Mobile Marketing Magazine

3G Vision Pulls Off Italian Job

Mobile barcode company 3GVision has announced a partnership with Vidiemme Consulting, an Italian digital marketing company, which will see Vidiemme incorporate 3GVision’s i-nigma barcode solution, in its suite of mobile marketing solutions.
3GVision’s i-nigma allows advertisers, marketers and media owners to create, manage and analyze two-dimensional barcode campaigns that make traditional media interactive. Advertisers and publishers create mobile codes and place them on product packaging, newspapers and other types of media. People who see the codes use the barcode reader on their mobile phone to capture the image using the phone’s camera. The application immediately directs them to a web page that the advertiser specifies, where it is possible to read product information and news updates, display latest offers, receive product demos and much more.
“In recent months, Panorama, la Repubblica and Wired have run 2D barcode campaigns in Italy and we have been seeing, through the i-nigma platform, thousands of daily scans from these campaigns already,” says Ofer Lev, VP Products and Marketing at 3GVision. “Gazzetta dello Sport was the first newspaper to launch a QR campaign in Italy and we expect many more publishers, advertisers and brands to be doing the same shortly.”
You can get the i-nigma reader via your phone’s browser at i-nigma mobi, or text i-nigma to +449997 882325 (or 07797 882325 in the UK) and a link will be sent to your phone. The reader is also available through app stores.

NeoMedia Announces Scandinavian Deals

Two Scandinavian mobile marketing agencies have signed strategic agreements to licence NeoMedia Technologies' barcode-reading technology.
Mobiento and MORE Mobile Relations will incorporate the NeoSphere code creation and management services into their offerings. The services make it easy to build freestanding mobile barcode campaigns or include mobile barcodes in integrated campaigns.
“Brands are investing in mobile marketing services and we believe that the time has come for a serious approach to mobile barcoding,” says MORE Managing Director, Martin Edwall. “We have chosen the partner with the most compelling offering - NeoMedia.” 
Fredrik Oscarson, Co-founder and Creative Director of Mobiento, says: “As a creative mobile agency, our clients are seeking innovation and creative solutions for their mobile marketing activities. We believe mobile barcodes are a very interesting alternative to other mobile response mechanisms.” 

Secret Codes

When, if ever, will mobile barcodes take off in a big way? It’s a question that enthusiasts of the technology have been asking themselves for a long time. Indeed in our debut print edition, published in February - catch it online here - you could sense the frustration felt by one such enthusiast, Howard Furr-Barton, when he said: “QR Codes have not emerged because of the incompetence of the majority of marketing directors, who don’t see a fabulous asset when it’s staring them in the face."
Yesterday, I met with Iain McCready, CEO of NeoMedia Technologies, one of the leading exponents of mobile barcodes. He argued that things are starting to happen. Last year, it began licensing its technology to other companies. So far, it has signed up four, including two competitors, Scanbuy and Mobiletag, and one more complementary firm. Neustar. It has also licensed the technology to US mobile agency Renu, and is set to announce two Scandinavian agency licensees later today. 
Last year, McCready told me, over 200 campaigns were executed using NeoMedia technology, plus 80 more in the first quarter of 2010. These figures surprised me. If there are this many mobile barcode campaigns running, the people running are not making much noise about them. Why the secrecy?
There are several reasons for the acceleration in mobile barcode deployments, he told me. Firstly, there have been advances on the standardization front, with trade bodies such as the GSM Association and the OMA (Open Mobile Alliance) agreeing on the use of one of three mobile barcode types, QR, Data Matrix and Astec, though there are still proprietary codes out there, and some might argue that even three looks like two too many.
Secondly, the apps phenomenon means that the issue of not having a barcode reader on your phone is much less of an issue than it was a couple of years ago. Added to this, NeoMedia has convinced one handset maker, Sony Ericsson, to pre-install its barcode reader on all new handsets.
McCready conceded that there are still issues to be addressed around data costs and education. On data costs, he told me he’s in favour of the model used in Austria, where the advertiser pays for the costs of the data session initiated when a mobile barcode is scanned. On education, he told me: “I’d like to be in a position where I could show a mobile barcode to anyone in this café, and they would know what it was, but I know we’re not there yet.”
This education process will happen, he believes, as big brands, both offline, in the shape of FMCG companies using 2D barcodes on packaging, and online in the shape of web giants like Facebook and Google, start to deploy mobile barcodes, and consumers get used to interacting with them.
“I believe that by the end of 2010, first quarter of 2011, we will be seeing transaction volumes; it was always going to take that long,” he concluded.
No doubt some will argue that it might take a good while longer than that. But this is a technology that has the potential to tip if it catches on in the right circles, and the viral effect of social media takes hold. It hasn’t happened yet, outside of Japan at least, but it would take a brave man to say it won’t.

