Of course, foursquare’s not the only game in town.

While the world figures out what to make of Facebook Places, Gowalla continues to be the best LBS alternative to foursquare. While both services have much in common, one dramatic difference is Gowalla’s disinterest in rewarding users for checking-in repeatedly at a single venue (i.e. foursquare’s “mayors”). Instead, Gowalla tends to reward users for checking-in at a variety of venues. In some cases, these are part of coordinated “trips” that are produced by Gowalla users and brand partners. (National Geographic‘s robust collection of trips is a particularly good example of brand-building via LBS.) For any brand looking to connect on a regional level, this Gowalla feature allows you to creating a walking tour of, say, bars in a given city with Negra Modelo on tap.

A new addition called Highlights promises to add another layer of personalization to this content, with users being able to label spots as the best nighttime views, best guilty pleasure, or best kept secret (I think I’ve found a flaw in that last one). Assuming that Gowalla has plans to integrate marketers into these Highlights, there’s plenty of room for partnerships – I’m sure a number of bridal products would love to get a piece of the “Hitched” highlights.

But, Gowalla perks work at individual locations as well. Gowalla users often receive virtual items for checking-in at certain locations (which can subsequently be dropped or swapped at other locations). For instance, you might receive a metal robot when you check-in at a toy store, or you might receive free tickets to an NBA game by checking-in to sportsbars and basketball courts. Huh, wha? Yes, the New Jersey Nets hid 250 pairs of virtual (but redeemable) tickets at various Gowalla locations in the area for their last game of the season! Our “athletically challenged” colleagues here at Upshot might be more interested in a similar giveaway from Adobe, in which virtual items redeemable for a dozen free copies of Creative Suite 5 were distributed across various Gowalla spots nationwide. (A summertime campaign from Eye-Fi spruced up this model by including a random sweepstakes for anyone checking-in at Apple Stores.)

The aforementioned Nets promotion brought up a particularly compelling way for brands to deal with unused inventory (a problem that the Nets had ample opportunities to consider – heyyo!). The same article that described the Nets campaign suggested that hotels could offer unsold rooms in a similar fashion, in the hopes that the winners would make additional purchases via room service or on-site bars and restaurants. (The same mentality could be applied to movie theaters and amusement parks.) Of course, the other benefit is that a LBS-user is almost certainly going to be an active participant in social media, so they are more likely to start conversations about your brand than a traditional contest winner. Why not focus your rewards on someone who’s likely to be a vocal brand advocate?

Before moving on to the next topic, we should add that, um, we’re still not done here. In fact, our coverage of marketers on foursquare and Gowalla is still overlooking brands who are doing great work on other LBSs. Before you get completely exasperated, yes, the slew of services is a problem, and yes, we’ll be addressing this at a later time. But no, this won’t undermine the impending “Year of Location” – in fact, it should help. That’s a whole ‘nother post, though. In the meantime, we’d like to call your attention to Red Bull’s work with Whrrl, simply because it’s a stellar example of a Niche Network in action. When people join the Red Bull Society on Whrrl, they’re privy to exclusive deals (including drink discounts at select bars and clubs) and access to Red Bull events (such as tickets to the Red Bull Air Race in NYC). When our previous post asked “what’s the point of checking-in?” this is about as good an answer as you can give: being part of an exclusive community with tangible benefits, organized around a set of common [and local] interests. We hope other brands continue to do the same. But if they don’t, you can always garner attention with wacky offers like free Virgin America airline tickets for checking-in to taco trucks on Loopt. Wait, wha?

As part of Pacifico’s sponsorship of the US Open of Surfing, we rolled out a program via QR code for the event’s attendees. Better yet, we made sure we were delivering compelling content according to the recommendations from our QR code Smartshot webinar, in which we advised that QR codes should deliver convenience, entertainment, or exclusivity.

Fortunately, the Pacifico code nails all three at once.

On the convenience side, the code offers a Pacifico tap finder for USOS attendees, enabling them to map out their route to the nearest bars (which, presumably, will also quickly lead to entertainment). Speaking of entertainment, the mobile site also offers a calendar of events surrounding the USOS (viewable to the right), so that attendees can catch concerts and parties after the day’s work is done (and, yes, this doubles as convenience as well). Finally, the mobile site offers exclusivity by also directing users to Pacifico events during the USOS, providing access and benefits that are unavailable to people who haven’t scanned the codes.

This campaign shows that checking off the boxes for convenient, entertaining, and exclusive content doesn’t have to be so complicated. In fact, it brings to life our mantra here at Upshot: simple ideas, brilliantly activated. Good marketing is just that easy.

