Five advertisers participated in LOULOU’s May-June inaugural SnapTag issue: Kotex, Smart Set, Puma, Sears and Tri-Cyclen Lo. LOULOU also deployed its own SnapTag, as well as launched a “Find the Secret SnapTag” contest, which invites readers to find the hidden SnapTag that can lead to a prize worth $1,590 from Birks.

According to Jeff Barlow, senior director, Innovation, Marketing Solutions at Rogers Publishing Limited, publisher of LOULOU, “We’re very excited that LOULOU is the first magazine in Canada to bring SnapTags to life. This innovative technology engages consumers at a conversational level, giving them a rich, enhanced experience, while building brand loyalty for the advertiser.”

I think we’re seeing a trend here… smart publishers are really embracing mobile technologies to engage with readers in a more personal and interactive way while offering value-added services to its advertisers. We’re ecstatic that they recognize our technology offers them much more than a traditional 2D barcode like a QR code from sophisticated marketing campaigns to social connections and mobile commerce.

Read more what LOULOU has to say about SnapTags in the Toronto Standard story at http://www.torontostandard.com/technology/new-image-recognition-technology-debuts-in-loulou-magazine

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The second, also for Glamour Magazine’s use of Social SnapTags and the Friends and Fans mobile app, is for MediaPost’s Appy Awards, which named the campaign a finalist in the consumer magazine/newspaper app category, alongside two other major consumer publications: Golf Digest and The Daily by Newscorp. Glamour and SpyderLynk are being recognized for the app that we developed for readers of the magazine to like advertisers and score great deals using their mobile phones.

It’s great to be recognized for the innovative collaboration with Glamour Magazine and its advertisers!

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“Reflecting the intensity of competition and innovation across the mobile ecosystem, we saw a record 600 entries and an exceptionally high-quality field of contenders vying for this year’s Global Mobile Awards,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “It is a significant achievement to have made the shortlist, and our warmest congratulations go to all the nominees announced today. We look forward to the unveiling of the winners at the Mobile World Congress next month.”

SpyderLynk is being recognized in conjunction with Glamour for Glamour’s innovative use of SpyderLynk’s Social SnapTags in their September, 2011 Social Issue. The issue featured 35 Social SnapTags throughout the magazine’s editorial and advertising pages, enabling and incentivizing consumers to join brands’ social networks. Social SnapTags incentivized and energized Glamour readers to embrace the use of social media and mobile to communicate with the magazine and its advertisers. Reader engagements for the program totaled more than half a million and over 50,000 readers “liked” Glamour’s advertisers on Facebook. Moreover, conversion rates for several key metrics were significantly higher than traditional advertising mediums. First, of the readers who snapped or scanned the Social SnapTag, 67% of them liked the magazine/brand to access deals and second, 18% shared those deals with friends.

We’re looking forward to the winners being announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2012!

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Buy-it-Now SnapTags have capabilities that extend beyond commerce and giving consumers the opportunity to ‘Like’ the brand on Facebook, obtain additional product information and score and redeem offers in addition to being able to purchase products.

How Buy-it-Now SnapTags Work.  Located in the ad and editorial pages of Glamour, consumers can either snap a picture of the Buy-it-Now SnapTag and text it to 95871, or scan the SnapTag with the SnapTag Reader App.  Consumers then engage in an interactive purchase experience where they can get more information about the product, ‘Like’ the brand on Facebook to get special offers, and select specs for the product, such as quantity and color, all from a single screen. After entering payment information, the product the consumer saw in the magazine will show up on their doorstep in just a couple of days’ time.  The best part is, once consumers have entered their payment information, it is stored in a fully-encrypted ‘mobile wallet’, making future “Snap-to-Buy” purchases as easy as a scan and a single click!

The True Innovation.  While the development around mobile wallets is great, it is really the novel way that SpyderLynk and Glamour teamed up to use the technology that is pushing the boundaries of commerce.  This innovation transforms the way consumers shop for products they see in static places like a magazine ad. Snap-to-Buy also represents the first integrated solution that combines print media, social media, mobile and commerce into one seamless mobile experience.

The convergence of these technologies represents a monumental opportunity; while brands like Aveeno, Express, TRESemmé, Dove and L’Oréal are utilizing the technology in Glamour’s March issue, it is something that more companies need to be paying attention to.

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An increase in right place, right time marketing.  One of the greatest things technology has been able to provide for marketers is the increasing ability to reach consumers at the right place and time.  What I mean is, you want to reach a consumer when they are engaged, and thinking about a need they have that your product meets.  With the increased sophistication of mobile marketing tools, you can connect the offline and online worlds at key places increasing brand relevancy and sales.  Take the point of purchase for example; by putting SnapTags on POP materials, you can engage consumers in an interactive conversation at the most crucial stage of the decision funnel. Moving into the New Year, marketers will increasingly use available technology to create more targeted and effective ways to connect with consumers.