David Murphy
Editor

Glasgow Tours Go Mobile with QR Codes

3GVision, which makes the i-nigma mobile barcode reader, has revealed that, from this weekend, visitors to Glasgow will be able to take part in a trial using two-dimensional barcodes to download architectural tours of Glasgow direct to mobile phones. It is thought to be the first time the technology has been used in this way to deliver a tour in the UK.
Three tours have been created by the Mackintosh Heritage Group to help visitors discover some of the great architectural works of Glasgow, including those by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson.
The tours are accessed by using a QR (Quick Response) Code reader on their phone. Users scan the image with their barcode reader, which decodes the pattern and automatically downloads their choice of tour as a PDF.
The three tours have been created with the assistance of writer and architectural historian Gavin Stamp. Each tour takes around one and half hours. The Glasgow Style and Modernity Tour starts in the city centre looking at the buildings created by Mackintosh and his contemporaries around 1900. The West End Tour looks at the residential suburbs which emerged to the west of the city centre as it expanded during the prosperous Victorian period. The Second City Tour examines some of the city centre’s best examples of Victorian and Edwardian commercial architecture.
Within the next few days, the codes will be distributed on cards to visitors to the Mackintosh attractions in Glasgow and other key spots for tourists. The cards contain a QR Code image alongside easy instructions on how to get hold of the required software for their phone while on the move.
The group is also working on promoting the codes on posters and stickers inside the venues. The Mackintosh Heritage Group website has printable versions of the tours if visitors don’t have a compatible phone.
“People are often unaware of the history and artistry that surrounds them,” says Stuart Robertson, Chair of the Mackintosh Heritage Group. By delivering these tours directly into people’s hands, we can help them discover the legacy of Mackintosh and other great Glasgow architects.”

QR Codes Come to Ireland with DRG/Scanbuy Deal

Mobile services company Digital Reach Group (DRG) has signed a deal with mobile barcode firm Scanbuy to include Quick Response (QR) codes alongside print ads, editorial content and on packaging and merchandise displays in Ireland.
“With mobile Internet and Smartphones becoming the norm, there is an increasing expectation from the public to be able to get the information they have on the Internet at home straight to their handset quickly and with no fuss,” says DRG CEO, Colm Grealy. “he service we are bringing to Ireland will truly integrate mobile Internet browsing into consumer’s daily lives.” 
The service is aimed at advertisers, ad agencies, retailers and traditional media publishers. QR Codes can be bought as an add-on to traditional ad campaigns, packaging and merchandise displays. DRG will offer a full service for advertisers wishing to integrate the technology into a campaign, including strategy input,  providing unique codes for campaigns and the option of designing the landing page or website behind the code.
DRG will be offering the platform exclusively in Ireland as part of a growing portfolio of mobile services, including mobile phone applications, advertising sales, and ad-serving technology. The company says it is already in discussions with a major publisher to start using the system to offer additional value to print  ads and editorial content.
“The proliferation of Internet-equipped phones gives advertisers a tremendous opportunity to reach a sizable and engaged audience,” says Scanbuy CEO, Jonathan Bulkeley. “With mobile codes, the offline and online worlds can now be easily bridged. A scan of a print ad will instantly take people directly to a supporting website and the opportunities are endless from there,”
The Scanlife app is available for download on most popular phones including the iPhone and Andrid handsets, pkus phones from Nokia and Samsung.
DRG offers advertisers and businesses a full mobile web strategy service, including app development and site optimisation for viewing on a mobile. The company was behind RTE’s ‘News Now’ iPhone app and sells advertising on many popular mobile sites including Vodafone and Meteor.