If you haven’t already, please don’t forget to vote for our SXSW 2011 panel, accessible here. You’ll need to create an account to vote, but we promise that it takes less than a minute. Voting closes Friday, August 27th, and we appreciate every bit of help we can get!

As always, a PDF version is available here, which we encourage you to share with clients and colleagues. But, if you’d prefer the straight text, continue reading below.

Code Read

Brace Yourself for the Barcode Barrage

Well, what do we have here? Is that a QR code campaign delivering exclusive content for FOX shows like Glee and Fringe? And do I see a Campbell’s sweepstakes where consumers enter by scanning their soup can UPCs? While, over here, I could’ve sworn I caught a Kelley Blue Book window sticker equipped with QR codes, allowing car salespeople to keep the same sticker in the window even when the price fluctuates. With everyone from beer brands to magazines to sports teams loading up these little squares with data, it looks like we’ve got ourselves a full blown barcode party on our hands, to which we say…

Well it’s about time you all showed up! See, we at Upshot have been hanging around the QR code punchbowl for years, checking our watches and nibbling on hors d’oeuvres while wondering what’s taking everyone so long to get here. (We’ve even used the codes in our own agency campaigns.) But, that’s given us plenty of time to get acquainted with the breadth of barcode applications, understanding what works and what doesn’t. We already went ahead and qrushed the topic of QR codes in a recent 15-minute Smartshot webinar (accessible by scanning the QR code above), so let’s head in to the party! Look for the balloons out front.

(Of course, the best way to get into this shindig is to try scanning some codes yourself. If you don’t have a barcode reader for your smartphone, shoot The Source a message and we’ll point you to one that you can download for free.)

While we prefer the flexibility and broad compatibility of QR codes, we’re admittedly using them as a proxy for all kinds of barcode marketing applications. It really doesn’t matter whether you implement a smartphone app that reads traditional UPCs or a code like JagTag that doesn’t require a reader. What’s important here is that barcodes should be driving consumers to compelling, valuable information when scanned, regardless of the format. Ultimately, these codes are just an efficient way to connect consumers to a wide range of content on the mobile web, whether it’s a link to the Double Rainbow YouTube video, the Double Rainbow remix mp3, a coupon for the Double Rainbow t-shirt, a calendar link to Double Rainbow viewing parties… you name it. The codes are not campaigns on their own. The real consumer interaction comes after that code is scanned and engaging content is delivered, much like the true measure of a party’s greatness isn’t what’s on the invitation, but how early the karaoke machine gets broken out. For instance, the QR code to the right will take you to an awesome art installation, in which portraits of classic movie stars are made out of a series of barcodes. When those codes are scanned, they play various video clips from their respective repertoires. Now that’s one heck of a barcode blowout!  (Hint: linking your QR code to your company’s bland homepage probably makes for a crappy party.)

These data-laden codes are ideal for any products where the consumer experience can be enhanced by accompanying information and education. For instance, there’s a lot to talk about when it comes to wine: food pairings, terroir, blends, vintages, and how to properly mock anyone garish enough to order a California Merlot in public. But, even for oenophiles, that’s a lot of stuff to put on the outside of a bottle. We’ve seen some brands try to get around this with bottle neckers, in-store media, packaging, and more, but none of these options really allow for the full story to be told. Compare that to the smartphone apps that Constellation Wines has developed for its brands, which include barcode-scanning capabilities. When consumers scan the UPC on the bottle, they’re linked to everything from reviews to tasting notes to streaming videos about the wineries. It helps that these apps also build personalized profiles for the consumer, since it gets a little tricky to remember your favorites halfway through a tasting session. Just ask Edina and Patsy (they’re waiting for you behind the QR code above).

Like the Best Buy example we covered in our Smartshot webinar, Constellation bakes the barcode readers right into their branded smartphone apps (along with other features). We think this is particularly crafty, and not just because it circumvents the problem of whether consumers have already downloaded barcode readers to their phones. When users scan the codes using the branded app, that marketer can exert more control over where that user eventually ends up. In Best Buy’s case, the retailer can link to movie and video game trailers, coupons, installation instructions, their Twelpforce staff, and more, without worrying that the barcode will take their shoppers to an online competitor. And this approach isn’t just beneficial for retailers; imagine how much more control a brand could exert over its shopper marketing programs via a similar technique.

