Would a handful of location-based music videos do the trick? Of course they would.

Since television’s so-called “music” channels stopped broadcasting anything remotely musical many years ago, the music video has largely been relegated to the web. This ended up being a blessing in disguise for a number of reasons, including the ability to make music videos far more interactive (as we’ve demonstrated on multiple occasions) than traditional offerings. Now, with location data becoming integrated into web and mobile experiences, clever artists are using this information to personalize their music videos based on a viewer’s location. This added context creates a unique, and more deeply relevant, experience for the fan than a televised video could ever provide.

For starters, let’s take a look at the singer-songwriter Lissie’s new music video that responds to the current weather conditions in your location. (As you can imagine, the above image of the band donning sunglasses and summer dresses is based on Texas, not Chicago.) The various versions of the video do a great job of encouraging both viewer engagement and rewatchability, as visitors are likely to be curious about the band’s responses to the different weather conditions.

While Lissie’s video uses weather to provide context to her video, an interactive set of videos from the band Editors uses the city of London as the context for an entire album. Based on a clever mash-up of Google Maps, visitors are encouraged to virtually wander in and around London using Google’s Street View, with certain locations triggering specific songs from the In This Light and On This Evening album. (The band is even caught hanging out at one particular location.)

The virtual tour of London certainly adds an additional dimension to the music video experience, but the Arcade Fire takes it one step further with a heavy helping of personalized nostalgia. Their interactive video for The Wilderness Downtown asks for the address of your childhood home, and then integrates the Street View of that location into their video. (Warning, the video has a LOT going on, so it’s recommended that you close your other browser windows before watching).

Sure, the integration of location-based data in these videos benefits from a bit of novelty, but none of them are content with being a mere shiny object. In each case, the location information is used to make these videos more relevant, personalized, and emotionally-resonant for the viewer. And, frankly, these are the reasons why location matters. Whether your brand is trying to connect to a location-based service, or considering a mobile tour, or simply trying to create a more engaging web experience, these music videos demonstrate the way location-based data can create a more immersive experience for the consumer. And, that’s why we have high hopes for the Year of Location.

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?

Y’know, the one we called out back in March. But no worries, we’re glad you’re all coming around. In fact, we’re going to spend the next couple of posts sorting out the marketing implications these recent announcements, because we’re just that nice.

The reigning mayor of the location-based space continues to be foursquare, which recently hit its 3 millionth user. foursquare has maintained their lead over other location-based players largely because of their willingness to partner with broad range of marketers, who often end up promoting the service in their own ad campaigns (such as VH1′s foursquare commercial). To get us in the mood for tackling this location-mania, left break down a few foursquare marketing applications from the past few months.

Skeptics of location-based services always start with the same question: what’s the point of checking-in? Of course, the answer depends on a number of things, including whether the venue is offering a particularly compelling incentive. For retailers, rewarding check-ins and mayorships are clearly the low hanging fruit for LBS involvement. Radio Shack started providing 10% off of purchases for anyone who checks-in, and 20% off for each store’s mayor. In return, the chain essentially gets free advertising in the form of a peer recommendation. Likewise, Chili’s restaurants figured out that free chips & salsa are a small price to pay for getting their guests to broadcast each visit to their social networks. But, Kona Grill took this one step further with their Swarm Parties, playing off the badge that foursquare users earn when they check-in to events with 50 or more attendees. Kona encouraged these swarms to hit their restaurants by offering special items during the gatherings, and of course, provided them free of charge for the current foursquare mayor. Again, the free advertising angle is a pretty sweet deal for the restaurant: if they get 50+ diners broadcasting their attendance to their social networks at the same time, the potential reach is certainly worth the price of giving away a few meals (not to mention getting 50+ customers in the door!).

The Six Flags theme parks are also pretty darn good at getting people to check-in, thanks to a wide variety of promotions and incentives. For instance, whoever is still holding the mayorship of each park on September 7th will win a season pass (looks like you’d better take work off for the next week!), while anyone who checks in 10+ times will get a virtual badge and an entry in a sweepstakes for a 2011 front-of-each-line pass. We like the fact that Six Flags has staggered these promotions to appeal to different levels of foursquare users. After all, only one person gets to be the mayor, but anyone with a season pass has a shot at 10 check-ins. Six Flags also uses the often-ignored “tips” section for each park to communicate additional deals (e.g. bring a Coke can for 2-for-1 weekday admission) and tips to improve the visitor’s experience (e.g. where to find bathrooms with short lines).

Speaking of fun stuff on foursquare, we’re a bit perplexed why more brands haven’t used foursquare to provide a digital twist on the ol’ scavenger hunt. One of the few examples we’ve seen was Jimmy Choo using the service to give away shoes as part of an entertaining treasure hunt. Jimmy Choo shoes would “check in” at various foursquare locations, and anyone following the brand could hustle down to the spot to try to locate the pair first. Finders, keepers!

Checking-in at live events is nothing new – or at least, it isn’t new for readers ’round here. Heck, if you can get a variety of badges for checking-in at the Today show’s live concerts, shouldn’t every event offer this simple form of recognition? Why yes, yes they should. But, we like the fact that the Today show is introducing the concept of location-based check-ins to a different demographic than, say, the folks attending the Banksy movie. For these services to continue to grow, an introduction via trusted names like Today will make the transition much smoother for new users.

Phew. Consider yourself checked-in to foursquare. Of course, we’ve overlooked plenty of examples, too. If you’ve seen some fancy foursquare integrations that aren’t listed here, please share them in the comments below!

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!

