Akoo and McDonald's at Woodfield Mall Launch m-Venue, First-of-Its-Kind, in-Store Entertainment Service Activated by Mobile Phones.McDonald's Customers Can Now "Order Up" Audio and Video Content from Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Inc. is the result of a 50/50 joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment (part of Sony) and BMG Entertainment (part of Bertelsmann) completed on August 5, 2004. Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Sony Pictures Using Text Messaging Sending short messages to a smartphone, pager, PDA or other handheld device. Text messaging implies sending short messages generally no more than a couple of hundred characters in length. , the Mobile Internet Refers to gaining access to the Internet using a lightweight, handheld device. See Mobile IP, PDA, smartphone and mobile TV. , or Wi-Fi; Selections Are Performed Publicly on Demand in Designated Multimedia Zones within the Restaurant CHICAGO -- Akoo and McDonald's at Woodfield Mall Woodfield Mall is a shopping mall located in the Chicago suburb of Schaumburg, Illinois at the intersection of Golf Road and Illinois Route 53. Woodfield opened on September 9, 1971 with 59 stores, growing to 189 stores with 1. today announced the launch of m-Venue[TM], a patent-pending entertainment and marketing platform that enables McDonald's customers to search, select, and "activate" in-store digital content -- including music, music videos, and movie previews -- with their mobile phones or Internet-connected mobile devices. m-Venue allows patrons to choose a wide variety of audio and video content from Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Sony Pictures, among others, via text messaging (SMS (1) (Storage Management System) Software used to routinely back up and archive files. See HSM. (2) (Systems Management Server) Systems management software from Microsoft that runs on Windows NT Server. ), the mobile Internet, or a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop. Selections are performed on demand in designated multimedia zones within the restaurant or placed into a queue if another selection is already playing. For a limited time, the service is available at no cost to customers, compliments of participating McDonald's locations. m-Venue debuts in McDonald's at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg, Illinois Schaumburg is a village in Cook County and DuPage County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 75,386. As of 2005, the population slightly dropped to 72,690 according to the Census Bureau. , where 10 multimedia flat-panel screens have been established. Additional McDonald's locations throughout the Chicagoland area and the southeastern region are launching m-Venue by year's end. Akoo is also in discussions to roll out the platform at numerous "big box" retail, dining, and leisure entertainment chains by early 2007. "Since launching m-Venue, we've increased our restaurant's sales by nearly 17 percent compared to the same period last year," said John O'Keefe The name John O'Keefe, sometimes spelled as O'Keeffe may refer to:
In addition to on-demand digital content, m-Venue offers McDonald's customers day-parted ambient Surrounding. For example, ambient temperature and humidity are atmospheric conditions that exist at the moment. See ambient lighting. audio/video programming; a music ID and discovery feature, whereby users can identify the artist and name of any song playing in participating locations by sending a text message; and ultimately, a digital store where patrons can purchase and download digital content over-the-air to their mobile devices. Since the m-Venue platform also tracks consumers' usage behaviors and preferences in a non-intrusive way, McDonald's locations will be able to employ more effective mobile-based promotions, loyalty & rewards programs, and opt-in targeted marketing campaigns. "We're extremely pleased to help McDonald's owners/operators connect with their customers in more compelling ways and differentiate the company's great brand in an increasingly competitive quick-serve restaurant marketplace," said Niko Drakoulis, Akoo's chief executive officer. "m-Venue is the only platform that extends the exponential growth Extremely fast growth. On a chart, the line curves up rather than being straight. Contrast with linear. of digital media consumption and social networking See social networking site. social networking - social network on the Internet into public places where mobile device users gather, shop, eat, socialize so·cial·ize v. so·cial·ized, so·cial·iz·ing, so·cial·iz·es v.tr. 1. To place under government or group ownership or control. 2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. , and play. As our location partners are discovering, it's an innovative way to attract, convert and retain target demographics The attributes of people in a particular geographic area. Used for marketing purposes, population, ethnic origins, religion, spoken language, income and age range are examples of demographic data. . The return on investment is immediate." Akoo's m-Venue platform was recently featured in the Innovations pavilion at the 2006 Worldwide McDonald's Convention, where 15,000 attendees gathered. "The reaction to our platform from top executives was overwhelmingly positive," added Drakoulis. "The demand for our service by owner/operators was especially strong because they see m-Venue as an ideal way to interact with customers 'where they live' - that is, via their mobile phones and mobile devices." For more information about the m-Venue platform, prospective strategic partners - including retailers and major brands, venue owners/operators, content providers, advertisers, wireless operators, device manufacturers, and diversified media companies - should visit www.akoo.com. About Akoo International Inc. Akoo's patent-pending digital media and marketing platform, m-Venue[TM], enables partners to offer location-based entertainment to mobile consumers visiting their establishments. For the first time, consumers can use their mobile phones or Internet-connected mobile devices to search, select, and "activate" in-location audio/video content and interactive entertainment. Simultaneously, the m-Venue platform tracks consumers' usage behaviors and preferences to facilitate more effective mobile-based promotions, loyalty & rewards programs, and opt-in targeted marketing campaigns. Akoo was formed in 2001 and is based in Chicago. Visit www.akoo.com for more information. |
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