relies on active RFID technology. The company will install roadside billboards that display personalized messages to MINI owners passing in their cars or on foot.
The program is opt-in, meaning that those MINI owners invited by the company to participate must fill out a web-based questionnaire covering topics from the mundane (birth date) to the quirky (the car's nickname). Respondents are then mailed a key fob that uses active RFID to communicate with the billboards, or "Motorboards", at distances of up to 500 feet. When a MINI owner with such a key fob comes within range of a Motorboard, the LED readout displays a customized, often humorous, message that might relate to the owner's profession, name, or roof design. Examples: "Nice roof graphic, Rocket!" to an owner with a car nicknamed Rocket, or "Moving at the speed of justice!" to a lawyer. "These boards feature an ever-changing array of unique, personal, playful and unexpected messages targeted to and triggered by MINI owners," reads the announcement from MINI USA. See photos here. When no key fob is within range, the Motorboards display standard MINI advertising content.
Slated for installation this past Monday, only four Motorboards are planned initially, one in each of the following locations:- Chicago: I-294 (North Tri-State), 0.25 mile south of Wolf Road, south of Chicago O'Hare airport (faces southbound traffic)
- Miami: Palmetto Expressway, 25 feet north of NW 50th Street (faces northbound traffic)
- New York: 10th Avenue & 30th Street, just before the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel (faces northbound traffic)
- San Francisco: I-80 Skyway at 4th Street (faces eastbound traffic)
The Motorboards are all controlled by a central server, which updates the messaging hourly, but can do so on-demand if necessary.
For the RFID industry, the MINI campaign is significant because it is perhaps the highest profile deployment of RFID-enabled dynamic marketing. One of the long-expected applications for RFID is the ability for marketing signage like billboards to read information from the RFID tags of passers-by and seamlessly deliver highly personalized messages. This is also the type of application that bothers privacy advocates, who are loathe to facilitate consumerism at the expense of indiscriminately broadcasted personal data.
The MINI Motorby program will likely be insulated from accusations of carelessness about privacy because its opt-in process requires so much effort on the part of would-be participants. Furthermore, the key fobs do not contain any user data, according to the company, and the information communicated between the fobs and the Motorboards is encrypted.
What will be interesting to see is if and how MINI leverages the technology to do things beyond deliver quick, customized messages. While the company clearly deserves credit for this first-of-its-kind program, the novelty of Hi Bob!-type messages will not last forever. Creating reactions on billboards is a starting point, and at this early stage serves as validation that RFID-enabled dynamic marketing can be done. As the technology is refined and advanced over the coming years, we will likely see RFID applications designed to more profoundly impact consumer behavior.
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| RTLS & Active RFID | Locate it now. How? Ekahau. That's how!
Ekahau RTLS (Real-Time Location System) automatically tracks assets and people via your existing Wi-Fi network. Control costs and improve asset management with Ekahau. For more information, visit us at www.ekahau.com. | | | Upcoming Events | RFID World Conference 2007, March 26-28, Dallas
Attend RFID World, the largest event focused on RFID and Advanced End-to-End Track & Trace Solutions. RFID World is where the industry gathers to meet face-to-face, making it the most effective place to generate awareness, leads and sales. Learn more and register at www.rfid-world.com | 5th Annual RFID Journal LIVE!, Apr 30 - May 2, 2007, Orlando
Get everything you need to put RFID to work today at the world's largest RFID conference & exhibition. Access the most case studies, the most how-to sessions and the most lessons learned. The 86,000 sq.-ft. exhibit hall will feature the leading technology providers. Plus, Disney Resort packages available. Save an extra 10% - use code rfidupdate. Information: http://www.rfidjournalevents.com/live | Asset Management Conference & Expo, Feb 21-22, San Diego
