Stickybits is a smartphone application that allows users to attach content to pre-existing barcodes, and access content that other people have left on the same code. That “pre-existing” part is the key; Stickybits turns any product with a UPC (so, uh, basically any product) into a social media channel. The brand often delivers the first “bit” of content, much like other barcode applications. For instance, a clever campaign from Food52 partnered with brands like Domino’s sugar and Organic Valley Sour Cream to provide recipes when users scanned the UPC on each product’s package. However, consumers can then respond by attaching their own mp3s, videos, text, pdfs, and what-have-you to the UPC for anyone to see. Imagine the possibilities for abuse!

And that‘s exactly why we’ve been hesitant to jump on board. In the era of Consumer Controlled Conversations, we all know that marketers have to engage in open, honest dialogs with consumers in public forums. But monitoring Twitter conversations is one thing; having consumers tearing your brand apart on a forum that’s attached to your physical product can, understandably, be a tough pill for clients to swallow. Sure, consumers can have these conversations with or without your involvement, but if you’re not calling attention to your UPC, most consumers probably aren’t even going to think to scan the code in the first place.

Which brings us to problem number two with Stickybits. As we mentioned in the QR code Smartshont webinar, one benefit of a QR code is that consumers always know that there’s some content on the other end of the code – it’s essentially a sign that there’s something more to see. With Stickybits, your campaign is relying on a UPC that’s generally ignored unless you explicitly call attention to it via packaging, in-store media, or some other touchpoint. Are consumers really going to go around scanning every UPC in the supermarket looking for content? Of course not, which means unprompted conversations will almost certainly come from extreme fans and extreme haters. By no means is that a deal-killer for Stickybits, but it’s worth considering.

For instance, it makes perfect sense for Campbell’s new campaign to utilize the Stickybits platform, because the campaign itself is explicitly about the redesigned labels for their soup cans. (Campbell’s is dangling a $500 sweepstakes to encourage participation.) This is a clear example of connecting the medium to the message (and the product, for that matter), so the item being discussed doubles as the platform for the discussion. Also, by giving consumers a specific topic to discuss, it’s likely that Campbell’s has pre-emptively reigned in some of the more “colorful” anonymous comments that are to be expected in the age of Consumer Controlled Conversations.

Coke’s application of Stickybits uses similar logic. Part of their mysterious campaign surrounding the brand’s secret recipe includes “unlocking the bottle,” communicating to consumers that there might be a reason to scan the codes on the product. (P.S. There’s a fun little trick hidden in that linked Coke video – let us know if you haven’t found it yet.)

So, where does this leave us? Frankly, on the fence. It’s a compelling platform, as evidenced by the three campaigns above. There are certainly good applications in the right situation, and the Food52 example offers a particularly innovative partnership strategy. However, for now, there are also considerable risks and shortcomings, many of which can be avoided using other barcode and social media solutions. We’ll certainly stick around and see how the situation develops.

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

That’s what makes the above video from Puma so refreshing. The clip takes the viewer through the story behind the packaging change, and drives home the environmental benefits in a visually appealing manner. Conversations about megajoules don’t normally look this good.

The same can be said for Starbucks’ “The Big Picture” campaign, in which Starbucks’ drinkers pledge to switch from disposable cups to reusable travel mugs. Again, a nice gesture, but not too exciting. Yet, the campaign does a nice job quantifying the aggregate results of thousands of consumers making the switch. The campaign video (housed here) feels more like a lighthearted Apple ad than an environmental message, and it’s framed by a real-time counter showing the total environmental impact generated by the campaign (the latter being a nice example of using gaming mechanisms to make mundane tasks more fun).

Both of these campaigns go beyond simply touting their green credentials; they each tell stories about sustainability. In a recent article from Mediapost’s Marketing Green, the author claims that storytelling is “the antidote to information overload.” By connecting these somewhat mundane behaviors to an emotional context (i.e. being part of a worldwide cause), participation feels much more like an enthusiastic statement of values than a guilt-motivated chore.

Marketers who are touting their green credentials (and frankly, who isn’t these days) must recognize that there’s just as much clutter in the green space as there is elsewhere. For your efforts to really resonate, make that messaging sexy, emotional, and – gasp! – a lot more fun to digest.

