What You (And Others) Are Doing Now
Are you a marketing decision maker?
Would you like to find out how hot (or not) your company is when
it comes to the interactive marketing mix?
If so, we invite you to take our online survey. We'll report
back in a follow-up article with a summary of findings. Survey
participants will receive the special full report.
And if that's not incentive enough for you, we'll randomly
choose one respondent to receive a $75 Amazon.com gift
certificate.
Take our survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D77NDFH
No matter where you fit in the interactive marketing mix, it's
important to have a basic understanding of the hottest trends in
technology. Two platforms topping that list - mobile applications
and barcode technology. And although both formats are making
headlines, the most buzz-worth applications stem from a combination
of the two technologies.
Mobile
There are currently over 50 million active
smartphones (e.g., iPhone, Android) in the United States. The
hottest mobile apps, like foursquare and Gowalla, make use of
location based technology. These apps encourage "check-ins" at
restaurants, events, and any other place with an address in order
to collect digital badges. After its first year, foursquare
acquired over 725,000 users across the country, with 22+ million
check in's. Local businesses have been cashing in by offering
special discounts to the "mayor" of their location, a badge
received by achieving the most visits/check-ins at any given
venue.
Mobile and Barcode
Barcode marketing allows for machines to scan and read a digital
representation of data. Although this technology has been around
for some time, the recent marriage of barcode and mobile
technologies has caused it to quickly rise to the forefront as a
medium for consumer conversation. Perhaps one of the most promising
uses of this technology is the ability to attach marketing
messages, web links and videos to actual barcodes. Users who scan a
barcode with their smartphone cameras have the ability to pull up a
related website or coupon. Clever advertisers have begun extending
the life of their print ads by attaching a barcode and
incentivizing readers to scan it to receive related bonus material
online.
stickybits is a mobile app that makes use of both mobile and
barcode technology. Attach a unique digital barcode to real world
objects (e.g., the UPC on a bottle of mustard or a book) and users
can add digital "bits" such as comments, video or images. When
other users scan the same barcode they'll be able to view existing
bits or attach some of their own. Giving a presentation? Add a
barcode to it and allow attendees to add questions and comments.
Looking for a job? Attach a barcode with your resume to your
business card. Hosting a book club? Have members scan one book with
their mobile smartphones and attach their questions and comments
prior to the meeting. Check out stickybits in action:
- Go to www.stickybits.com
- Download the app on your mobile phone
- Scan the barcode. Use the stickybits app on your phone to
"attach a bit" to this article
- Jill Schmidt
Director of Accounts