The Mobile Wallet.  With the increase in mobile commerce in recent years, the mobile wallet will offer a way to pay for goods and services using a mobile device.  SpyderLynk’s new product, Buy It Now Tags SnapTags, will provide a conduit to not only create the connection with consumers and provide information, but also to facilitate the purchase of a product, acting as an e-wallet.

The year of 2D mobile barcode education and consideration beyond the QR code. In 2011, QR codes popped up everywhere.  Whether you were flipping through a magazine at the doctor’s office or opening mail from a company you did business with, there was a decent chance it had a QR code on it. With a plethora of free QR code generators available online, low barriers to entry caused companies to create and plaster QR codes on everything.  2012 will be the year of reflection and investigation; companies look back on what they did, evaluate effectiveness, and put some critical thinking into campaign objectives moving forward, including which 2D mobile barcode solution will best equip them to accomplish campaign objectives.

The year of deep mobile integration.  While mobile activation provides an awesome opportunity for marketers, its rapid emergence has left a lot of marketers scratching their heads about the best tools, strategies and ways to integrate mobile activation into their marketing mix.  This will be the year that companies will be educated and organized enough to take a strategic approach in implementing mobile activation; they will create a cross-functional team comprised of brand managers, creative agency representatives and technologists to evaluate the best opportunities to leverage mobile activation. Marketers realize that mobile is a highly functional tool for impacting consumers throughout their decision journey; this will be the year they get organized and put resources behind it.

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The company that invented the mobile barcode in the 1980s developed its own approach: the ToyoTag, a mobile barcode driven by the SpyderLynk SnapTag platform, which allows for the quick creation of variable direct marketing campaigns tied to each Toyota brand. The six advertising agencies responsible for those brands can set up, activate and manage a ToyoTag campaign. But the most critical element is that Toyota can serve its target consumers a campaign and a message crafted to engage those consumers relative to where they are in the purchase cycle. In advertising, Toyota can engage consumers in the brand message, sharing information about new features and benefits. At auto shows, the company can give consumers access to digital brochures, safety information and price quotes. And at dealerships, they can capture people even further down the purchase path.

Event Marketing
Toyota uses ToyoTags in event marketing to engage the right consumers in the right places. For instance, Toyota sponsorship of the Dew Tour gives the company an opportunity to position the Prius, Yaris, Rav 4 and Corolla to a younger and more active audience. Toyota wanted to create a meaningful presence at the event to ensure participants were checking out these models. Using ToyoTags, Toyota engaged consumers in a scavenger hunt that included stops at each of the cars and a prize package. To increase interest, Toyota leveraged action sports celebrities like Jamie Bestwick to deliver the video clues.

Dealerships
At dealerships, shoppers use ToyoTags to sign up for updates on future price offers, and also get more information about the vehicle they are considering. A ToyoTag campaign for Wisconsin Dealerships gave consumers the opportunity to snap for a chance to win Wisconsin Badgers tickets. A consumer entering the sweeps had the opportunity to opt in to be contacted by a local dealer and to receive Toyota updates. 40 percent of participants opted in to be contacted for updates.

Other Uses
Aside from brand marketing, Toyota is also using ToyoTags for crisis communication, cause marketing and social marketing. Toyota used ToyoTags on advertising about the National Automotive Safety Administration ruling reinforcing the safety of Toyota vehicles. Additionally, following the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, Toyota used ToyoTags to enable members and consumers to make a donation to the Red Cross’s Fund for Japan; Toyota matched all the donations.  Finally, Social ToyoTags feature an interactive Facebook or Twitter icon placed on marketing materials to let consumers instantly Like or Follow the brand.

Few companies have integrated mobile barcodes as thoroughly as Toyota, not just in its marketing but across its communications. What else would we expect from the company that invented them?

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The obvious difference is that SnapTags feature a brand’s logo front and center, but there are others you can’t tell just from looking at them, and while we offer a comparison on our website, continued interest called for a more in-depth look. So, with the help of Killer Infographics, we created a handy guide. We are excited to unveil this new infographic that displays the differences between SnapTags and QR Codes. A few key points:

• SnapTags are more accessible: Anyone with a mobile phone camera – approximately 88% of consumers – can snap and send a SnapTag. Only 13% of consumers who have downloaded readers can access QR codes.
• SnapTags provide more options for tracking. A recent ClickZ post showed that 63% of mobile marketers don’t even try to measure ROI on mobile campaigns. That’s what makes easy, comprehensive tracking so important. Standard insights for SnapTags include number of snaps, users, repeat usage and opt-ins, and they are highly customizable.
• SnapTags offer greater functionality. QR codes allow for mobile activation, geolocation and social networking, while SnapTags do those plus enable dynamic responses, are easy to update, and are reusable. SnapTags activate a variety of marketing campaigns to meet different objectives, like loyalty campaigns, games and contests, promotional drives, enabling social connections and more.

This infographic provides a visual answer to the most frequent questions marketers have been asking us. How do you use SnapTags? What is the difference between SnapTags and QR Codes? What kind of features and benefits do SnapTags offer? What are our insights on consumer adoption of mobile barcodes? Find out below.

