Brightbox, a company that creates charging kiosks for mobile devices, is setting its sights farther than just consumer service, undertaking a foray into media.

The company, which has over 800 stations deployed in 9 countries, is looking to expand interactivity with its consumers through a number of opt-in mobile-centric activations, which will go towards accruing much of the heard-earned data that advertisers?especially those in bricks-and-mortar arenas?are so desperately after. The company is also looking to expand its BrightEyeQ module, which offers advertisers metrics for consumer engagement on Brightbox charging stations such as average charging time, repeat customers and usage heat maps.

?By leveraging the interactive features of a smart charging station, retail businesses can capture patrons? contact information to significantly augment their marketing databases,? said Billy Gridley, CEO of Brightbox. ?In Brightbox?s experience, SMS is likely to be the more effective in-store point of contact, while email is likely to be best for ongoing marketing dialogues with consumers after they have left the store. 

?Retailers are opting to construct targeting SMS messaging campaigns via the Brightbox as the point of inception for dialogue with consumers.  We are also driving retail and healthcare app downloads by sending links via SMS and email.?

According to Brightbox?s data, the average mobile phone takes around 40 minutes to charge, which provides significant opportunity to glean data and engage with advertising on Brightbox?s own media platforms, if it so wishes. According to Mr. Gridley, this makes the loss of mobile power within bricks-and-mortar spaces a ?leverageable opportunity to forge strong connections between mobile users and brands.? 

Seeing as physical retail spaces? only available play at such data is through post-transaction opt-ins of information such as phone number and email, this could provide a unique opportunity for bricks-and-mortar presences to get in on the data trend, even as beacons and other such location-based technology are being developed in their nascent stages.

And Brightbox also has its sights set farther than retail, with plans for expansion into sports arenas, with planned deployments into select NFL, MLB and NBA stadiums and established presences in the healthcare sector, in addition to international expansions into countries such as Brazil, Canada, Chile, France and Mexico. 

Despite the difficulty in combining a data-driven approach with out-of-home campaigns, many brands have been making creative attempts. Last year, distinguished world affairs and business magazine The Economist introduced an interactive out-of-home campaign, which used New York?s MTA On-the-Go digital network?available to users in the form of eighteen interactive screens around the city?to deliver free Economist content to their phone or desktop computer (see story). 

And Brightbox may be onto something in collecting SMS data, with more than a few mobile marketing experts predicting a resurgence in SMS marketing, especially involving the millennial cohort (see story). 

?The advertising market associated with the screens of charging stations is expanding rapidly as charging platform providers like Brightbox leverage and measure the intimate interactions between users and physical charging stations,? Mr. Gridley said. ?Our charging platform is ?penetration test? proven and hardened. 

?Consumers have good reason to trust us with our five-year track of high security, safety and seamless charging experiences.?