The next great game-changing app has landed, and it’s from — who else? — Google. Google’s Field Trip,
available for several months now on Android, officially launched on iOS
earlier this month, and it’s making quite a splash. Field Trip is a
location-discovery app, which when downloaded, runs in the background of
your smartphone, alerting you to fascinating nearby destinations. How
many times have you passed that obscure museum down the road from your
house and not realized it’s brimming with paintings from your favorite
artist? What about that quirky café across town you’ve always figured
had the best apple pie imaginable, but were never sure enough to try?
Field Trip is in-the-know, and it wants you to be, too.
If you’re a brick and mortar business owner catering to a tourist
crowd on any level, you absolutely want Field Trip to feature you. The
app isn’t about showcasing chain restaurants and obvious go-to’s —
instead, it highlights lesser known but equally awesome eateries,
shopping destinations, architecture must-sees, museums, historical
spots, movie theaters, and any place deemed cool and unique. If your
business fits this bill, inclusion into Field Trip is a marketing
no-brainer.
How it Works
Field Trip was developed by a segment of Google called Niantic Labs.
Niantic is like a startup nestled within the dot com giant, fully
dedicated to making new and innovative applications. With Field Trip,
they’ve truly hit a home run.
Here’s how it works: Once you download the app from either the iTunes
or Google Play stores, login to your Google account, and the
application will automatically start running in the background of your
smartphone. The moment you pass a location Field Trip feels you should
know about, it will alert you via a ringtone or vibration. If you set
your notifications as such, it will even read the title and description
of the locale to you. Things of interest don’t just include physical
destinations; Field Trip will also tell you about local events, nearby
special offers and deals, and historical facts.
If you’re looking for something specific, Field Trip can help you
there too. A list of the current categories includes: Architecture,
Historic Places & Events, Lifestyle, Offers and Deals, Food, Drinks
and Fun, Cool and Unique, and Art and Museums. The app is currently only
covering the U.S. and the U.K., but you know Google — they won’t rest
until it’s a global sensation.
What Businesses are Featured on Field Trip?
Google created partnerships with many reputable content aggregators
and bloggers across the web to create the impressive collection of Field
Trip posts, which is growing all the time. Examples include Zagat, the
restaurant review experts (who obviously help alert users to exceptional
dining in their vicinities) and The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations,
a site that tracks where any and every movie was physically filmed. The
majority of partners are established blog sites, such as Eater (another
foodie haven) and Thrillist (a site that highlights “thrilling” and
unique products and destinations worldwide.) They have also joined
forces with local bloggers in major cities that assist in keeping their
fingers on the pulse of each metropolitan area’s hidden gems.
How to Get Your Business In On the Action
Business owners that operate applicable destinations can’t petition
Field Trip directly for placement, but you can continue your efforts to
connect with like-minded bloggers and content aggregators across the
web. If your business makes a mean vegan donut, for example, you are
likely already featured on sites like Eater and Urbanspoon — and if
you’re not, you should start making that connection today. It’s these
SEO and marketing-related partnerships that will land you a coveted spot
in Field Trip as well. If you are featured on a relevant site, feel
free to suggest it to Google instead. TheCultureist, a blog about
travel, food and culture trends, recently became the first Field Trip
partner recommended by users. Making friends with potential marketing
partners is your way in.
Additionally, users can post newfound hot spots to Google+, Twitter
and Facebook, and conceivably, if enough folks tag the same location,
Google will add it to the service. So if you have a social media savvy
customer base, get them on the job. This could conceivably echo
FourSquare style business discounts, with merchants offering great deals
to visitors who post them on Field Trip. The app is young, so we shall
see how the landscape develops.
User Concerns and Feedback
Since launch, Field Trip has had its share of naysayers as well. Many
echo privacy concerns, simply because it’s necessary that Google know
where you are in order to send you relevant content. As such, some are
feeling watched. The truth is, Field Trip isn’t responsible for bringing
on a lack of privacy. If you carry a cellphone with GPS initiated, you
can be traced. So complaints about Field Trip knowing too much just
isn’t warranted — either one is into the benefits and convenience of GPS
technology, or not. Those of us already addicted to Google Maps will
easily see the benefits of Field Trip.
Worried that you’ll be inundated with constant alerts? So far, Google
has been very smart about their content partners, and notifications are
not in the least bit excessive. If you do end up feeling a bit
overwhelmed, the notification controls allow you to turn updates on or
off anytime, or to only receive content from your favorite individual
sources. You can opt for frequent or occasional notifications too, so
rest assured you have plenty of control over how often Field Trip has
something to share.
Why Field Trip is Poised for Greatness
Besides being an obvious boon for featured merchants, Field Trip is a
win for users too. While most of us can honestly say the last thing we
really need is another app, Field Trip has the makings of a must-have.
For starters, its diversity lends itself to constant usage. Sure, it’s
obviously perfect for vacations, as it literally can act like a tour
guide with audio read-outs about all nearby must-sees. But think about
how much you could learn about your day-to-day surroundings that
currently lie hidden in your awareness. Field Trip could make home feel
like a new and exciting destination, and that’s pretty special. Anything
that helps make our real world come alive in a more visceral and
interactive fashion immediately has staying power, and Field Trip does
this in spades.
Google’s Latest Game-Changer: Field Trip
A Post from SPN