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The study provides details about the types and attributes of mobile barcodes in the market, marketers’ insights into industry best practices and choosing the right type of barcode and service provider based on campaign objectives. Some key best practices and tips covered in the whitepaper include:

• Creating a compelling experience
• Telling consumers why and how to engage
• Setting up your campaign to collect meaningful data
• How to measure success
• The life cycle of a 2D barcode campaign
• Optimizing for mobile
• Reducing the complexity of your code
• Providing “quiet space” around the code
• Choosing the correct size for the code
• Placing the code where it can be easily scanned
• Testing the code

Mobile barcode usage continues to increase exponentially. At the end of Q2, 3GVision issued a study that showed the global usage jumped by 1043% between the end of 2009 and August of 2011. That rise has coincided with a jump in the number of smartphone owners, which means the audience for mobile barcodes and the potential for even more has never been greater. Brand marketers should take action now to begin building a base of experience and knowledge.

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The central question brand marketers need to ask is what role APIs should play in their mobile barcode platform.

“API” stands for application programming interface. It is the interactive connection between two different company’s databases allowing the databases to ‘talk’ and exchange information. The connection enhances the functionality of a marketing campaign.

APIs can amplify the power and sophistication of a mobile marketing campaign by allowing marketers to leverage the capabilities of other platforms and providers. Some of the more notable applications that APIs crucially impact include:

• Database Information Exchange – Rendering information on demographics and user data crucial to serving consumers a customized response.
• Reward and loyalty programs – Assigning points to existing rewards and mobile loyalty programs through interactions with mobile barcodes.
• Geolocation – Determining when and where consumers interact with a barcode.
• Sweepstakes– 2d Mobile Barcode campaigns can connect to program management agencies required by many companies for sweepstakes and instant win administration
• Fulfillment – Marketers can use a 2D Mobile Barcode to offer consumers a sample of a product like conditioner, or deodorant, or whatever the client chooses to offer. After collecting the consumers address information, the API can be used to transfer the consumer shipping data to a fulfillment center
• Content serving – APIs can serve up exclusive content like video on demand or mobile games.

Brand marketers should start with what capabilities they want their mobile barcode campaign to have and which objectives they would like to reach. QR codes, for example, require a fair amount of back-end integration to plug into various APIs. Other platforms come with API connectivity built in. It all comes down to what marketers want their campaign to do.

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I’ve been on the road a lot lately, but I feel connected to my family and friends and to the world. I feel inspired by this overwhelming sense I have that maybe we are growing past this never-ending, ever-evolving technology craze that can make us more productive, do things faster, tackle more at once and work from anywhere. Maybe we’re starting to figure out how technology can just make us happier, better human beings.

I think that’s the very real and exciting future of technology. It will sit in the background making relevant and meaningful connections for us while we’re focused on doing something else. We’ll go about our days doing what we need to do and technology that we opt into and enable will help keep track of us and our family and our friends and and our colleagues and push forward to us the things (comments, photos, videos, suggestions, connections, ideas, events) that are most relevant to where we are, what we are doing, what we are thinking about, or maybe even what we will be thinking about.

And what does this mean for brand marketers?

Go back 50 years to a day when you walked into your local store and they knew your name, what products you’d be looking for, who your family and friends were, and they thanked you for your business and for referring people to them and they offered to call you when something you were looking for came in. But then rapid growth and the need to scale made it near impossible for the retailers and brands of today to know us all by name and know what we like and what we’d want to know more about.

We as marketers should be excited that technology is allowing us to build meaningful relationships at scale. Maybe we’ll get to a place where we can walk into the store (online or physical) and get a personal greeting from a person or an avatar asking how you are liking the pair of running shoes you bought from them last month, thanking you because you told your sister about them and she came in and bought a pair. They’ll even say “hey thanks a lot for doing that, I’ll knock 10% off your purchase today because I really do appreciate you telling her about us.” They’ll ask you if they can help you find something today and when you ask for a pair of hiking boots, you don’t even have to tell them your size, they just know that. And the really cool part is that you are on a business trip and this store is 2000 miles away from the one that you bought your running shoes in.  As you walked into the store, or activated a mobile barcode, the store clerk was alerted to your relationship and referral.

So, we essentially get back to enjoying and valuing personal connections with strangers and we don’t think it’s creepy, because we see the value in the store clerk knowing us and our family and what we like and what we buy. You get rid of creepy when you ask for permission, offer value and when you act human.

When I first saw “The Matrix,” I was terrified. I feared that The Matrix would happen to us. I felt that we were growing technology out of our control and that we were heading to a place where we should just eventually plug our brains into machines and live in a virtual world.

Well, I’m not scared of that anymore. I think we’re turning the concept around and rather than plugging our brains into machines, i think we’re figuring out how to plug the machines into our lives where we want them to make us feel more alive and more connected and more inspired and passionate. I think technology is making us more human, not less, and I love it.

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