New App To Bow At Arts, Beats & Eats

PLEASANT RIDGE -- A new mobile application for smartphones will be launched Sept. 2 at the Arts, Beats & Eats festival in Royal Oak.

The app, called MOBIBO -- for mobile billboard -- is the brain child of Gravy Network LLC, founded in 2010 by two brothers, Zac and Josh Ball.

The app, which will be free to download at the festival, alerts users to geo-targeted money-saving offers -- and will actually pay users 25 cents just for viewing the offer, in addition to the savings of the offer.

At the festival, Gravy Network will have a booth where they will be soliciting passersby to download the app. Each person that downloads the app will be able to receive a t-shirt, a can holder and a chance to win $250.

"We strongly believe that it might generate a spark that will lead to a paradigm shift in mobile advertising," said Zac Ball, who has over 16 years' experience in computer programming and application development. "Think about it: Empowering consumers in a world inundated with advertising, and allowing businesses to network with their customers in real-time. We see its potential as limitless."

MOBIBO is a free, downloadable application for smartphones, that functions as a "mobile billboard" that advertisers can "rent" for a small fee. They only pay for the ads consumers see, and the dates and times of the promotions are controlled live. When the ads are viewed, the consumer is paid 25 cents for each ad, which can be redeemed through PayPal.

The MOBIBO app alerts consumers at the ideal time – when they are near the advertiser's place of business. MOBIBO sends an audio signal to the consumer's smartphone, telling them to view a special discount or promotional offer at a store close-by.  In addition to earning 25 cents for viewing the ad, these time-sensitive offers are redeemed online, and the consumer simply goes into the store to give his over number to the clerk to receive the promo item or service.

In addition to incentivizing consumers by paying them for time spent in viewing ads, advertisers also benefit from immediate, increased traffic and sales. Businesses are also not burdened with up-front, unnecessary costs to participate or to produce printed coupons and other sales materials.

Industry experts expect smartphones to become the number one selling consumer electronic device by the end of 2011. Nearly 300 million smartphones were sold in 2010 – up roughly 70 percent from 2009.

More at www.gravynetwork.com.