GPS Tracking ROI

There’s a lot of ways to advertise.  Many of us say we hate advertising but we all use it and respond to it every day.  It  wouldn’t only be a dull world without it, it would be a world of paupers, because advertising is essential to business growth … and business growth is what gives you a job and money to spend.  (I know that sounds a little basic, but you would not believe how many people these days live in daddy’s basement and have no concept of commerce).

Billboards have long been a very effective advertising media … especially for drivers and passengers on the road, but they have a lot of disadvantages:

• Spoil the view
• Fixed location … pay for an add 24/7 yet only have it seen by many during rush hour
• Difficult to change … sell one add, can’t resell the space for a fixed time.

Enter the mobile billboard.  This concept has actually caught on much faster overseas than in the US … these roving billboard trucks are very common here in the Philippines … we aren’t as third-world as some think … or is it that the US is becoming third-world?  Hmmm, that’s an argument for another day.

Big advantages here because the trucks take up no fixed space, they don’t have to run 24/7, they can easily advertise multiple client’s products and, here’s what no other form of advertising can do … they give the client detailed time, date and location display data, along with very accurate estimates of ‘eyeballs’ … so calculating the advertising ROI is way more accurate than it has ever been.

Once again, there’s a lot more ways to get an ROI on GPS tracking than many people ever consider.

I sometimes get a bit depressed at the number of queries I get here about defeating GPS tracking systems and about how invasive GPS is when tracking vehicles on the public roads … where there is no right or expectation of privacy, under the Constitution or any other law.

GM has been selling and very effectively using a GPS tracking system called OnStar for several years now.  I really wonder why other auto companies have not taken up similar offers.  OnStar has considerable benefits to the owners of GM vehicles … didn’t, very few would pay the annual subscription costs for the service.

It has some significant benefits to other motorists from time to time as well, as this article clearly shows:

The On Star Navigation System proved helpful for one local motorist during the early hours of March 15, when sleet and rain caused some dangerous driving conditions.

The system came to the aid of not just the subscriber, but four other motorists, after three vehicles collided at the intersection of Tehachapi-Willow Springs and Highline Roads. With snow and sleet falling, a 2006 Toyota Prius driven by a Bear Valley resident slid through the intersection striking a 2008 Chevrolet pick-up truck, traveling southbound on Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road. The pickup truck in turn was knocked into a 2005 Honda Accord which was traveling northbound.

When the airbag was activated by the collision, it sent an alarm to an On Star dispatcher who tracked the vehicle’s location and notified local CHP officers…

So what do you think?  Should the owner who was smart enough to have OnStar active on his vehicle be thanked and congratulated for getting help on the scene immediately, or should he be sued for "violating the privacy" of the others involved in the accident?  You be the judge.

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