SmartPhone and TransMedia Strategies – Why TLP Recommends SmartPhone Integrations

Note from TLP:  Designing Mobile Experiences.  This is an outstanding PDF which clearly walks the business person through the case for making certain a mobile platform is integrated into a TransMedia Campaign of any type.  Some of the data regarding mobile phone market share is dated in the report, but the balance is highly relevant.  “61.5 million Americans ages 13 and older owned a smartphone in the period, and 26% had an Android-based phone, ComScore reported Friday. Third-place Apple followed with a 25% share and Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, led the pack with a 33.5% share.”  Source

Designing Mobile Experiences http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/1959107

Lifetime Brands Adding QR Codes to Product Line – TLP Integrating Lifetime Brands into Two TransMedia Projects

Farberware®, KitchenAid®, Pfaltzgraff®, Mikasa®, Cuisinart®, Calvin Klein®, CasaModa®, Gorham®, International® Silver, Kirk Stieff®, Nautica®, Pedrini®, Sabatier®, TowleTM Silversmiths, Tuttle®, Wallace® and Vasconia®

Lifetime Brands Strengthens Social Media Capabilities with QR Initiative

Lifetime is launching a series of videos linked to Quick Response codes on product packaging.

Lifetime Brands Achieves $50,000 Lift in Weekly Revenue

Lifetime Brands, Inc. (NASDAQ: LCUT), North America’s leading resource for nationally branded kitchenware, tabletop and home décor products, has strengthened its social media and video production capabilities, adding a social media specialist and videographer to its marketing communications team. As part of this commitment, Lifetime is launching a series of videos linked to Quick Response (QR) codes on product packaging. These small square bar codes provide additional product information when scanned by smartphones.

According to Dan Siegel, Executive Vice President, Lifetime Brands, Inc., “Part of our strategy for success is to anticipate where the consumer will be, rather than to look at where she has been. This includes relating to consumers through such avenues as social media, video and QR codes. Social networks have created a more informed consumer, and we embrace interacting with and educating consumers through these platforms. Adding QR codes to our packaging is an evolutionary step that allows us to add rich video content about our products at the point of sale.”

TLP UPDATE:  TLP has two cooking tv series which are in the latter stages of TransMedia development.  Lifetime’s announcement about using QR Codes  fits perfectly with the TransMedia strategies being developed for both cooking shows as broadcast episodes, webisodes, cooking tutorials, eBook cook book and celebrity chef interviews.  QR Codes provide highly interactive capabilities between the cooking shows, the viewers, Lifetime brands, the food products and the drink  menu utilized in both series.  As an example, TLP is also in discussion with wine social media sites such as www.adegga.com. 

In the case of these Portuguese wineries they are directing wine consumers to Adegga, an online community of wine lovers that dubs itself as a “social wine discovery” service.  This is how it works.  You scan the QR Code on the wine label and you will be taken to a special page on adegga.com dedicated to that particular wine. You will be able to read other people’s comments about it, check wine prices, read comments from the winemaker and much more. Adegga is undertaking a very ambitious project attempting to catalog all the wine of the world with something called an AVIN, which will be a unique wine identifier (similar to ISBN numbers for books).

Heather Schall, Senior Vice President Marketing Communications, Lifetime Brands, Inc., added “Lifetime Brands has a strong roster of highly recognized brands and innovative products that many consumers across America use daily for food preparation, dining and entertaining. Our new videos will better educate consumers about our brands and demonstrate the key features and benefits that make our products unique.”

Lifetime Brands is releasing videos in the coming weeks for Mikasa®, Design for Living Stackable Water Bottles and Misto®, The Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer, with more videos to be released this summer on http://www.lifetimebrands.com, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

About Lifetime Brands, Inc.
Lifetime Brands is North America’s leading resource for nationally branded kitchenware, tabletop and home décor products. The Company markets its products under many of the industry’s best known brands, including Farberware®, KitchenAid®, Pfaltzgraff®, Mikasa®, Cuisinart®, Calvin Klein®, CasaModa®, Gorham®, International® Silver, Kirk Stieff®, Nautica®, Pedrini®, Sabatier®, TowleTM Silversmiths, Tuttle®, Wallace® and Vasconia®. Lifetime’s products are distributed through most major retailers in North America.

