Genius marketing, creepy, or just coincidence?

Alright, I'm thinking this is just crazy luck on sprite's part... But I gotta know if this has happened to others!

I'm not a pop drinker, maybe 1 can every couple months, usually at a friend's or family's house.

The other day I was super thirsty and saw a pop machine, I figured ay... What the heck, a sprite sounds good.

I put my money (quarters not credit card) in the machine, push "sprite", and as the can rolls out I get a text... I casually crack the top and reach down into my pocket to see who texted. I almost dropped my pop as I quickly tapped on my girls shoulder speechless pointing at this text... TEXT

Last I checked, "change" is untraceable... So I'm sure, and by sure, I mean I very much hope, there is no way a privately owned company could know I purchased one of their products, especially without using a credit card.

Was your bluetooth on? Is that even possible?

Please note, I've managed to avoid most of the whole mobile phone craze, so I'm not entirely clued up on how they work, but that is a little freaky.

reply to post by sparda4355


If what you say is true, then that's quite extraordinary. It's not beyond 'coincidence' but man... that's a little creepy! Did you look around to see if there were any strange people watching on that could have been scanning your phone?

IRM

Thats pretty creepy dude. Curious if it's a coincidence, maybe try it again.

reply to post by invetro


No, but wifi was on... It would seem more plausible if I wasn't in an old town's antique store with like a 20 year old pop machine. Lol

But even if it's a new machine, and is possible!!! It sure as hell shouldn't be aloud!

reply to post by InfaRedMan


There were like 3 people there plus us, I showed all of them! They were all freaked out!

Holy Crap! I would have dropped my sprite!

That is extremely creepy imo.

I get texts somehow from some place wanting me to donate to the Haiti relief fund. The thing is the number is a number from Haiti. I have no idea how they got my number either.

I also do not like it when places ask for my phone number, email or zip code. It is irrelevant to my purchase. I gave my number a few times and the result was advertising text messages. I actually called payless shoes and chewed them out. I told them they had no right to text me offers and spam my phone and email! They got my number from when I put shoes on hold on their website I was to have dyed. I was not happy and I did not get the shoes as a result.

I was shopping a few weeks ago at American Eagle and the lady was shocked I refused to give her my email and my phone number. I told her I didn't need her marketing sent to my email and my phone. She said "oh we don't do that" and I said "well what do you need it for." She didn't have a thing to say after that.

Maybe the tracker wasn't in the machine. Maybe it was in the can. Pop the top....beam a signal to sprite...text on your phone...
Maybe not!

Strange and creepy whether innocent coincidence or freaky spying/advertising.

reply to post by sparda4355


This is what happened to you. It's the wave of the future. And creepy as well:

RFID Enabled iPhone A Boon To Mobile Marketing?
www.mobilemarketingwatch.com...

I am confident that this technology is not limited to iPhones.

edit to add: The article at the link is from 2009.

From Wikipedia:

Mobile Marketing Via Proximity Systems

Mobile marketing via Proximity Systems, also referred to as Proximity Marketing, relies on GSM 03.41 which defines the Short Message Service - Cell Broadcast. SMS-CB allows messages (advertising, public information, etc.) to be broadcast to all mobile users in a specified geographical area. In the Philippines, GSM-based proximity broadcast systems are used by select Government Agencies for information dissemination on Government-run community-based programs to take advantage of its reach and popularity (Philippines has the world's highest traffic of SMS). It is also used for commercial service known as Proxima SMS. Bluewater, a super-regional shopping centre in the UK, has a GSM based system supplied by NTL to help its GSM coverage for calls, it also allows each customer with a mobile phone to be tracked though the centre which shops they go into and for how long. The system enables special offer texts to be sent to the phone.
en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by sparda4355
Alright, I'm thinking this is just crazy luck on sprite's part... But I gotta know if this has happened to others!

I'm not a pop drinker, maybe 1 can every couple months, usually at a friend's or family's house.

The other day I was super thirsty and saw a pop machine, I figured ay... What the heck, a sprite sounds good.

I put my money (quarters not credit card) in the machine, push "sprite", and as the can rolls out I get a text... I casually crack the top and reach down into my pocket to see who texted. I almost dropped my pop as I quickly tapped on my girls shoulder speechless pointing at this text... TEXT

Last I checked, "change" is untraceable... So I'm sure, and by sure, I mean I very much hope, there is no way a privately owned company could know I purchased one of their products, especially without using a credit card.

I'm guessing a sensor goes off when a purchase is made on said machine and it searches for phone signal within distance and sends it a message.

That is all I can think of off the top of head...but yea change could be untracable unless the signal also detects metals too...

Kind of advanced and a waste of technology for a pop company......( soda to everyone else )

This was recent science fiction as I recall. I believe it was featured in the film "Minority Report"

reply to post by this_is_who_we_are


Wow, just read that... That's creepy dude!!! F that!

Could be a coincidence since you say the machine was an old one, but the text message you received was a part of this campaign currently running by Coke/Sprite.

As others have mentioned already, the technology for doing this is commonplace already in many other parts of the world. In some European countries and Japan, you can buy just about anything at vending machines using your mobile phone billing as currency. This includes train tickets, drinks, food and porn. Check out this site for samples of strange machines.

They must be testing the whole, can't buy and sell without a RFID chip thing. Congratulations it works, now you get to become a corporate slave. All you have to do to collect your prize is type in 666 with the message you send back. Have a nice day.

reply to post by this_is_who_we_are


No freaking way!!! Thank you for posting! I've been waiting for that to come to life, not because I wanted it to... Just knew that it would!

Wow!!!

Originally posted by this_is_who_we_are
This was recent science fiction as I recall. I believe it was featured in the film "Minority Report"

Followup:

Just as I thought:
Virtual Advertising Heading To The UK
www.businessnewsblog.co.uk...
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/95597e9fcffd.jpg[/atsimg]

seriously glad you posted this~~!!! S&F for sure, why? Because I feel vindicated from a earlier thread I start about the very same thing here~>...Strange Phenomenon of normal conversation

Now, what you experienced is blatant, as what i noticed is covertly done.~! How would they know at the exact time you were going for that Sprite, WAY to coincidental for my blood~! Pure Genius marketing, which 'fringes' on reading our thoughts/intentions of our desires.

Now MANY on ATS brush it off as 'synchronicity', I on the other hand do not, if greed could have it's way, this method would be KING of Marketing~!

reply to post by Komodo


In the article I posted above with the photo from Minority Report the author explains how new advances in facial recognition technology will make "mobile marketing" even more intrusive and creepy.

I no longer have a cell phone by the way.