The use of ATM’s for the purpose of one to one advertising has gained momentum of late. On paper it seems like a great idea but in reality it requires great care in planning before a full scale roll-out can take place.
The transaction at the ATM is unlike any other customer activity within a financial institution. When a customer approaches a machine, they are interested in speed. Anything which impedes the delivery of their transaction can be interpreted as an annoyance. And, if the delay is related to the advertising being displayed, it could very well thwart the return of that customer to not only your ATM but your institution. This is certainly not effective marketing.
Still, the marketing opportunity which is presented cannot be ignored. It is for this reason customers continue to ask us if we can integrate our software with ATM machines. To date the answer has been no and I don’t see that changing in the foreseeable future. This is mainly because our system is built to distribute dynamic media. And, although our customers can and certainly do use still images on screens driven by our software, we like to see a heavier weight given to motion graphics. Today’s environment as it relates to ATM transactions simply does not allow this.
The bigger marketing opportunity appears to be the full integration of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) applications with ATM advertising. Under this scenario, the marketing message to be displayed would not be random but driven by the information delivered by the CRM application. Several of these types of products are starting to enter the market.
NCR is one manufacturer trying to make head-way with advertising on the ATM. Although I do no have hands on experience with the Aptra product from NCR, it appears to follow along the lines of what I am suggesting about integrating CRM with the ATM. In other words, don’t blindly push advertising to machines but make a product offers based on what you know of specific customer based on real time data. The value of this proposition has merit. There is a clear difference between “Ask us about our Home Equity Programs” and presenting a qualified customer with “You have been approved for a $10,000.00 Home Equity Line. Would you like one of our representatives to contact you?”
The systems that allow for this type of targeted messaging remain in relative infancy. I think it will be interesting to see how they develop over the course of 2006 and subsequent years.
