SoLoMo, Or Is It MoSoLo?

Gail Chiasson, North American Editor

In the keynote address on the first day of the Customer Engagement Technology World (May 27) Sean Andersen, director of interactive services at Six Flags, gave a rundown of how North America’s largest theme park chain has been using the SoLoMo, or Social-Location-Mobile combination to enhance the guest experience.

After starting out with showing how the entertainment company initially used TV screens, video walls and LED screens, Andersen then discussed integration with Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, YouTube and other social groups.

“We’re now integrating ticketing into Facebook,” said Andersen. “We looking at offering Facebook deals, translating Facebook Credit to discount vouchers.”

He also cited the use of shopkick, a mobile app that gives you rewards and offers simply for walking into stores; Color, the picture-sharing social network; Now (what are you watching and who else is watching); as well as camera use for location and other ways and means of people getting together; the digital wallet, and Near Field Communications.

What Andersen foresees is combinations of these at Six Flags and many other locations.

But key to it all is eventually allowing the use of your mobile device screen to be all you need to order tickets enter the park, buy food, go on rides, attend concerts, letting your friends know where you are, having them join you, and virtually everything else.

Providers (all except Apple, he noted) are already getting on board with the digital wallet where you can wave the phone for payment and provide stored value. In fact, he showed how the mobile device could mean that there’d be no more need for a loyalty card.

“We can talk about SoLoMo,” said Andersen. “But I think it really should be MoSoLo, bcause mobile is the key.”


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