TLP Now Developing “Walker” as a TransMedia Entertainment Property

The Walker Blog Website Can Be Found Here

Walker YouTube Site,    Walker Facebook Site

One of the many planned Walker website portals under development for the TransMedia project states:

“WALKER  is a new “Social Benefit” TransMedia Entertainment Property being produced by The Legacy Productions.  We invite you to become a part of the experience in this rapidly expanding new genre of entertainment which combines narrative, significant social and environmental causes, with mobile interactivity and  commerce. YOU , our audience is given the opportunity to affect real world changes:  from the environment – to education – to health -  to the economy … all  by applying their unique abilities, talents, networks and passion as an active part of the story.  …

Walker Reaches to the 18-34 Year Old Demographic …

In the fictional TransMedia StoryWorld, WALKER is a solo journalist … a SOJO.  He’s alone in the world investigating stories which have global impacts environmentally, socially and economically.  Many of the hidden puppetmasters WALKER want to “silence” him AND ANYONE WHO HELPS HIM.  WALKER is  not good for business … their business.   WALKER develops and encourages a global movement for change driven by a series of webisode stories he begins and posts on-line.  Blog entries provide further backstory.   Fiction and reality ae blurred.  The audience becomes a part of the story and a participant in.   Clues are provided integrating augmented reality, SmartPhone capabilities and QR Codes.  The audience participants have the ability to become a SOJO with WALKER and impact the outcome of this story … and the dialogue on the stories:  Climate Hacking, NanoTech and Water Wars.

The WALKER story will be played out OVER ONE YEAR on disclosed and secret websites discovered by the participants as well as in graphic novels, on mobile devices, and at live meet-up events in Boston, Los Angeles, and London, and other cities world-wide.

ONE LONE SOJO   NOW   BECOMES MANY …

WALKER is patterned after other game-changing entertainment properties – blending narrative with mythology that blurs the lines between fiction and reality.  WALKER compels the audience to become a part of the story with real world outcomes that actually mean something…

JOIN WALKER.  Become a SOJO.

The World … Your World … Our world Depends on it!

The Walker Characters are Lifted from the fictional Walker Graphic Novel and immersed into real-life issues confronting all readers world-wide.  Fiction and Reality are Blurred …

The Walker story is fictional and lifted from a graphic novel entitled “Climate Hacking.”

The website goes on to say:

“NOTICE:  (May 13, 2011)  As Walker moves from BETA testing to LIVE interactivity we will inform you here.  You will soon begin to see the bumper stickers (see example below, i.e. a spin-off from the 1950′s “Kilroy Was Here” phenomena) but with new QR Codes technologies utilized, so that Walker solo journalists (SOJOs) and Walker augmented/alternate reality game players can receive coded communications from Walker which include private communication, locations for clues, as well as  news gathering assignments for the Climate Hacking, NanoTiO2 and Water Waters productions (as Walker webisodes, mini-docs, and interstitials).  Please check back frequently as more news will be announced.  When Walker is LIVE and not in BETA,  the QR Codes on this blog and everywhere will change … taking the Walker SOJOs to other web sites, secret web sites, flash mobs and live event locations with new instructions which further the Walker ARG game.  Those sites may include Craigslist and other forums adding to the tension of the game and its context in contributing to the on-going dialogues about Climate Hacking, Water Wars and Nano technologies.  Stay tuned …”

QR Codes and SMS Text Case Studies

Click here for an 8 page Market Research list of  recent case studies on the effectiveness of SMS Text and QR Code campaigns.  Click box above for the Free White Paper on QR Codes.

In the above campaign lifestyle alcohol brand VeeV connects to its customers with the nearest store offering their product using the simple effectiveness of SMS text messaging.  The way it worked, texting VEEV to 75309 prompted the user for their zip code, after which the nearest store and address was returned in real time.  This is a great example of how integration — in this case with a database of distribution points and location data submitted from consumers — is made easier with SMS integrated technology.  It drives real value in mobile marketing programs as part of a TransMedia strategy.  Many possibilities exist for variations, such as embedding a web link in these messages to redeem a scannable mobile coupon or pointing customers to drink recipes.

