Working with technology all day, we think about the social implications of technology.
Perhaps one of the most likely to happen soon is automation of jobs that are repetitive and easy to mechanically automate.
In China, welcome to the world of Chef Noodle-Cutter:
NFC SMART ADS: The out-of-home advertising giant Clear Channel's network of 10,000 NFC ad panels which is now complete with Movie clients and Fast Food Chains already using the new platform!
"From this week, consumers will be able to deepen their engagement with thousands of Clear Channel's sites by tapping or scanning their mobile device on interactive panels on high streets and in town centers right across the UK," the company says.
Consumers/Passer-by's who tap or scan these NFC panels next to advertising for upcoming movie trailers; while NFC enabled panels next to KFC Advertising posters will provide a proximity search that will let consumers find their nearest restaurant.
This landmark platform also gives advertisers the opportunity to deepen their engagement and interaction with consumers, by offering interactive content, social media integration, and multimedia content while consumers will also be able to use their smartphones to download vouchers, promotions and more.
Bash is a leading Toronto NFC and RFID provider, deploying large-scale integrated experieintial and interactive solutions across Canada. Similar to the program above used in the UK, the Tap2-NFC platform by Bash can provide full tracking/analytics to enable media buyers/media agency's effective tracking responses. With the penetration of NFC enabled mobile devices across multiple platforms, the increase of Canadian NFC users is on the rise, and with Mobile NFC Payment systems already being used in other countries, the North American Adaption of NFC Tap2 Like on FB/Tap2 Pay/Tap2 gain Access/Tap2 Download or Play Media/Tap2 get coupons and much more, are just around the corner for us.
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Here at Bash! we are all about discovering new emerging ways to use the technologies we work so closely with, especially RFID technology. We are never surprised when we see the latest way RFID can track inventory, or when we hear about the new wonderful ways it can be used at events to track consumer interaction or stimulate social media buzz. Even though we are usually exceptionally impressed, we are never truly surprised. However, this latest use for this RFID technology definitely prompted a little bit of discussion in our office this week.
The latest use for RFID technology that we discovered is the innovative NutriSmart prototype that allows you to embed a tiny RFID microchip directly into your food to track it from production to plate. The RFID tags are totally edible and would allow the consumer to monitor and learn about their product's supply chain from the manufacturer or supplier all the way to the grocery store. All the while providing nutritional information to the consumer, which will be especially beneficial to extreme dieters or people with detrimental food allergies. The man behind this dietary wonder is design engineering student Hannes Harms from the Royal College of Art in London. He has dreams for NutriSmart to even alert you when your French's Mustard has ran out or when your milk has gone sour.
For example, you could technically buy a doughnut that has one of these RFID tags embedded into it and it would be able to tell you what the ingredients are inside of it, how many kilometers it traveled to get to your grocery store or your house, where it's ingredients were grown and it's nutritional content. This doughnut all of a sudden becomes an informational portal for your personal health. After reading the RFID tag-provided information and learning that this doughnut isn't actually all that healthy for you afterall, boasting 500 calories and 17 grams of fat, you may be prompted to put it away. But either way, this RFID tag will give you more control over the food you eat, because you will have more knowledge
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The opportunities are almost endless with this new wave of RFID technology, and perhaps in the future we could even be able to adopt it to social media. We could log onto our facebook and learn about what our friends ate for lunch or when they are going to be heading to the grocery store again.
A new RFID-enabled bottle cap has, at a loss for better words, been popping up all over Europe. Work Club, which is a London-based digital agency has been working to implement this latest project at exclusive events for the Heineken-owned company, Strongbow, and it has been creating quite a buzz.
The simple of act of opening a bottle of Strongbow Gold Cider will cause a ripple effect of things to occur. It can check the consumer in on a variety of social media portals such as Foursquare and Facebook or even trigger a nearby glitter cannon to go off.
The agency was able to apply this digital technology for the events by augmenting the traditional bottle caps with an RFID tag, known as StartCap. The RFID tag was placed into the bottle cap which is then carefully secured under a transparent paper (to avoid catching on the sticky cap foil.) When the bartender or consumer pops open the bottle, the StartCap becomes a trigger and the RFID readers (MetraTec UHF readers) placed throughout the bar will be activated.