The Conference will examine asset management technology within the framework of multi-industry best practices and regulatory requirements. Technology, such as Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software, bar codes, mobile computers, RFID, and real time locating systems (RTLS), is improving the ability to track, manage, maintain, finance and amortize production resources. www.AssetExpo.com | The official DoD RFID Summit, April 3-4, Washington Hilton
As the official platform for the DoD RFID Policy, the DoD RFID Summit, sponsored by the Principal Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Logistics and Materiel Readiness), will provide direction on supplier RFID implementation requirements and timelines based on procurement methods, classes/commodities and locations. www.DoDRFIDsummit.com | IDTechEx RFID Smart Labels USA 2007, Feb 20-23, Boston, USA
RFID Smart Labels USA 2007 covers all RFID applications and technologies. Highlighting the business case, item-level tagging, RFID progress around the world and state-of-the-art technologies, RFID Smart Labels USA will be 2007's premier learning forum for RFID. Hear from 60+ industry-leaders including Coca-Cola, Unilever, Rolls-Royce, BGN, USPS, Michelin, McCarran Airport, IATA. www.smartlabelsUSA.com | | | RFID Tags & Labels | CCL Label - Your Global Partner for Labeling & Packaging
CCL Label is North America's leading full-service provider of pharmaceutical and healthcare labeling and packaging solutions. CCL incorporates the latest RFID technologies into it's labels to provide our customers with labels that are smarter with broader applications. CCL Label puts the Power Behind Your Brand. 609.433.3700 ext.127 or visit www.ccllabel.com | | | Training & Certification | University of Kansas RFID Training Programs
Researchers at the RFID Alliance Lab at the University of Kansas are leading the RFID field with pioneering research. Now the University of Kansas is turning that research into revenue for businesses across the country through its RFID training programs focused on Item-Level Tracking, Cold Chain Tracking, and Asset Management. www.continuinged.ku.edu/programs/rfid | Be Prepared. Heathkit's RFID+ Test Prep
Heathkit's RFID+ Test Prep Program prepares individuals to successfully take CompTIA's RFID+ certification exam. Use Heathkit's Interactive Assessment Tool to highlight RFID technology areas that have already been mastered and pinpoint those concepts requiring additional study; don't waste time searching through RFID topics you already know. Be prepared... get Heathkit's RFID+ Test Prep. | | | RFID Readers | MTI Wireless Edge: high-quality low-cost panel antennas
* Covering all applicable frequency bands for Passive and Active RFID * Various mechanical configurations for Indoor and Outdoor applications * Single or Dual Polarities * Linear or circular polarities * High robustness and endurance * Field proven in harsh environments * Enhancing system performance * Solutions tailored to customer needs: www.mtiwe.com | | | Employment | RFID Recruiters - 100% Focused on RFID Recruiting
Whether your company is looking for the best RFID talent or you have the best RFID talent and are looking for the best RFID employer, RFID Recruiters offers the most focused approach to your objective. To learn how the RFID industry and the RFID job market are evolving, visit www.rfidrecruiters.com | | | Products & Services | Peel - Stick - Ship(TM): SimplyRFID Pre-Programmed Tags
Military-grade, Class 1 Generation 2 RFID Tags pre-programmed to DoD 252.211-7006 specifications shipped same day for less than $1 each. Find out why over 1,000 DoD (Department of Defense) suppliers choose SimplyRFID for their RFID needs. Visit us at www.SimplyRFID.com for no hassle RFID solutions. | | | Research & White Papers | RFID Marketing Strategies Report from RFID Update
Thirty-nine pages of original research on RFID audience perceptions, including 30+ figures of tactics, content & messaging, and recommendations to guide marketing strategy. Also, Top-10 RFID company rankings based on 550+ survey respondents. View the executive summary free, with Top-3 sample rankings. Only $495 Individual License or $795 Corporate License. Available now |
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RFID Update is the RFID industry daily. Launched in early 2004 to provide timely analysis of RFID industry news, RFID Update publishes editorial briefings every weekday for the growing ranks of top level executives involved in the deployment of RFID. Each issue delivers the breaking news and analysis most pertinent to successful RFID implementations, allowing readers to understand global RFID developments as they happen.
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