QR Codes:

• Quickly transport users from print materials to online sites

• Help users save information on their mobile devices for later use

• Can be used on a wide variety of mediums – from billboards to postcards to magazines

• Allow consumers to quickly take action or and learn more

• Eliminate the need for users to remember or type a URL or promo code

• Create intrigue and a viral buzz for brand campaigns by providing a simple and quick method for your audience to transfer your message to others

Recent QR Code case study…

NWA Japan’s announced a goal to position itself as a technology leader and collect the email contact data for its target market.  QR codes were chosen by management as the marketing tool.   They were delivered across a range of outdoor media in Tokyo such as on large buildings.  People who took a photo of the code on their mobile phone were taken directly to NWA’s website which was purpose-built for the QR Code campaign.  And for maximum visual impact, QR codes were affixed to giant billboards in high traffic locations.  These became new landmarks of the campaign.  Supporting the billboards were pillar wrappings, posters, coin lockers and light boxes used to grab attention at eye level.  As a result of the QR code campaign, NWA successfully enhanced its position as the technology innovator in its category and achieved a huge amount of PR and word of mouth through the use of outdoor media.

Result:  There were more than 16,000 hits to the portal, a 35% increase over targeted goals.

Second QR Code Case Study:  Verizon/ScanLife

The Verizon/ScanLife campaign to promote the wide variety of apps available using DROID devices has seen over 150,000 scans in just over 3 months. QR Codes were placed throughout an integrated campaign which included print ads, in-store displays, direct mail, websites, and even iPad ads. Interestingly, voluntary sampling of approximately 20,000 users shows the technology is used across a wide range of age groups and income levels. You can read the full case study here.  Full Report.

Third QR Code Case Study: Fiat/Evo

Leo Burnett Madrid have created a novel campaign around a smartphone app for Fiat’s supermini the Punto Evo (video below).  The Fiat Street Evo app reads any traffic sign like a QR Code and then displays one of Punto Evo´s features related to that sign.  Stop signs for example show the car’s breaking capabilities. There are secret prizes hidden behind a few of the traffic signs and should you want to test drive the car the app will also show the location of the nearest Fiat dealer.

QR Code Usage up 4,549% in 1st QTR 2011 – TLP integrates QR Codes in TransMedia Strategies

Mobile bar code scanning has increased by 4,549 percent in the first quarter of 2011 on a year-over-year basis, according to a Mobio Identity Systems study.

Report May 2011:  “The Naked Facts: Whiplash Edition QR Barcode Scanning in Q1-2011“  READ FULL REPORT HERE.

With the increase in smartphone purchases for both iPhone and Android devices, which have a pre-installed QR reader, there is growing awareness among consumers of QR codes compared to a year ago.

QR barcodes go mainstream
Women also show a higher interest in using QR codes, accounting for 68 percent of users.

These numbers have big implications for advertisers.

“QR barcodes are no longer just a way to speak to early adopters, or the geek crowd,” Mr. Binns said. “QR codes have gone mainstream and are being used heavily by women who are head decision makers and purchasers in households.”

Mobio offers target rich environments where advertisers use multiple barcodes tied to different outcomes or campaigns to engage their consumers multiple times.

The vast majority of mobile bar code scans are centered on providing more information about a product or service, with 89 percent of scans falling into this category.

In terms of the type of media scanned, social media accounts for 70 percent of scans, TV 22 percent, the physical world four percent, online three percent and print one percent.  The iPhone is the most popular scanning device, followed by the iPod Touch and then, Android.  The report also shows that consumers are not just trying QR codes once and forgetting about them, but are becoming repeat users of the technology.

In fact, repeat scanners account for 62 percent of the market.

For marketers, this means QR codes can provide a way to have an ongoing conversation with consumers.

“QR isn’t a one-off medium anymore,” Mr. Binns said. “Marketers can change their QR codes in ads each day, week or month, and have an ongoing dialogue with their consumer.”