Scanbuy Upgrades ScanLife Barcode-scanning App

Scanbuy, which specialises in mobile barcode solutions, has released updated versions of its ScanLife barcode scanner for the Android, BlackBerry and iPhone platforms. ScanLife uses the camera in a mobile phone to scan barcodes that automatically display product information, show videos, dial a phone number and more without needing to type or search for information.  
ScanLife is one of the first applications that can read all major barcode formats on three of the leading Smartphone platforms. The app can already read all popular 2D barcode formats such as Datamatrix, EZcode and QR. With the new version of ScanLife, phones with auto-focus cameras - such as the Motorola DROID, BlackBerry Tour and iPhone 3GS - can read 1D barcodes like UPC, EAN and ISBN.  Hundreds of thousands of people around the world have already downloaded ScanLife, and the app is being preloaded on millions of handsets by leading mobile operators including Sprint and Telefónica.  
“Mobile barcode scanning has quickly become a popular activity among Smartphone users, and there are now a wide variety of apps that can each scan different barcode formats,” says Scanbuy CEO, Jonathan Bulkeley. “Our ScanLife app will now allow someone to scan virtually any barcode they see to instantly get more information, creating an all-in-one barcode reader which is ideal for our users and our customers.”
Scanbuy notes that UPC and EAN barcodes can be found on packaging around the world, and now ScanLife can take the information to provide a list of price comparisons and consumer reviews from multiple online retailers like Amazon. This is especially useful for products like books, DVDs and consumer electronics, the company says. More retailers and features will be added to the application like local search results.  
ScanLife will continue to read 2D barcodes, which are used as physical hyperlinks from traditional media such as magazine ads, business cards and direct mail. The ScanLife Code Management Platform has been used by brands including Coca-Cola and Volkswagen, and by a variety of local businesses. Consumers can scan these codes to get product discounts, enter promotions or load videos directly from the phone. The ScanLife Platform can also be used to generate free personal codes that link to social networking profiles or contact information.  
Consumers can download ScanLife free of charge from their mobile phone here, or from Android Market, BlackBerry App World, and the Apple App Store.

Neustar Launches Clearinghouse Solution for Mobile Barcodes

Neustar has announced the launch of its Mobile Barcode Clearinghouse Services, which it says will help expand the reach and targeting capabilities of advertisers and enterprises using 2D Barcodes, and drive adoption among consumers. Neustar says it will also enable interoperability among mobile operators, ad agencies, and application providers.
The clearinghouse is an important component of Neustar’s mobile Internet solutions strategy, which bridges network operators and enterprises and simplifies their delivery of value to customers. Several of these services have already seen uptake among leading mobile operators.
Neustar’s barcode clearinghouse solution provides a method for companies that produce and distribute barcode readers to interoperate with other companies who create barcode campaigns. This cooperation will help establish barcode adoption, says Neustar, noting that a centralized, trusted clearinghouse empowers a scalable, competitive and innovative marketplace, and at the same time ensures that any participating campaign enhances the overall ecosystem and educates consumers.
Companies who are already using the clearinghouse include NeoMedia, 3GVision, Mobile Data Systems and Mobile Discovery. The clearinghouse is open to other industry players who wish to benefit from the mass market and scale that can be achieved through an open, interoperable approach.
“With our Mobile Barcode Clearinghouse, Neustar can provide both campaign managers and mobile network operators with a rich new approach to accessing mobilized content and services,” says Neustar Vice President, Diane Strahan. “Barcodes offer direct response accountability through measurable ROI, and enable advertisers to adjust their content based on near-real-time tracking of each campaign’s performance. For consumers, barcodes offer an exciting ‘shortcut’ to accessing rich content, helpful information and m-commerce.”
At Mobile World Congress, Neustar is collaborating with Visa to showcase the power of 2D barcodes. Using their cameraphones, Mobile World Congress attendees can download a barcode reader application from www.getreader.com using a mobile browser. As part of their Welcome Packets, attendees will receive a faux Visa gift card, and will be invited to scan the 2D barcode on the back each day to enter a contest to win a €50 gift card. One gift card will be given away every 30 minutes between 10am and 4pm on each day of the show. Winners will be notified by text message, and will be able to claim their prize at the Neustar stand (2D49).
“Establishing standards for the interoperability of barcode technology across global networks is a critical step in making large scale mobile services, like mobile offers, a reality,” says Prakash Hariramani, Senior Business Leader at Visa. “As we work to integrate Visa and Neustar technology, this is but one example of the many mobile services we plan to deliver to financial institutions, merchants, consumers and network operators.”
Brands and operators interested in exploring the possible applications of 2D Barcodes are invited to participate in Neustar’s upcoming commercial pilot program. There’s more information here.

