Mobile Barcodes and the “Interactive Neighborhood”
Background on Mobile Barcodes:
Mobile barcode technology will soon change how we all interact with the world. Simply hold a camera phone over a 2-dimensional barcode to automatically link to a website, download content, and get mobile information in seconds. The following project was one of the first of its kind in the United States.
Creating the “Interactive Neighborhood”:
In March & April of 2008, mobile barcodes were distributed using a number of outdoor media tactics to provide people with immediate access to local information like restaurant reviews, news, weather, and landmark audio tours – all on the mobile phone.
CitySearch created physical links from their restaurant vendors to their mobile site. They placed window clings on over 400 locations so potential customers could see the latest reviews of that specific location.
Discovery Communications is the world's leading producer of interpretive audio tours and other self-guided audio. One of their products is their City Audio Guide which is distributed to tourists and others in need of information. Outdoor media was placed in tourist-heavy neighborhoods like Fisherman’s Wharf and Union Square. The 2D codes on these ads linked directly to mobile audio tours for that neighborhood – just scan and listen.
Outdoor Media Used:
- Bus Shelters and kiosks
- Wild postings and static clings
- Street teams with flyers and cards
Results:
During this six-week campaign, hundreds of codes were distributed throughout the city and over three thousand people used ScanLife to interact with the outdoor media. The story was also covered by local television, The San Francisco Chronicle, NPR Radio, and countless bloggers.
Winner of MediaPost's Digital Out of Home awards in the category of "Best Integration with a Mobile Device." |
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Images & Video:
Bus Shelter and Kiosk