The State of TransMedia According to JWT – In 2011 Brands Buy In …

JWT recently released a significant report for 2011 entitled:  “TransMedia Rising.”  In it the giant advertising firms quotes:  “What we need to do is figure out the story behind the brand, the place it wants to occupy in the consumer’s mind, deconstruct it, make it relevant and reassemble it for the relevant audiences, on the appropriate channels. Then, through social media, let the experience and associations grow organically.”  —DEAN BAKER, managing director, JWT Entertainment.

Enter the Age of the QR Code.  It is a technology that is a dream for brand integrations if their content can incorporate it to engage their audience/viewer/customer … because now they are one and the same.

This QR Code can be read by online readers and by cell phones with any number of free apps that can be downloaded from the Internet.  This particular QR Code will take you to The Legacy Productions’ main website.  To see how easy this is online, right click the QR Code … and click view image.  Then copy the URL.  Then  go here and insert it in the first line and click SUBMIT QUERY.   With cell phones it is much easier.  You simply snap a picture of the QR Code and then hit submit.  Done.

As this video clearly demonstrates, brands are using QR codes in many unique ways to engage their audience/viewer/customer.

18% Click Through Rates?  Consider the possibilities QR Codes present to TransMedia Campaigns using it.

Augmented Reality Applications with QR Codes

The Threshold – A Successful CISCO TransMedia Multi-Layer ARG Project

2011 Update:

CISCO, No Mimes and JUXT Team up again in an amazing TransMedia Project spanning 5 Continents and 2 weeks of Alternate Reality Game Immersion.  It’s called “The Hunt.”

Here is a Webisode segment provided as a featurette to the participants to help solve a mystery and engage them in activities.  You will notice the male character takes out an iPhone in real time and indicates feedback from people watching the story unfold.  CISCO branding and products are seamlessly integrated into the storyline of this segment.

In this follow-up segment it ends with a call to action from the viewer audience to help solve the dilemma in the storyline.

IN 2009 CISCO, Juxt and No Mimes collaborated and produced “The Threshold.”  It has set a new bar for TransMedia excellence.

The Threshold An Alternate Reality Game

In 2009, Cisco turned to JUXT Interactive and George P. Johnson to help make their annual Global Sales Meeting a virtual event. The Global Sales Experience was created to help inform and motivate 19,000 Cisco sales people from around the globe.

Knowing that our audience was 89% male — most of them highly competitive and highly social — made our solution fairly obvious. We turned the whole event into a worldwide competition. And to anchor that competition, we built a deeply immersive Alternate Reality Game (ARG) titled The Threshold. Collaborating with the ARG visionary Steve Peters and his talented team at No Mimes Media, JUXT worked to create an experience that would blow the Cisco sales force away. Bringing these two talented teams together did not disappoint. The fruit of this unique marriage was hours of entertainment, challenge and collaboration for our audience, many of whom devoted most of their waking hours to the experience.

To help build anticipation for GSX, The Threshold was treated like a summer blockbuster film, with Cisco offices displaying digital posters resembling movie billboards. The highlight of a pre-launch email campaign featured a gripping trailer video that raised buzz in Cisco hallways around the world.

The Threshold officially launched three weeks prior to the event, and players quickly found themselves immersed in its story, and emotionally invested in its characters. Cisco Sales teams demonstrated both genius and tenacity as they worked day and night to follow the ever-evolving storyline and unlock the game’s mysteries.

As The Threshold unfolded over 4 intense weeks, players exchanged phone calls and emails with fictional characters, scoured every corner of the GSX platform for clues, and uncovered secret videos, including recorded Webex sessions. Cisco’s CEO John Chambers even made cameo appearances, while Executive Vice president Rob Lloyd released crucial clues in his live opening session.

In the end, The Threshold proved to be a runaway success, doubling our expected participation numbers. The revolutionary ARG captivated 13,000 of the event’s 19,000 attendees, and for many of them, playtime exceeded several hours a day. Numerous unsolicited forum threads championed The Threshold for promoting collaboration and learning, and for bringing the company one step closer to its vision of ONE Cisco.