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

So, when GE recently rolled out their MoodCam iPhone app, our antennae went up. It’s certainly a clever idea: snap a photo of a room in your house, determine what kind of “mood” you’d prefer the room to have (i.e. intimate vs peaceful), and the Moodometer will recommend the appropriate GE bulb and show you the expected result.

I get it. I really do. And I think there will be a lot of folks who use this once and get a kick out of it. And, maybe I’m underestimating GE. Perhaps this is a Trojan Horse of sorts, and they’re planning to blow out this app with additional features after the first round of users put it on their phones. But, if not, the app just seems to fall flat. Which means, after the initial use, this app’s just taking up space.

Back when we lauded the ColorCapture app from Benjamin Moore paints, we pointed out that the app allowed users to be inspired by colors in the world around them, then match those colors to the brand’s color palettes. For people who are likely to paint their homes, this seems like the kind of app that will be used repeatedly, even if it’s not everyday. But, how often are we really adjusting our lightbulb types?

Bringing it back to the central point of thinking After the App, we have to ask if this same functionality could be offered as effectively via the mobile web. Could consumers upload a photo to a GE mobile site (perhaps accessible by a QR code)? If so, let’s do the smartphone users a favor and save them some space on their app menus. After all, they need to make room for the new app from the Choose Your Own Adventure series!

Ehh, let’s all take a deep breath here. While we’re very encouraged to see such excitement about these codes, we think it’s a bit premature to label their adoption as “mainstream.” As we called out in our latest Smartshot webinar, we think ubiquitous QR codes are a distinct possibility, but probably not for another 12-18 months. And, uh, a bunch of garbage trucks with tiny little codes linking to recycling videos probably aren’t going to be the tipping point.

We’re more intrigued by the announcement that Fox has started rolling out QR codes for various shows on their network, linking to “insider content, videos, first-look photos, show secrets, behind-the-scenes footage or exclusive cast interviews.” (Thanks to Paul Marran for the tip!) Now this is the kind of exclusive, compelling, multimedia content that should be on the back end of a QR code. Surely, teasing Glee fanatics with additional content is a great incentive for them to try out QR codes, which will subsequently increase the medium’s penetration among mainstream Americans. It also doesn’t hurt that AT&T is now calling attention to the free QR readers available on their smartphone handsets, as well as a Create-a-Code site where users can create their own QR codes for free.

With the support of another huge mobile carrier and a major broadcast network, it’s clear that QR codes are gaining the momentum they’ll need to surpass the tipping point for mainstream adoption. Let’s just wait until we get there before claiming victory.

But, there’s no reason to think these principles are restricted to the offline world. While touch, smell, and taste are (hopefully) inaccessible online, clever digital marketers can still take sight and sound to their indulgent extremes. And, few know how to “indulge the senses” quite as effectively as burlesque star Dita von Teese. So, placing her in an interactive, choose-your-own-adventure-style mansion is a sure-fire combination for an immersive digital experience.

The only thing missing in this equation is, of course… err, sparkling water? Yes, welcome to the mansion at Perrier by Dita. (“Not safe for work” might be a little strong, but considering there are interactive burlesque routines, perhaps “not advisable for work” is more appropriate.)

While the site seems like a curious fit for a sparkling water brand, that doesn’t take away from the excellent execution overall. Not only is the first-person experience displayed in a compelling manner, but the interactive elements (such as a teasing dice game with Dita and a chance to “photograph” her in the dark) ensure that the experience is not a passive one for the viewer. This level of indulgent interactivity (meaning the user experience, not the stripteasing starlet) should be the benchmark for online experiences, since they are now competing against everything from pristine iPad apps to augmented reality mobile experiences. Is your website offering a compelling-enough experience to hang with these alternatives?

To do this, you could follow the lead of the employee profiled in the above article, who spends an enormous amount of time finding and monitoring the guests’ social media profiles. Or, you could use technology to drive those conversations to a central location. As profiled in PSFK’s article on 10 Innovative Uses of the iPad by the Hospitality Industry, San Diego’s Hotel Indigo is using customized iPads to drive these kinds of conversations right to the hotel’s social media profiles. Got a question about what to do in the surrounding area? Submit it through the iPad to the hotel’s Twitter feed, and crowdsource your way to an answer (which, coincidentally, should always start with “GO TO THE BEACH, DUMMY!”). The hotel also displays these conversations (along with those on their Facebook page) in real-time in their lobby, so guests know as soon as they arrive that they’re part of an active conversation with the hotel. Sure beats scavenging Twitter feeds for mentions of the hotel, doesn’t it?

Of course, the iPad can be used to be a better concierge, too. The Plaza hotel in New York is taking this literally, allowing guests to use iPads in order to perform tasks like requesting room service and making spa appointments. But, frankly, any high-end hotel can offer these conveniences. What makes one luxury hotel differ from the next? Or, more precisely, what can the hotel do to make sure its guests feel like they are getting an experience that differs from the experience at competing hotels? One answer is to more clearly define the expectations of what kind of person stays at this hotel; in other words, delineating what makes this Micro Community differ from everyone else. We recently highlighted how LVMH is using their Nowness site in order to accomplish this goal, and we see a similar motivation behind London’s Berkeley Hotel providing guests with an iPad that’s pre-loaded with a variety of handpicked content. This includes select newspapers and magazines, a list of the concierge’s must-visit places, children’s content, and more. Sure, this is an extremely convenient service for the guest, but it’s also an effective way to define the hotel’s brand through curated content. Rather than telling their guests about what differentiates The Berkeley from its competitors, the hotel is showing them that their guests are the type of people who read magazine X about topic Y (on device Z – or i?).