In the end, it really doesn’t matter which code format your brand pursues. What’s important is recognizing the value of augmenting consumers’ real-world experiences with rich, immersive, online content. It’s part of the Online-Offline Convergence that is changing our consumers’ everyday experiences, and which happens to be another party that we’ve been crashing for a long, long time. Now that you know the code for the door, we do hope you’ll join us. We even left you a special message hidden – where else? – in the QR code to the right.

the hotspot for haute thought is the pot at upshot

we’re all hopped up on code-ing at theawesomeblog.net

It certainly doesn’t hurt that Verizon is now calling attention to the ScanBuy barcode reader in their TV, print, and in-store ads (thanks to Kyle Bruner for the tip). As more consumers are exposed to these codes (and, more importantly, how to use them), we can expect QR codes to become more ubiquitous in marketing applications. Of course, this means that if you’re going to wait around and see what happens, your competitors are bound to beat you to the punch.

Case in point: Heineken has started rolling out their “Plug Into Summer” campaign, and QR codes are playing a prominent role on the packaging. By no means are we touting our rival’s work, but we think you should know that consumers who scan the code have the opportunity to download three Heineken smartphone apps: a music trivia game, a sobriety test, and an app for finding a cab. Taken as a whole, if you’re having trouble remembering who’s the lead singer of the Rolling Stones, you can test your (non-) sobriety and realize that, yes, you need cab. Or at least I think that’s the gist of the campaign.

But while brands are slowly coming around to the QRevolution, retailers (and retail-relevant services like Cellfire) have been dabbling in this technology for much longer. Now, the Norma Kamali boutique in NYC is taking this technology a step further. In addition to tagging her clothes with videos that provide more information about each product, Kamali’s QR codes also enable nighttime shoppers to purchase the items even when the store is closed, just by snapping the QR code through the window. For those who are wondering how brick-and-mortar will compete with online shopping in the future, this appeal to the digitally-enabled shopper is one big weapon in retailers’ arsenals.

Speaking of which, have you seen Upshot’s work on the new Corona “Win a Beach Getaway” campaign? Click here to be taken to Facebook, where you can send your friends a blue Corona bottle for a chance to win a trip to Mexico.

Man, that sounds nice.

Naturally, proponents of beer pairings should be keeping an eye on what’s happening in wine pairings, but our eyes just about popped out of our heads after a recent article from Food and Wine. The story, entitled “20 Wine Pairings to Try Before You Die,” jazzed up tried-and-true pairings with some non-traditional replacements. Some of them bordered on madness; did we mention that they suggested pairing California Pinot Noirs with Doritos? We dare you to try ordering that at French Laundry.

Of course, this got us thinking – what wacky pairings are out there for tasty brews? Looks like the folks at L20 are one step ahead of us, doing zany combinations like pairing green tea beer with “Sambar Spiced Vada with Coconut Chutney.”

Whoa, easy there. That’s probably just a bit outside of the palate of most beer consumers. Still, there’s clearly the potential for unexpected discoveries in the beer pairing world. In fact, chances are that our consumers have stumbled upon these pairings themselves. (I’m convinced that the aforementioned Doritos pairing was a product of some late night accident, and not some rigorous scientific examination.) If that’s the case, there’s a excellent idea for a contest in here somewhere: what if we ask consumers to submit their craziest (but tastiest) pairing discoveries? They’d certainly be up to the challenge, and if Pacifico happens to pair extremely well with gummy bears, then the world needs to know!

While we did hit on a bit of augmented reality in our SXSW Dispatch, we’ve seen so many great applications in recent months that it seemed like the right time for a massive AR roundup! (It also seemed like the right time to officially add an Augmented Reality category to the Technology menu above.)

As we’ve stated before, the practical marketing applications of AR are increasingly nudging the gimmicky applications out of the limelight. Similar to the post office example in that link, Samsung’s using augmented reality to help you determine whether their TVs will fit on your wall. Once you see that shiny piece of technology laid out in your living room, it sure is hard to resist, right?

Augmented reality is also enhancing the online shopping experience. Fashionista (demoed in the video above) gets us closer to a Jetsons-like existence by making a “virtual fitting room” a reality. Users can virtually try on clothes and ask friends for instant feedback via social media, bringing a social element to the often-solitary experience of online shopping.  (Speaking of social, the same company is also integrating AR with videoconferencing, which should really bring client presentations to life.) Ray Bans offers a similar service that lets consumers see how they’d look in shades.

While many AR applications have been created for the consumer sitting at their home computer, a number of enterprising in-store marketers have realized the potential of AR at retail. We previously showed a demo of LEGO’s in-store kiosks, but across the Pacific, the Japanese cosmetics company Shiseido has created a “mirror” for trying on different makeup combinations. We expect to see more examples of this in the coming year – we’ll share ‘em when we see ‘em.

