Orange in Supper Club custom trial

purchases. It also links well with other fast-growing techniques for online advertising, like behavioural targeting and “day parting”.

Most of the current attention around Orange concerns its takeover of Wanadoo, but a more low-key deal could provide a powerful new way for the company to win more loyal customers.

Using technology from Surfkitchen, Orange is offering customised mobile services to small groups. The first test is with the Supper Club – a restaurant-cum-art venue that launched in Amsterdam and has since expanded in Europe.

The Supper Club service is based around a pre-installed portal on Orange phones. The content changes from “white” during the day to “black” after 10pm to reflect what’s of most interest, and includes exclusive interviews, short films, photography and music.

The trial involves 700 people, but the service will later be offered across the country.

“We can easily copy the initiative to a larger group of people, or a different brand,” says Tjeuu Leatomu, storefront manager of Orange Netherlands. “We know there’s big potential.”

Leatomu is confident that each group would assume it was gaining a dedicated experience, and the targeted nature of the content should help to attract more customers who use their phones more often.

The UK could follow the lead of the Netherlands. “We are sharing this with Orange Group. If we are successful, I am convinced that others will copy us – whether it is Orange France or UK, I don’t know,” says Leatomu.

One way to expand it into other Orange territories is via the Supper Club itself. which is planning to open a London venue this autumn.