In-Car Apps
Among the dozens of apps popular with people in cars: Google’s Waze, an advertising-supported and crowd-sourced program that offers congestion-avoiding directions; Yelp, which gives locations and reviews of local businesses; and music-streaming Spotify.
If what automakers ultimately have to offer in the dash doesn’t measure up, motorists will stick with their handsets. The car companies just aren’t as good at apps and digital content as tech companies, says Eric Noble, president of the CarLab consulting firm. “What are the odds that carmakers will come out with anything that will compete with a phone? They’re chasing a rainbow.”
A spokeswoman for Google, Kaori Miyake, says the company is eager to work more with the auto industry on car connectivity. She also says Google isn’t interested in car-based consumer behavior data to use for its own advertising purposes, without specifying whether Google would like to get its hands on that to be able to sell to others. Apple spokeswoman Stephanie Saffer declined to comment beyond pointing out that the iPhone-maker’s privacy policy states that it doesn’t gather user location or behavior data, as it doesn’t generate revenue from advertising.
Insurers’ Interest
Waze already digs into personal data in phones and blasts pop-up ads on the screen to its 50 million users around the globe, says Julie Mossler, head of brand for Waze. The intrusiveness is why David Fuller, a contractor in San Antonio, says he deleted Waze after one day. He doesn’t like the distraction of pop-up ads, either. “That’s as bad as texting.”
It’s not only tech companies that are interested in the data. Insurers would be thrilled to have front-seat knowledge about a driver -- it could charge higher rates for a proven lead foot. Ford and GM both will track such statistics and give them to insurers anonymously, allowing a consumer to contact the carrier if their driving habits will cut premiums.
When it comes to advertising, GM’s OnStar subscription service has taken a page from the tech-company model by, for example, offering dashboard-available coupons for Exxon and Mobil gas stations and the ability to book hotel rooms. Mercedes-Benz’s concierge service Mbrace can, at the touch of a button, route a driver around traffic or bad weather. Both cost about $20 a month.
GM will be careful to keep its dashboard Internet offerings related to motoring, according to Phil Abram, the company’s chief infotainment officer. “We have to be careful about what we push,” he says. “It has to be relevant to the vehicle. It’s a win-win -- up to the point that it becomes spooky.”