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SpyderLynk 2012 Predictions: A Look Ahead to the New Year

It’s that time of year!  Here are some of our predictions as the New Year gets rolling for what 2012 will hold.

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.

Integrating Mobile Barcodes into Brand Marketing: Toyota Shows How It’s Done

Toyota viewed mobile consumer activation as an integral part of its 2011 marketing plan. In true Toyota fashion, the company wasn’t looking to get its feet wet or try out a novelty. Toyota wanted to make a meaningful impact on the marketing of 19 different car models, each with its own set of marketing challenges and opportunities. Toyota also wanted a solution that would deliver a rich brand experience, activate lead generation, enable CRM and collect consumer data.

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. (more…)

Infographic: Comparing SnapTags to QR Codes

More and more people are learning about SnapTags. And more people are asking just what makes SnapTags different from QR codes.

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. (more…)

Best Practices for Mobile Barcodes: New MMA Whitepaper

Brand marketers considering adding QR codes and mobile barcodes to their advertising and marketing mix have a good place to start with a new whitepaper from Mobile Marketing Association, “Mobile Barcodes, an Overview for Marketers.” identifies best practices for developing brand marketing campaigns that utilize mobile barcodes.MMA

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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