Startup declares war on Google

Digital services will become the unique selling point in cars in the future. In the field of contextual and intelligent marketing, the Munich-based startup 4.screen is therefore declaring war on Google.

The idea is this:
As a driver, you spend 40 minutes in your car every day, searching for places, getting handy recommendations for breaks and discovering new places on the map.
You make decisions about where to go and what to buy. However, the information you see on the in-car screen is generic and, in most cases, hardly relevant to your individual needs.
Currently, there is no way to connect you, the driver, to the stores, restaurants, and cafes along your route to provide you with relevant content in real time.
The ads on the display are subject to a quality score that works analogously to Netflix recommendations or Google search and constantly improves based on accepted suggestions.

The 4.screen Mobility Experience Cloud (MXC) seamlessly connects the car with the mobility ecosystem and provides a standardized interface for real-time communication with drivers.
Car manufacturers and mobility service providers integrate 4.screen APIs into their existing systems and applications to offer drivers a better digital driving experience.

Google as a competitor in digital services
However, the Munich-based startup’s venture is not without competition. (see also: Google becomes the visionary of the aftermarket ?)

New business model for car manufacturers
Current developments in the automotive industry, such as Daimler’s new MBUX Hyperscreen, confirm that the digital experience could become a differentiating factor.
To use MXC, (only) integration in the OEMs’ backend and the transmission of relevant data is required. This should also enable existing vehicles to be addressed and the solution to be embedded natively in the respective infotainment systems. The onboard software remains unaffected. MXC only provides additional information to the data of the POI providers. In this area, 4.screen and the POI provider Google could coexist.
Work is already underway to integrate the solution for two OEMs. As part of a cooperation with 4.screen, Audi is integrating a cloud interface into its infotainment system. In this way, current services from third-party providers will improve the driving experience in the future as an extension of navigation. The technical basis is the integration of a standardized interface between the MIB2+ and MIB3 infotainment systems and the Mobility Experience Cloud. This is intended to enable real-time communication between the connected companies and Audi customers. (see also : Electric platforms of the car manufacturers – an overview).
The advantage for OEMs is that acquisition takes place via the front end of the digital B2B platform, where advertisers enter their offers directly as well as via aggregators or marketing agencies – only the proactive decision in the back end as to which ads are to be played out for a fee falls to the automaker. This allows OEMs to monetize their data and offer digital services. Should augmented reality or autonomous driving eventually find their way into new models, many of the possible marketing ideas have already been thought of – even without Google.

Use cases based on the user experiance:

Imagine you’re on a long trip and want to take a coffee break. You use the navigation system in your car to search for a café along your route. One of the cafés makes you a special, individual offer: you get a discount on a hot drink of your choice if you make a stop there.

Or imagine you arrive at a parking lot and the display in your car shows the offer of a store around the corner, inviting you in and offering to sponsor your parking ticket if you stop by there.

• automotiveit.de
• 4.screen
• connect.de