Mobile technology company Rapid Mobile has created an interactive WAP site for this years Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which runs from 5 to 27 August. Fringe Knowledge, sponsored by Times Online, details all upcoming shows, and, at the press of a button, connects to the box office. Users can search for performances by time, day, venue, artist and genre. They can also read a range of reviews written by Times Online critics. In the few seconds it takes for pages to load, contextualised ads for other shows the viewer might be interested in are displayed. The site can be accessed at mobi.edfringe.com.
Richard Marshall, CEO of Rapid Mobile, says that Fringe Knowledge is simple by design.
We knew that for the WAP site to be appealing to consumers and effective for advertisers, it had to be quick and easy to use says Marshall.
Louise Goodlad, Sponsorship Director at the Fringe says she is delighted with the site.
Rapid Mobile has created an ideal solution for us in record time says Goodlad. It really is quick, easy and fantastically convenient. It means anyone can get the what, where and when of the Fringe, from wherever they are, right now. And it beats queuing round the block.
Looking ahead, Marshall says Fringe Knowledge has great potential. He says:
There are several additional interactive functions we would like to add next year, from being able to forward show details to buying and receiving all tickets on the mobile. And with contextualised adverts, it can become an additional revenue source for the Fringe Society. With time, it is these sorts of services that will convince consumers, advertisers and publishers of the real benefits of mobile marketing.