NeoMedia Launches Barcode Reader for Android

NeoMedia Technologies, which specializes in mobile barcode scanning solutions, is making its NeoReader barcode scanning application available on all camera-equipped Android phones. The NeoReader will transform any Android handset into a barcode scanner, providing instant access to mobile content by clicking on 2D barcodes.
By the end of 2009, there were approximately 18 Android handsets models available worldwide, and by 2012 Gartner anticipates that Android will become the world's second most popular Smartphone platform, second only to Symbian handsets. There are currently just over 20,000 Android applications available for the Android platform.
“Bringing the NeoReader to the high growth Android platform brings us ever closer to mass market adoption of 2D barcodes,” says NeoMedia CEO, Iain McCready. “Android's commitment to the OHA (Open Handset Alliance) matches NeoMedia's own objective of achieving open standards, in order to drive rapid market growth and consumer adoption. With the ubiquity of the mobile web and the plethora of emergent mobile technology applications, there has never been a better time to get involved in this exciting marketplace.”
Owners of Android phones can download NeoReader by naviating to get.neoreader.com on their phone.

TrueMove Deploys i-nigma Barcode Solution

3GVision, which specialises in barcode-scanning technology for mobile phones, has revealed that its i-nigma 1D/2D barcode reading solution is being used by Thai operator TrueMove to promote its 3G trial services in Thailand.
TrueMove recently launched 2D barcode services. As part of its ‘Fun Living Lifestyle’ concept, mobile subscribers can easily access content such as TV shopping, marketing campaigns and electronic tickets, using their cameraphones and the i-nigma barcode reader, which is available for download on a dedicatedmobile site at: http://m.truelife.com 
The service was launched in collaboration with Mediaseek, distributor of the i-nigma solution.
i-nigma incorporates a mobile barcode reader application that converts a cameraphone into a barcode reader, enabling mobile users to access a predefined URL on the mobile Internet, or to trigger web services simply by scanning QR (Quick Response) and Data Matrix barcodes. Once scanned, the barcodes fast-track to multimedia digital content such as music, electronic tickets, videos, localized maps, latest news and special offers.  Barcodes can be placed virtually anywhere, including newspapers, business cards, shop fronts, billboards, product packaging and PC screens.
In addition to code-scanning software for the phone itself, i-nigma also incorporates an  intuitive code creation, campaign management and metrics reporting platform to track the performance of campaigns, interpret the results in real-time, and immediately apply the knowledge to existing campaigns. The technology has been deployed and supported by marketers and advertisers around the globe for interactive mobile advertizing and marketing campaigns integrating digital content. 
“TrueMove’s decision to choose i-nigma is endorsement by a leading mobile operator of 3GVision’s leading technology and solutions,” says 3GVision CEO, Mendy Mendelsohn.  “Based on our years of experience in Japan, where QR codes have become a natural extension of the mobile phone, we now look forward to helping TrueMove make the most of 2D codes, reinforcing their positioning as Thailand’s most innovative service provider.”

Semacode Releases QR Code Reader for the iPhone

Semacode has released its latest QR Code reader for the iPhone. The scanner is available for free from the Apple App Store.
Semacode has been building mobile 2D barcode scanners since 2004. The iPhone version has been in development for over a year. It uses a simple email-based login to allow users to access their complete scanning history from a new, PC-based web interface.

3GVision Makes a French Connection

3GVision, which supplies mobile barcode reading solutions, has announced a partnership with French firm, Connecthings, to extend the use and compatibility of 2D barcode-reading technology to most mobile phone models in France.
Connecthings, which provides barcodes and contextualized location- and time-based content management systems, will help publishers, advertisers, government agencies and local businesses to create 2D barcode campaigns and mobile applications. The campaigns will use Flashcode technology, as well as QR and DataMatrix barcodes. Any phone equipped with a sufficient resolution camera will be able to read all barcode types, off pretty much anything, including print, so long as the user has the Flashcode reader pre-installed on their device, or downloads 3GVision’s barcode reading application, i-nigma.
The i-nigma barcode reading application can already be used in the City of Toulouse to fast-track mobile subscribers and tourists to content including directional maps and timetables, that are printed on bus shelters and street furniture. Mobile subscribers scan Flashcode, QR and Data Matrix barcodes with their mobile phone’s camera and gain instant access to virtual guides of the city, maps, real-time location based messages and multimedia content.
“We are always striving to offer the best solutions to our customers and we believe that i-nigma can provide a vital element in facilitating traditional-to-digital connections and making mobile barcodes use more attractive in France,” says Connectthings CEO,  Laetitia Gazel Anthoine. “The partnership comes amid fast-expanding use of mobile phones, including the iPhone and other Smartphones. Scanning 2D barcodes for quick and easy access to desired information and multimedia on the mobile web will give added value to mobile subscribers.”
The i-nigma end-to-end 1D/2D mobile barcode solution comprises an intuitive and simple barcode creation, campaign management and reporting platform, enabling fast and reliable web service for creating and web-linking barcodes to information and promotional offers. The solution includes tools to enable real-time tracking of ongoing campaign success, based on time; number of codes scanned and response volume by location; user segmentation; and media type.