The campaign couldn't come at a better time for Strongbow, which has been seeing a spike in sales as beer sales have been on the decline as consumer preferences have changed. Heineken decided to penetrate new territories across Europe with the Strongbow brand and decided to implement the new campaign as a way to attract awareness and appear exciting to their new target market.
Work Club's Joint Creative Partner, Ben Mooge elaborates: " As an agency, our approach is to use technology to create a brand platform to tell a story which can then be captured and spread socially. It's about doing something interesting using technology first, then using digital as the accelerant. The trick is not to over-complicate it – do something too tricks-y or too futuristic and people struggle to see the point."
So, in the spirit of becoming more interactive with their new target market, it appears that Strongbow has done a fantastic job. So far, this digital convergence has made appearances at events in Rome and Budapest and Work Club has hopes to continue the unveiling of the StartCap for Strongbow in even more cities in the near future.
For more information, visit the StartCap's micro site: http://www.start-cap.com/
RFID is not only present in the automotive industry, but it is being utilized in extremely creative ways. Tired of loosing socks? There’s an RFID tech for that.
Thirsty? Why don’t you have a beer using an RFID chip given to you in your mailbox at work.
Sick of your kid skipping school I say CHIP em’
RFID is developing rapidly around the world in extremely innovative and creative ways. Blacksocks a Swedish company developed a pair of socks for retail that are RFID chipped so you will never lose your socks again. In conjunction with the iphone you can scan your socks and locate them at any onetime.
socks that can be bought on-line from Blacksocks
A Boston ad agency (Arnold) developed a machine in-house as part of their initiative to develop any creative new idea’s put forth by there staff. They created the vending machine nicknamed Arnie, the tech and even the beer themselves giving each of there staff RFID fobs (essentially an RFID enabled keychain) to get several free beers a month. This is one of the many new and interesting ways RFID is being utilized.
vending machine that employees can use to get a tasty beverage using an RFID fob
A more controversial way RFID is being used is in a couple of schools in Texas to track the goings on of it’s school children. Implemented in their school IDs the RFID chip monitors if the student is present in school and lets the school know where they are on the property. What is controversial about this is not only the big-brother like monitoring but the fact that the schools have stated that it comes down to revenue. Their budget is based upon how many students are in their seats which is essentially why this technology is being implemented.
So whether or not you believe that RFID is being used positively or negatively it is clear that RFID is being utilized in today’s society for not only menial things like matching the right and left sock in a pair. But it is being used in bigger things like in the automotive industry or monitoring your children's whereabouts. So it all comes down to this, where will RFID tech be taken next and how can you use it?
To learn more about BASHs’ products and services click around and see what YOU or your company can come up with, Bash is here to help you.
In today’s Automotive Industry it is all about cost cutting, ROI and efficiency. Long gone are the days of waste and poor time-management, more and more companies especially in the Automotive Industry are investing in RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology to help to increase speed, precision and safety. Michelin Tires is one of the few companies utilizing RFID technology in their tires, in cooperation with the London Bus Company Michelin tagged their tires on their double-decker buses in preparation for the London 2012 games to measure air pressure and tread in their tires which will lead to tire longevity, and better fuel consumption.
Many buses operated by Stagecoach London have been fitted with Michelin’s X InCity tires that have integrated EPC Gen 2 passive RFID tags and wireless air-pressure sensors.
This is not the only way RFID technology can be utilized in the Automotive industry many companies are employing RFID technology in their shipping containers and returnable packaging, almost a quarter of all companies lose more than 10 percent of their reusable shipping containers leaving the company to eat up the cost. By using RFID in tracking containers Automotive Companies are able to reduce the cost and create a more precise tracking method which in turn helps the logistics of the company. It is more labour efficient helping to result in a lower loss of reusable containers which is why more and more companies are investing in RFID technology.