Straddling both the in-store world and the home environment, Adidas has done an amazing job providing consumers with an immersive augmented reality experience (see the video to the right). Markers on the tongues of the shoes bring consumers into a world of games and impressive 3D landscapes, providing Adidas with an opportunity to engage their consumers at kiosks in-store and long after the shoe purchase.

There are obvious applications for print advertising, too. Presumably, you’ve heard about Esquire magazine’s augmented issue, but Calvin Klein took it to somewhere far more explicit with their campaign in GQ. Let’s just say that if you’re a fan of underwear-clad men shoving their junk in your face, have we got a campaign for you! (Which leaves us wondering: shouldn’t that ad be appearing in Cosmo instead of GQ? Or are we missing something?)

Need more examples? Oh, we’ve got ‘em.

• We’ve now seen a couple of beer brands (here and here) augmenting location data to help their consumers find bars serving their beers. It’s bordering on gimmicky, though – we’re hoping alcohol marketers get a little more clever in the coming months.
• There’s potential for event marketers, too. Louisiana’s Voodoo Experience used AR to direct festival attendees to performances, attractions and services.
• Doritos went huge (literally) with their AR execution in Brazil.
• The magical nature of AR has obvious implications for entertaining kids, as Brights & Stripes have released a clothing line that doubles as an AR-toy for kids.
• Or, if you’re an adult who enjoys acting like a kid, augmented reality will enable you to turn your face into Optimus Prime’s mug.
• A number of musicians have recognized the value of targeting a more tech-savvy niche. A recent John Mayer CD featured an AR marker on the cover that brought up an interactive music video. (The Lost Valentinos got in on it, too.)
• To promote the chain’s 25th anniversary, Papa John’s printed a marker on their pizza boxes that took consumers to a game featuring the founder’s Camaro.
• Hallmark is now offering AR-enhanced greeting cards.
• GE makes wind power a lot more fun.
• If you’ve got about eight minutes, check out how Bing’s planning to augment their maps. You’ll be impressed!

If you see other examples worth sharing, send ‘em our way!

For starters, we told you to be on the lookout for QR news. Then, mid-conference, people started noticing that Facebook had rolled out QR codes to select profiles. We’d say that qualifies as some pretty big news, but that’s not all. The folks at TechCrunch dug further, and discovered that the QR codes are expected to be part of Facebook’s location-based plans, to be revealed in April. Since QR codes can reveal the GPS location at which they were scanned, this seems like a smart way for Facebook to back their way into the Year of Location. Location + QR Code + Social Networking = very big grins on our faces. Stay tuned.

For now, here’s a little data to support the rise of QR codes. The hangup for these codes has always been getting users to download the QR readers At present, there are about 4 to 5 million QR readers loaded on phones in the US. However, that number will hit 15-20 million by end of 2010, as almost all major carriers and handset makers are preloading readers on their handsets. As big brands continue to integrate the codes into their marketing efforts (there were rumors in one panel of a big beer company using them in a campaign this summer), consumers will become increasingly familiar with the codes and will realize that these codes always signal the existence of additional content for the user (even on a cupcake). Talk about delighting consumers with hidden surprises! Over the next 12-18 months, we’re expecting consumers to get a lot more familiar with these codes, and brands will start integrating them across a number of touchpoints.

(Oh, and in case you’re curious about how Upshot’s own QR codes fared, we had over 1,000 hits during the five days of SXSWi. Not too shabby for a program with one touchpoint and no other promotion, eh? Excuse us while we pat ourselves on the back.)

Besides codes, we also gained some additional insights on creative competitions. We’ve previously touched on this tactic a fun way to resolve pesky problems, be they issues for the brand or issues affecting consumers (head here and here for a couple of quick refreshers). Oh, did we mention they’re extremely cost-effective from a brand’s standpoint? One of the winners of the Netflix Prize, Chris Volinsky, said that Netflix ultimately got Ph.D.-level research on their recommendations system for about a dollar per day (psst guys, the Department of Labor does have internet!). But, more importantly, Volinsky claimed that the collaborative element of the competition was what really sustained participation. Once the teams started sharing information and seeing notable progress, the contributors felt like they were part of a common cause rather than just chasing some prize. And, that was for a contest solving a pretty unimportant problem; just imagine if they were engaged in true social change! When New York City released 180 data sets to the public as part of their Big Apps project, the government dangled a modest prize of $5,000 for whomever created an app that best improved the city.  As it turned out, most participants were more interested in the opportunity to better their community (and be Hometown Heroes!) and having a chance to apply this hard-to-access information. Sound like something your brand would be interested in? Check out ChallengePost for Organizations for more information.