QR Codes Used To Promote Passion Pit Album

 
Columbia Records and We Love Mobile are using mobile QR (Quick Response) Codes to support sales of ‘Manners’, the debut album by Passion Pit.
The rich mobile codes feature artwork from the album, and will be available via posters, flyers and printed marketing collateral, as well as via the web, including the Passion Pit Myspace and Facebook pages. New codes will be posted over the coming weeks, each one revealing a new free track or video. To maximize reach, fans can also use a standard Shortcode – text MANNERS to 88600 - or URL (passionpit.mobi) - to access the same content.
The campaign is being run in partnership with 7Digital and independent record stores throughout the UK, delivering online and offline discounts for Manners as further reward for interaction with the campaign.
Users will be encouraged to interact with the codes to download exclusive content directly to their phones. They will also be pushed links and money off vouchers to paid-for downloads via partners, including a reduced-price full album. All mobile interactions and downloads are trackable, and Sony Music and We Love Mobile will be closely monitoring and assessing response rates and ROI across the campaign.

Volvo Turns to QR Codes

Ad-serving firm Eyeblastermedia agency Mindshare have been running a QR (Quick Response) Code campaign for Volvo, promoting the company’s Volvo Ocean Race Special Edition cars. QR Codes have been used in Volvo ads in magazines and newspapers around Europe (including The Observer, Newsweek, Le Monde, Süddeutsche Zeitung, La Repubblica and El Pais, among others). QR technology was provided through HH&S.
The ads offer a shortcode to text in to in order to receive a link to download a QR Code reader application. The consumer then captures the QR Code using the app, and receives a link which routes them via the Eyeblaster server to the official Volvo Ocean Race mobile site. There, they were presented with live updates, race news and images illustrating how the race, which finished at the end of June, was progressing. Using Eyeblaster’s Campaign Monitor solution, Mindshare was able to measure the response to the campaign in real time, though as yet, it says no campaign results are available. A pity, as the received wisdom seems to be that while QR Codes are undoubtedly very cool, the fact that most people need to download a barcode reader to interact with them means that response rates to QR Code campaigns are likely to be low. If Mindshare has some stats to prove otherwise, it would be nice, and actually rather useful for those pushing QR Codes as a viable mobile campaign tool, to see them.

Pathé Uses QR Codes to Promote Vampire Movie

Arena BLM, the Havas-owned “performance media agency”, is to run a QR (Quick Response) code campaign to support the launch of Pathé's  ‘Blood: The Last Vampire’, which opens in UK cinemas on 26 June.
The movie is an adaptation of the 2000 animated Manga film of the same title. It tells the story of Saya, a 17-year old girl who harbours the tormented soul of a 400-year old ‘halfling’ (half vampire, half human). In her quest to destroy the evil matriarch of all vampires she forms a friendship with the young daughter of an American army general. 
Pathé will use QR codes on outdoor and print advertising, where the user can scan the code through a mobile phone. If the phone has a QR Code reader installed, it will recognize a URL embedded in the QR code, which links directly to a dedicated mobile Internet site.
The site allows movie fans to watch the trailer directly on their handsets and download themed wallpapers. There is also a link to a ‘Create your own comic strip’ viral, which allows users to ‘mash up’ individual scenes from the first five minutes of the film and the original Manga version. Users can create their own adaptation by dragging and dropping the scenes into their own storyboard.
The QR execution forms part of a wider campaign running online, on TV and through a movie fan page on Facebook. The TV campaign will run on satellite and cable television during programs such as ‘Lost’, ‘Buffy’ and ‘Family Guy’. The outdoor work will run nationally on six-sheets, while the print campaign, also containing the QR code, will appear in magazines including Nuts, Sport and Time Out. Online activity includes social networks, gaming, film and music websites, such as MySpace, UGO and Monkey Digital Magazine.
“The technology is spot on for our primary audience of Manga fans who are technologically savvy and more likely to have redeemed QR codes in the past,” says Arena BLM Account Manager, Amy Matthews.