A more visual approach in RFID that Automotive Companies are adopting is in their visual displays. Bash! was recently part of a groundbreaking RFID campaign in partnership with Mercedes-Benz during the 2012 Toronto Auto show which allowed Mercedes to communicate directly with its consumer. Using an RFID card consumers were able to ‘tap’ the cars that they liked, take a photo of themselves and receive information based upon their ‘likes’ in a custom brochure with their photo and the option to upload it to facebook. While RFID is still a relatively new technology these are just a few examples of how RFID is being adopted into the Automotive industry.
There’s a reason why the smaller brands imitate the big brands – when the big guys do something new, fresh, and seemingly innovative, it becomes a genius marketing move that others aim to copy. They shed light on technology that others may have browsed and passed over, until it starts to look really good when done right.
Seems simple enough, right? The core value of this marketing initiative: obtaining valuable customer information through an interactive and hassle free method for both customer and company.
Let’s cut right to the chase – a lot of companies are going beyond traditional marketing tactics to get your 1 minute of attention. Here’s a sample list of some of the companies that did it right – either by incorporating social media, digital marketing, or intrusive out-of-home advertising.
1. Forever 21 // Interactive Billboard
Launched in 2010, this is still one of our favorite out-of-home campaigns. The interactive billboard in New York Time’s Square interacts with the passing crowd by letting the billboard model “pick up” passerbys with her hands. Other features of the project included “love tweets”, a live on-screen Twitter feed from fans that include the word “Forever 21”.
2. Mini Cooper // Personalized Billboard
Mini Cooper has had a number of out-of-home marketing campaigns, each pretty unique and branding Mini Cooper as innovatively charming. One example utilizes a computer chip installed in Mini Coopers for drivers to receive personal messages via a digital billboard when they drive past it. Creepy as it might be seeing your name on a billboard, still nonetheless, very creative.
3. Ford Britain // Augmented Reality
Ford’s interactive screen in malls allowed users to hold a virtual model of the car within the palm of their hand. By simply stretching their hand in front of the screen, a Ford model assembles right before their eyes on the screen, with the options of virtual buttons to change car colours, open doors, fold seats, and watch demos of the car in action. The user interface is based on hand gestures and natural movement, making it very easy and accessible for passerbys to interact with it.
4. Mercedez-Benz // RFID + Social Media
Mercedes had ten kiosks set up at the 2011 PGA Championships to be seen by 25,000 exclusive VIP guests. Guests were given RFID chips that allowed them to log on an iPad, while at the event, then use the passes to login into the kiosks and ‘Like’ any of the Mercedes car models featured on the floor. Additionally, the guests could also login into Facebook and do a quick check-in, as well as a take a person and live picture at the kiosk. Interactivity with the people in the event, as well as people outside of it, while still being connected.
Smartphones and mobile internet has changed the ways consumers shop online, interact with brands, and view companies altogether. The same can be said for companies too; they’ve had to adapt to a new and tech-savvy consumer market than ten, even five, years ago.
Marketers have been taking advantage of these technologies, and companies have been basing their business model on them of more recently. We found some supporting numbers from the Out-of-Home Marketing Association of Canada that indicates the ever increasing rise of digital marketing:
• Over 5 million Canadian access the web via mobile devices
• By 2013, it is expected that mobile phones will overtake PC’s as the most common web access device worldwide
• Smartphone users are 50% more likely than the general population to strongly agree that OOH advertising influences their opinion of brands
• Almost 70% of people who own a mobile phone are texters; in 2010 over 56 billion texts were sent. Whether it’s for business or entertainment value, people respond to this trackable marketing tactic.
• On average, 30% of the on-the-go audience is willing to travel 9+ KM to redeem a mobile coupon, travelling the furthest for entertainment, retail and restaurant offers
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Companies like Mini Canada and McDonald’s have employed digital, out-of-home marketing to take advantage of these numbers. Mini Canada (pictured above), for example, used an interactive night projection on walls similar to a vending machine image. They then invited viewers to select their favorite model of a Mini via text message. Lucky Penny Wines, on the other hand, used social media by inviting Facebook users to send their friends a good luck message to their friends via a digital billboard. Via RSS feeds, their message appeared on the billboard almost instantaneously.
Jump on the digital, out-of-home bandwagon – the numbers (and sales) are going up!