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!

You know the drill: follow Upshot on Twitter to keep up on the latest SXSW Interactive news. It’s only three days away!

We’ve already mentioned that location is the watchword at this year’s SXSWi, but we’d advise you to keep your eyes out for news on QR codes as well. Longtime readers know that we’ve been tracking these two-dimensional barcodes for years, but the codes had never quite passed the tipping point because consumers had to download a QR reader before using them. Fortunately, most new handsets are coming pre-loaded with QR readers, and for those that aren’t, there are a number of brands that are helping to familiarize American consumers with the technology (including that tiny little venture named Google).

And, with SXSW announcing that every attendee’s badge will include a QR code (and the festival’s site sharing a slew of QR readers), we think the time has finally come for QR codes to have their day. Of course, that’s why Upshot’s going to be blanketing SXSWi with our own QR code to help attendees track the 6th Street music shows during the Interactive festival.  See the above video for a demo, and stay tuned for more info later this week.

While we’re clearly some savvy marketers ’round here, there’s always going to be a handful of marketers who are seduced by the “shiny-ness” of an unfamiliar technology, and will apply it in a gimmicky manner. For instance, select Best Buy stores across the country have featured QR codes in their store windows, which is admittedly a great way to deliver interesting content in an immediate way to passing consumers. Unfortunately, snapping the code takes the consumer to… Best Buy’s website. Guys, they’re already standing in front of the store! What kind of value are you delivering?

Compare that to the N Building in Japan, which complemented their window-based QR code with a little augmented reality. Or, the guerilla campaign for District 9, where decals and posters (such as this one) were slapped all over urban areas. That code linked users to a video clip that told the backstory of the movie. Likewise, the band Passion Pit embedded a free mp3 in bar coasters in UK pubs, as well as discounts for purchasing the album.

The common thread in these examples is that they all provided unique, highly-desirable content! It’s the same ol’ rule we’ve been following for years; if you’re not engaging consumers, you’re just creating clutter. Nobody wants to see that! They want to see QR codes like these:

• Add customized messages to packaging, or in this case, bottles. Anyone giving a gift fr0m 94 Wines can attach a QR code to the bottle with a text, photo, or video greeting.
• Provide something a little harder-hitting, like the code that the Detroit Red Wings added to their game programs. The code brings users to a video featuring the body-checking skills of Niklas Kronwall.
• Hide clues for a scavenger hunt amidst QR codes placed in various locations.

We could keep going, but we’ll continue to follow-up with examples down the road. For now, we’ll leave you with a simple place to start: the three cardinal rules for creating a consumer-friendly QR code.

UPDATE: Well, this is a nice bridge between our last couple of posts. Fourwalla is encouraging venues near SXSW to create QR codes that Foursquare and Gowalla users can scan in order to check-in. Fourwalla claims that the codes will help verify check-ins, although I’m not sure there’s too many venues that are worried about that kind of publicity.

Yes, unfortunately (or fortunately?) we’re still a bit swamped, so today’s post’ll have to be a quickie.

So, we’ll let PSFK delight you with their spotting of these wine labels that let you Mr.-Potato-Head-ify (or is that Colorform-ize?) the bottles. Nifty!

A full post is coming tomorrow, we promise!

Citing the old packets as “the bane of our consumers,” especially for those eating on the go, Heinz now presents the condiment consumer with two options: rip the top tab to squeeze or peel the bottom tab to dip. (They’ve also tripled the amount of ketchup in the packet, since you really don’t have the willpower to turn town those supersized fries anyway.)

Head this way for more info. And for those of us in the condiment biz, it might be time to think along the same lines for our consumers on the go.

Thanks to Jaclyn Gordyan – again – for the tip!

(Of course, you can also zoom in a bit and see the “Designed in Denmark. Made by nature” tagline on the side.)

Scanwood’s packaging instantly drives the message home, especially amidst an aisle normally dominated by silicone, plastics, and who-knows-what. And, may we add, it’s an excellent embodiment of Upshot’s mantra: simple ideas, brilliantly activated.