by TRC_Admin | Jan 25, 2022 | City Signs, Mobile Advertising, Uncategorized, Vending
Photo: Rentbrella in Forbes
“If you’ve ever left the house, you can relate: It starts to rain and you don’t have an umbrella.
You can find something to shield yourself (the ol’ coat over the head). Or grab the umbrella you brought with you. Whoops, you forgot it? Maybe you can find one at a local store, before you’re soaked to the bone.
Or if you’re in Manhattan, New York City, you can grab one from a Rentbrella share station. Use the umbrella to free for 24 hours or keep it for an extra $2 per day. After three days, you’ll be charged $16 and can keep it forever.
Besides Manhattan, where there are more than 35 Rentbrella sharing stations in high-traffic areas, Rentbrella also has 400-plus sharing stations with 40,000 umbrellas across São Paulo, Brazil, where it got its start in 2018. And the mobility and technology company has plans for many more locations.
‘We have an ambitious expansion plan with the goal of expanding to dozens of cities across the U.S. and Europe over the next few years,’ says Freddy Marcos, who cofounded Rentbrella with Nathan Janovich.
‘In the United States, we see cities like Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Philadelphia, Washington, Houston, Boston, among others,’ Marcos says. ‘In Europe, we’re starting in London in the first half of 2022 and then moving to other rainy and highly populated cities….’
So how does Rentbrella make money if its umbrellas are potentially free?
‘Our revenue model is based on brand advertising and sponsorship on our umbrellas,’ Marcos says. “In Brazil, our umbrellas are sponsored by the country’s biggest insurance company, Unimed…’
The idea for Rentbrella was born as cofounder Janovich was getting off the subway, Marcos says.
‘There were hundreds of people huddled at the door because it was raining, and as he saw a shared bike passing by, he thought: ‘If no one needs a bike of their own to get around, why need an umbrella?’
‘At that moment, he called me, and I suggested using the umbrellas as a new advertising vehicle that brings mobility and protection for users and a high impact media experience for brands.'”
— Jeff Kart, Forbes
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by TRC_Admin | Dec 29, 2021 | Kiosk, Technology, Vending
Photo: PizzaForno via Thrillist
“For years there’s been buzz about a robot revolution, and it looks like it’s here. PizzaForno Partners Les Tomlin and Will Moyer are leaning into the future and appeasing both the robot overlords and people who like good pizza fast by rolling out fully automated pizza kiosks across North America.
QSR Magazine reported that the pair plans to place 20,000 fully automated PizzaForno kiosks across the country by 2026. That number includes 1,000 kiosks in the United States by the end of 2022, with locations between Southern California, Louisiana, and Florida first.
‘I think North America has been very late to the game on robotic food,’ Tomlin told the outlet. ‘I mean, look at PizzaForna—the technology has been around France for the better part of 10 years. COVID, the labor shortage, people don’t want to spend 10 minutes waiting for anything. All those things add up to super fast, super convenient, super quick serve. That’s where I think everybody’s got to go.’
Customers who step up to a PizzaForno kiosk will be met with a 32-inch touch screen on which they can choose their pizza and how they plan to pay. The machine builds each pizza, and then a robotic arm removes it from the cold section, opens the lid, and puts it into a proprietary convection oven where it bakes. That takes between 90 and 120 seconds. The pizza is then dropped into a slot where customers can reach it. The entire process takes about three minutes. Customers can also take their pizza home cold and cook it themselves…”
— Caitlyn Hitt, Thrillist
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by TRC_Admin | Jul 27, 2019 | Billboards, Interactive Advertising, Technology, Vending
Photo: PerceptIn, Mashable
The company says the DragonFly is a retail opportunity and will start selling it in the first part of 2019 for $40,000. It’s this lowish price compared to other digital billboards (this marketing site says a digital ad starts at around $10,000 for a month depending on the location) and to other self-driving vehicles that the CEO sees as a key selling point. That and its capabilities to collect location-based data showing when and where people are paying attention to the vehicle…”
— Shasha Lekach, Mashable
Read entire and see video in this article
Two additional examples of these types of devices
“PepsiCo testing self-driving vending machine in California”
Photo: University of the Pacific in Stockton, UPI.com
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“PerceptIn unleashes a driverless mobile vending machine that displays video ads”
Photo: PerceptIn, Venture Beat
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by TRC_Admin | Jul 27, 2019 | Billboards, Technology, Vending
Photo: Burger King in Washinton Post
“Amid that influx of innovation, …Burger King is the first fast-food brand to deliver food to people in the middle of a traffic jam. In Mexico City, the company said, delivery drivers are already receiving an average of 7,000 orders per day, mostly to homes and offices.
To make the traffic jam delivery process possible, Burger King’s Mexico app activates the service after identifying congested areas in Mexico City during periods of high traffic. Customers can place an order only if the app determines that the driver will be locked in traffic for at least 30 minutes and they are within 1.8 miles of a Burger King restaurant, the company said.
Push notifications alert drivers when they’ve entered a delivery zone, and company billboards display information about the status of customer orders. Drivers are prompted to place their order using hands-free voice command.
Though the company did not offer a timeline, Burger King says it expects to roll out the Traffic Jam Whopper in other cities with high-density traffic, such as Los Angeles, Sao Paulo and Shanghai.”
— Peter Holley , Washington Post
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by TRC_Admin | Jul 27, 2019 | Billboards, Interactive Advertising, Technology, Vending
Photo: London Post
“…OpenTable, the world’s leading restaurant booking service, is giving Londoners a chance to taste their way through the capital’s boroughs with the first edible map of the city.
On Tuesday 2nd July, those visiting King’s Cross Euston Road between 12pm and 5pm will be able to take a bite into the flavours of London from OpenTable’s interactive edible map billboard. To celebrate London’s vibrant diversity of cuisines from Turkish to Japanese, the map will feature a selection of canapé style dishes from around the world paired with the boroughs in which they’re most associated, for diners to take away…
Before foodie fans decide where to head for their next great dining experience, they can visit OpenTable’s edible map in King’s Cross to get a ‘taste’ of the area…
[Editor’s note: Sign offered a menu larger than many food trucks which is why we’ve included it here]
Greek: Honey and Cumin Hummus with Griddled Flatbread
Turkish: Dolma with Roasted Garlic Yoghurt
Bangladeshi: Spiced Lamb Biryani
Japanese: Avocado and Cream Cheese Maki with Soy and Pickled Ginger
Mexican: Short Rib Beef Taco, Sour Cream, Jalapeño Salsa
Indian: Onion Bhaji with Coriander and Mango Raita
Afternoon Tea: Scones with Clotted Cream Strawberry Jam
American: Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Sriracha Mayo
Baked Ratatouille with Goat’s Cheese
British: Fish and Chips with Samphire Tartare Sauce
Italian: Pork and Fennel Tortellini with Aged Parmesan
Italian: Truffle Arancini with San Marzano Tomato
Indian: Pea and Potato Samosa Chaat”
— London Post
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