gogo gives Leeds the lead with virtual city guide
2008 May 15th 2008
Leeds is now home to the world’s first virtual city guide delivering useful information straight to mobile phones.
LeedsCast launched today using gogo, a mobile messaging system developed by Leeds-based marketing communications specialists, an agency called england.
A number of LeedsCast zones are operational in city centre locations. Each zone houses a gogo pod which can detect mobile phones, send invitations to download the application, quarantine any phones which decline and update applications which have been downloaded. There are initially nine zones, with more being launched in the coming months.
The LeedsCast application is simple to use, delivering information relevant to visitors and people who live and work in Leeds. It has details of restaurants, hotels, attractions, shops and bars as well as a list of useful contact details. Information on public transport is available along with contact numbers for local taxi firms.
LeedsCast has a number of features which are updated in real time when the user is in a LeedsCast zone. These include news headlines, and special offers and competitions. It also can detect which zone a phone is in and provide the user with walking directions to other LeedsCast zones.
gogo is centrally managed via the internet, allowing multiple content delivery in all mobile phone formats. Information is delivered from pods which can be located at poster sites, retail locations, entertainment venues, public spaces or wherever required. The range of the pods is up to 100 metres, subject to handsets, and pods can be networked or programmed to operate independently.
an agency called england developed gogo in response to a commitment by City Centre Leeds to make the city easier to understand and get around. The LeedsCast application is supported by Marketing Leeds which is supplying content from www.leedsliveitloveit.com, the city’s official website for business, leisure and education. gogo is already in use by other organisations including the Metropolitan Police.
Deborah Green, Chief Executive of Marketing Leeds, said: “LeedsCast puts a whole host of information literally at your fingertips and has created virtual signposting to complement the city’s physical signage.
“We are proud to be home of the world’s first virtual city guide. We’re really excited that through this technology we can open up new channels of communication with people who come into the city. LeedsCast represents a new era in location-based city marketing.”
Chief Executive of an agency called england, Tony Stanton, who conceived and developed the system, said: “LeedsCast is the first city application of gogo, hence the excitement. The technology offers amazing potential and creates a means for businesses and venues to communicate with a target city centre audience precisely when and where they wish to engage with them.
“The additional advantage is that the information is downloaded onto their mobile phone, and so long as they don’t delete it, that information is to hand at any moment that it might be of use.”
Information is delivered via T-Mobile’s Mobile Broadband network. Commenting on the project, Ollie Chivers, Head of Business Marketing, T-Mobile UK said; “T-Mobile is delighted that an agency called england chose our high-speed 3G Mobile Broadband service to help deliver such a ground-breaking project. This collaboration also illustrates our ability to work hand-in-hand with a business to create tailored mobile solutions that meet their specific business needs.”
For more information visit www.leedscast.info