And… That. Is. It. For SXSW 2010, at least. We’re looking forward to tracking these trends throughout the year, and encourage you to contact us for any additional information on any topic we’ve covered in the SXSW Dispatches. Trust me: if you think these posts were long, you should see our notes!

With all our talk of the Year of Location and mobile web browsing and in-store touch technologies, something as “old” as online video might seem like a quaint topic to cover in a SXSW Interactive recap. Of course, video has proven to be an extremely engaging medium for interacting with consumers, and brands have recognized the value of encouraging user-generated video content. So, even at a conference overrun with the digital elite, online video still commanded a number of panels to discuss what’s working now and what’s on deck. Let’s take a look.

Certainly, one of the biggest advocates of online video content is the comedy site Funny or Die (who just made headlines for their work with Hyatt’s latest B-to-B campaign). When it comes to content, FoD Creative Director Andrew Steele argues that the rules online are much the same as they are for traditional media (which probably explains why most of the site’s writers are drawn from the ranks of Saturday Night Live and the Upright Citizens Brigade). Steele argues that topical material, quality writing, and big names are your three best bets to give an online video a viral boost, although they admitted that swearing and naked women are also dependable fallbacks. But let’s keep it classy, shall we?

About getting those “big names” on board: it’s something that distinguishes FoD from their competitors, and having Will Ferrell as a founder certainly helps. While the site is happy to work with brands to write a clever campaign, it’s not exactly cheap to get the likes of Eva Longoria and Natalie Portman to shill for your product. But CEO Richard Glover points out that many of their frequent contributors are motivated in other ways. If a brand has a campaign that can help these celebrities achieve these goals, there’s a far better chance for arranging a partnership (and perhaps without that hefty pricetag). Some frequent contributors see the site as a resource for changing their image (see: Lindsay Lohan), and others are looking to promote their own products, but a surprising number of celebrities see humorous videos as an effective avenue for bringing attention to their charitable causes of choice. For instance, the video above brought together a roster of comedians young and old in order to promote the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. Director Ron Howard said that a sketch like that would have normally cost a quarter-million dollars to put together, but since the actors were legitimately interested in supporting the cause, the video was online only nine days after conception, and for little more than the cost of airline tickets for the actors. For brands, these examples offer two compelling takeaways. For one, sometimes the best way to drive awareness for your cause campaign is through a heavy dose of humor. Secondly, that cause connection may be your ticket to celebrity participation. If you find a celebrity who shares an interest with your brand’s cause of choice, you may be able to get them to participate in campaigns that they normally wouldn’t consider. When choosing a cause to get behind, that’s something to consider.

Of course, not all great web content requires a script. Ustream’s founder Brad Hunstable came to SXSWi to tout the power of live streaming events online. The applications are obvious for sports and music, and Ustream has had particular success streaming exclusive, behind-the-scenes content for KISS shows and Jonas Brothers sets. Of course, they’re also willing to work with bands that don’t suck – OH SNAP! In fact, Hunstable thinks they’re best-suited for “middle tail” content with a sizable but perhaps non-mainstream audience (you know, like a Micro Community).

But, there’s even more potential on the other side of the live video equation. The growing ubiquity of mobile devices that can both record and view streaming video has made it possible for anyone to broadcast live from anywhere at any time. In response, we’re seeing the emergence of a number of platforms that bring these feeds together and supplement them with chat functionality and other social components (Qik and Knocking are two others besides Ustream that are gaining buzz). These services have now created the opportunity for local, isolated events to become experiences that are shared around the world. In a separate mommy blogger panel, the speakers recommended that brands should take advantage of these services for events that they’ve sponsored. Sending video-equipped consumers to cover these events gives your sponsorship added legs and activates your sponsorship beyond just the attendees. Moreover, for any events occurring in simultaneous places among a number of locations, streaming video services have enormous potential. A simple application of this service could be a brand like Corona compiling a variety of streaming videos from Cinco de Mayo celebrations across the country. Y’know, if we had any clients that’d be interested in that sort of thing.

[UPDATE: We saw some great examples of this during the iPad release day, a.k.a. the geek equivalent of Cinco de Mayo. Sites like Techcrunch used Qik to stream live interviews with all of the Apple-ites waiting in line for their new iPads, letting us all feel like we're part of the experience without, y'know, standing in line at 4am.]

We’re closing in on the end, but more SXSW Interactive coverage is yet to come.