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HotelTonight uncorks in-car rewards to promote smarter alcohol consumption

HotelTonight and other brands are using in-car rewards to encourage sensible drinking and driving behavior through a program that combines a rewards network and a mobile application with a Bluetooth connection to a wireless smartphone breathalyzer.

When motorists using the Kiip-developed program inside the Breathometer app blow a blood alcohol concentration result of more than .04, halfway to the legal limit, the app will offer rewards such as $25 off a night?s stay in a nearby motel from HotelTonight. The feature highlights mobile?s ability to play a role in promoting intelligent choices when motorists may be close to exceeding the legal blood-alcohol limit, helping to combat an important social problem.

?The rewards are focused on responsible decision-making, as well as health and wellness,? said Brian Wong, CEO of Kiip. ?These include HotelTonight, to find a safe place nearby to sleep, and more.?

Checking BAC
A key strategy is making it convenient for motorists to check their BAC, which measures the percentage of alcohol in a person?s blood.

First, the user blows into the Breathometer Breeze, a wireless smartphone breathalyzer that transforms a mobile phone into a breathalyzer.

Breathometer Breeze.

Doing so transmits the user?s BAC level via Bluetooth to the Breathometer app on a smartphone. When the BAC results appear inside the app, a Kiip reward may appear alongside it.

Since releasing Breeze six months ago, users have conducted over 1.3 million tests. 

The partnership heightens awareness of how marketers might approach advertising in connected devices, particularly in connected cars. 

Automobile marketing increasingly has focused on how newer models offer connected car technology, allowing multiple services to be transferred from a smartphone to a car dashboard. 
 
Kiip?s recent partnership with Mojio enabled the delivery of rewards during everyday driving moments in cars. 

In December, Kiip became the first mobile advertising platform to integrate Apple Pay, enabling brands to make their rewards for engaging with an ad instantly redeemable. 

The Kiip platform delivered ads inside applications at a point when users tended to be most engaged, such as when they accomplished a task, and offered a reward for watching a brand video or otherwise engaging. By integrating those rewards with Apple Pay, consumers become able to instantly redeem these rewards from the ad with a single click.

Late last year, Kiip became the first mobile advertising platform to integrate Apple Pay, enabling brands to make their rewards for engaging with an ad instantly redeemable. 

The Kiip platform delivered ads inside applications at a point when users tended to be most engaged, such as when they had accomplished a task, and offered a reward for watching a brand video or otherwise engaging. By integrating those rewards with Apple Pay, consumers could instantly redeem these rewards from the ad with a single click. 

A number of brands have looked to mobile to combat drunken driving.

Last year, Pernod Ricard, a global producer of liquors such as Absolut and Malibu, promoted self-regulation best practices to combat dangerous alcohol consumption through a free public service mobile application, the first of its kind. ? ?

The Wise Drinking application enabled users to calculate and track the number of units of alcohol they consumed in real time over four weeks. With a geo-localization functionality, the app adapted itself to applicable local law and then informed the consumer of the nearest suitable means of transport.

A global study by MPG Media Contacts and Havas Media shared that brands which are seen as meaningful ? that consumers perceive as contributing to a better quality of life and well-being ? have greater business success. 

Informed choices
Kiip?s ties with Breathometer is its next move in the exploration of rewards inside connected devices.


Kiip's Apple Pay program.

"Breathometer is proud to help thousands of people make more informed decisions about their lives every day,? said Charles Michael Yim, CEO of Breathometer. 

?BAC detection is more than just the number that results form a snapshot reading, and we strive to offer a holistic experience around social drinking through immediate results and easy to access safety and educational tools."

Final Take
Michael Barris is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York