The story about the San Francisco Chronicle trying out some touch screen, computerized tables in a regional coffee chain was fascinating to me.
The practicals involved will include a table developed with built in PCs, and embedded LCD displays, which will include access to the Web site of the paper, SFGate.com.
The chain, Tully's Coffee, will introduce the service at seven of its locations around the Bay area.
"This is yet another way for us to connect with the communities we serve, and make our content available in new and innovative ways," Henry S. Ford, senior marketing director for the Chronicle and SFGate, said in a statement.
Built by TableTouch, the computerized tables will empower users to search the daily news and features by simple touch. If it works out, plans for the future would include access to a number of other parts of the paper, including online classified ads.
When thinking about this from a marketing viewpoint, and the tens of thousands of shops, eateries and buildings around the country, it's almost endless the number of possibilities and strategies that could be offered through this type of marketing.
Not only would it be a great public service for customers, it would offer a variety of way to market to them in a relaxed atmosphere. This is definitely something to keep track of to see how it works out.
Whether it does or not in this specific case, it is going to be a force sometime in the future. It's just too good an idea to not work for all parties involved.
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